Ty stopped suddenly, squinting at the bright headlights illuminating the alley and dropped his duffle bag at his feet. He kept Kell tucked behind him as a pimped-out, low-riding vehicle and a tinted-up Escalade blocked their way. “Stay behind me, Kellam,” Ty ordered.
Like hell. Kell didn’t speak as four men filed out of the first car and three out of the second. Seven untrained men. Walk in the park.
“Look who it is.”
Kell watched a dark-skinned, heavy-set man with jeans hanging low on his hips and a thick leather jacket move ahead of his entourage and walk toward them. His smooth skin was the color of oil and his eyes as dark as onyx. Kell assumed this was Black Rock. Fitting name.
“Cheddar said you quit working with him and left ATL. I believed him. I thought you’d disappeared like a damn coward,” Rock said. When he talked, Kell got a glimpse of the gold and diamond caps on his front teeth. “You come to a man’s home when he’s not there and trash it. Then leave with his goods. What kind of home training is that? I heard you was one of them brothers that got some ’act-right. I can see folks was wrong.”
Ty stood in front of Kell with his shoulders back and his spine rigid. He hadn’t opened his mouth yet, and Kell knew his partner’s mind was moving fast. Calculating how to get them out of there without killing all these fools. Whatever the plan. Kell would execute it masterfully when ordered.
“I came to deliver what was yours, but you thought being someplace else was more important. Instead of me and you handling our business, you left someone ignorant in charge. He got what he came at me for,” Ty stated calmly.
Black Rock rubbed his hand over his pudgy face. He had gaudy jewelry hanging off him, as if he wanted people to know he had money to waste. Kell bet none of the gold he had on meant anything special.
“You owe me and I’m here to collect. I want my goods and I want my money. I paid Alejandra’s trick-ass to let me know when you showed up. I’m gonna need that back too.”
“Then we got a problem.” Ty widened his stance. He slowly stooped and reached inside his duffle and pulled out a tightly wrapped package about the size of a Kleenex box. Ty tossed it to the man next to Rock. The guy quickly tore it open and showed Rock a bunch of cheap-looking gold chains.
“Good. Now my money,” Rock demanded.
“Leave now. You got what you came for,” Ty said.
“I paid that trick five hundred dollars to watch for you.”
“I’m flattered,” Ty deadpanned.
“Motherfucker, don’t be fuckin’ flattered, run me my damn money!” Black Rock was growing louder, angrier.
Kell was still mostly hidden by Ty’s tall frame as he readied himself to attack. It was unfortunate, but they were two disciplined men cast into a horrible game with dirty players.
“Don’t make a mistake that’s gonna cost your men their lives,” Ty said it so nonchalantly that it took the men standing around a second to realize that they’d just been threatened.
“Yo, man. Check out the ice on the dude he got with him,” one of the men who’d circled around them piped up. “That should cover what’s owed.”
Kell felt Ty tighten.
“That’s a dude?” Black Rock looked back at Ty. “Why you covering him like that, yo? He standing close to you like he your bitch or something. He’s so fuckin’ small I can’t tell. Grab’em and let me see him.”
Ty bristled visibly and closed the distance between him and Black Rock. Kell stood alone, eyes wide, his fingers ready to pull his first blade. He wondered if Ty’s enemy could smell the sex on him. Could smell Kell’s seed ’lotion’d into his skin because he sure could.
Rock’s men took a step back at Ty’s fury, at the brimstone in his eyes.
“You want the whole block to hear your screams, Black?” Ty’s voice was lethal and just loud enough for them to hear. “Then get your mind off him.”
“Let’s get the hell out of here, Black, before ’five’o roll up. We got the package,” the one to Black’s left said.
“You better listen to your Lieutenant,” Ty warned.
A shiver of anticipation ran down Kell’s spine. Ty was a force. He was just waiting on the signal while still keeping an eye on the greedy man who was eye-fucking his herringbone. Kell hated that he’d removed his scarf.
“You still owe me. Don’t let me see you on my block again, motherfucker. You’re banned. If I see you, you’re going night-night,” Rock kept talking trash.
Ty stared unfazed.
“I just want that necklace dude got on,” The one closest to Kell said again.
He was hoping the guy would leave and not want to keep picking at him. But he was a hungry thief