Seething, Derek parks his truck in a church parking lot and leans in the seat. His bruised ribs still pulsed with the reminder of the impacts he endured a few nights ago.
Thanks to his injury, he couldn't drink any alcohol to wash the taste of the other night down. Truthfully, he didn't know Matt wanted to help him take down someone like that... even stronger than Little J and Bigfoot!
How am I going to kill that guy? The easiest thing to do would do a drive by... but that draws a lot of attention and I'm not too fond on killing random people. A few bystanders had suffered in the past due to Derek's recklessness.
Although he felt little guilt, he believed unaffiliated people could simply take action themselves to avoid becoming a casualty. Not my fault if they get caught in the crossfire.
An old, faded blue pickup truck pulls up and the heavyset Ricky steps out in a beer-stained white t-shirt. He opened the door to the backseat.
"Hurry it up, I've got freezer food to drop off."
Derek groaned as he heaved a cardboard box into his lap, Ricky took it from his lap and walked it to his truck.
"It's been a while since I've had any of that." Derek chuckled.
"No shit." Rick situated the box in the backseat of his truck. "That wife of yours is too fucking sharp."
He shuts the door and turns to Derek.
"The edge of King Street doesn't have too many people who come there looking to buy all this as much as they used to."
Derek nods.
"Sell on the neighboring street. If they both don't produce the customers we want, we'll think about injecting ourselves in the more affluent area. Rich kids are our best customers."
Ricky scoffed. "Oh yeah, one of our girls recommended a member."
Certainly, the Golden Pythons were always in need of new members. Fresh bodies meant more shipments, more sellers and more lookouts. Any confrontation with law enforcement could still be deadly, but numbers always mattered. Especially if they were merely down the street and could join a firefight to aid in a retreat.
However, Derek wasn't keen on gathering twigs.
"That so? Who's exactly recommending?"
"Lady Dragon."
Derek scoffed. "That dyke hasn't had any good recommendations for the one year she's been with us. Every one of those damn idiots she brings in would snitch at any minor convenience."
"She just mentioned it to me. Didn't go into any details. Either way, they'll have to do the jump in, assuming it's a guy"
Getting everyone together for her. Such a waste of time. "How about for this jump in, we go a little easy on him. Start out with one guy and max out at three. If the man can deal with it, it's safe to assume he'll be climbing to better heights."
Ricky climbed in his truck as Derek turned the key and the men drove off in different directions.
~
Zipping up her backpack on a bench in front of the library, Ulyana heaved her backpack on.
Close by, her friend, Clara, came into view in a short skirt. Alongside her walked a white-streaked dreadlocked guy wearing a gray short sleeved t-shirt. Once Clara's mouth stopped moving for a moment, he laughed.
For a split second, Ulyana's eyes squinted, not quite recognizing the face. Nevertheless, she waved at Clara who returned the greeting as they approached the library's entrance.
"Done with classes for the day?" Clara asked cheerfully.
"Just in time to get all this bullshit done." Ulyana jerked her backpack up slightly to communicate the weight of the assignment. Gesturing to the boy beside her, Ulyana smiled wider.
"Who's this?"
Before Clara could say anything, the boy spoke.
"Azhir. Freshman." That's a weird name. Ulyana thought.
"I didn't see you at orientation."
"I was out sick for around two weeks and missed my flight. Catching up has been killing me lately." Azhir exhaled with exhaustion.
"Heard it was a little awkward for some people, so I'm kind of glad I missed it." He laughed genuinely.
For Ulyana, the gathering to discuss consent during sex wasn't uncomfortable for her. Rather, the small skits, the stories, the 'real talk' came across as another lecture and invasion of privacy resulting in a clumsy presentation. She left the event, wondering if such a conversation was even necessary.
"Was it, Ulyana?" Azhir stepped forward.
"You don't seem like you'd be fazed all that much."
"No, really..." Ulyana paused then stared at Azhir with a puzzled expression.
"You know her?" Clara asked, merely curious.
"... oh." Realizing his hiccup, Azhir shrugged as he laughed nervously.
"I was told your name by an acquaintance. They said you're friends with Isha. She's my neighbor. I'm guessing you're the one who wanted her to get out more or something because she sure complains a lot." Azhir assumed yet the sides of Ulyana's mouth twitched up. There could be context, but I don't believe it. Is he a stalker?
"Didn't you mention a party this weekend, though at one of the fraternity houses?" Azhir changed the subject and glanced toward Clara.
She nodded.
"What's wrong with the parties the campus hosts?" Azhir asked.
"They can be fun... but they're limited. No space to have any privacy with people. A bit too monitored, the whole nine yards." Clara explained.
"Less regulation." Azhir mumbled to himself as if learning for the first time. Then Azhir's eyes widened.
"Forgot. Abby asked what I wanted to eat tonight." He pulled out his phone, eyes flicking to Ulyana then back to his screen.
"Well, I've got to go." Instinctively, Ulyana reached for her phone in her back pocket... but there was nothing there. I must have left it on the table.
As Ulyana turned, she noticed Azhir's smirk that disappeared as soon as she realized.
~
"You could've fucking shot me!" Carson exasperated, throwing arms into the air. Sean shrugged.
"Everything happened as it should've. I'm not going to suddenly lack trigger discipline." Sean crossed his arms, personally offended.
"It happens all the time. Don't give me that shit!" Slamming a fist into the wall, Carson groans.
"Did you have to bring a loaded gun?"
Sean nodded. If the gun wasn't loaded, the result may have been the same, but Sean didn't want to insult Katie's intelligence.
Any random passerby who owned a weapon, whether a gun or a knife, could come by and threaten her attacker but saving her wasn't the whole point. Sean needed to leave a strong impression.
"You weren't hurt and the gun kept us from having to fight." Sean believed the brass knuckles would've been more convincing of his disregard for the law, but he didn't know if the enhanced gangster he briefly encountered a week ago had told anyone. Nor did he want to out himself. He couldn't see my face too clearly, but he definitely felt those weapons.
"You sure Zuri wasn't misreading?" Sean queried.
Carson shook his head. "Positive. Katie threatened to get some guys to gut me. At first, I thought that was a little extreme, but apparently Zuri said I was affiliated with the Neon Nobles."
Mind snagging, Carson's gaze widened at the vinyl floor.
"Zuri went overboard."
"...Not... in particular." Carson kept his eyes downcast, recalling the events of the night completely. His voice remained low and barely above a whisper.
"I was having drinks with a group, waiting to do my part but Zuri last night seemed... pissed. I didn't see anyone talking to her, either."
The front door clicked and opened as the men lifted their heads toward the visitor. Zuri entered with hands on her hips. Immediately, Carson attempted to conceal his amusement. Nevertheless, his chuckle grew into a burst of laughter. Sean himself had a crack in his expression, staring at Zuri.
What the fuck are they laughing about? After a few seconds, Zuri patted her hair and her eyes widened. With both hands, she began smoothing her hair down to appear more composed.
"Rough night?" Sean mocked lightly. Zuri refused to react and stretched a single arm over her head.
"I'm fine." Zuri answered.
"Disappointed? She seemed to really like you." Carson sounded apologetic.
Zuri tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "Not my type."
Carson felt the urge to inquire further. He glanced over to Sean, searching if it'd be alright to ask. Sean shrugged. I've only known one khata who actually had a type. Unpleasant memories filled his mind. Zuri's presence didn't help either.
~
A black and yellow food truck idled behind a brick building, its engine rumbling as the three people moved inside. One mainly cooking, another preparing drinks and sides, the last tending to the window or cycling to help the cook whenever possible.
Two paper food trays were placed on the counter, one of the workers calling out the customer's name. In the food trays was cheese mixed with chili and steak stacked on top of golden-brown fries. Calloused hands take the food and set them down at a table.
Katie rocked in her chair, picking at her food with a solemn expression. Ricky, however, ate with gusto, savoring every bite and chewing to extract every flavor of the potatoes mixed with steak and cheese. Not a slob, he dabbed his mouth with a napkin every now and then.
"I've never seen you down so much after one night. What was it? Passed out on the floor? Some brutal, embarrassing rejection?"
Pausing, Ricky leaned forward a bit with ears ready to listen.
"Nothing really worth going over." Katie scoffed. Ricky raised his hands.
"Fair enough."
Cutting out her personal turmoil, Katie scanned the area. They were alone and the food workers in the truck were too concerned with their own tasks.
"That new member. What did Big D say?" Katie inquired.
"You haven't been the greatest help in recruiting. We don't have a legitimate reason to believe this one is somehow special." Ricky stuffed his mouth.
"I think he'd be a good addition to the crew. Then, if he got whatever Little J and Bigfoot got, he'd have the cops pinned down long enough for us to make a quick grab with little resistance. Or we could sell on another street while he keeps em occupied."
Skeptical, Ricky leaned back.
"You're putting a lot of shine on this guy."
Ricky gave Katie a challenging stare, trying to elicit the story of how she came to such a conclusion. Gritting her teeth and balling her hands into fists, Katie recalled the night, the few drinks she actually kicked back, the targeting, and then the arrival of the green-eyed boy, Sean.
"I was nearly attacked last night..." She finally admitted.
"The guy who chased after me, he was a Neon Noble. Didn't like me picking up chicks so, wanted to teach me a lesson."
Ricky motioned for her to continue.
"This insane motherfucker... he actually came and shot his gun. If he can do that, is there really no reason he can join the gang?" Katie challenged herself.
"Hell, I could've done that. But we would've just beaten the guy's ass. Is there a reason why he didn't do that?"
Katie had no counter response.
"And you know the initiation. If this guy simply relies on guns, how the hell is he going to tussle with the double Ns? Not to mention the cops are no slouches either."
Often, some of the younger members would criticize police officers for drawing their firearms instead of charging into a brawl. Ricky and Jamie reminded them that a person's hands and feet are considered deadly force. Insulting wouldn't help raise the dead or deter police officers from using the advantage they were given.
"Just give him a chance." Katie crossed her arms.
Ricky belched with a fist over his mouth. Noticing Katie's posture, he concurred.
"I'm just making it clear. Don't get your hopes up like every other member you recommend. Not everyone wants to be watching all sides and possibly get knocked out. And not every woman wants to feel multiple men."
Tch. Katie scowled.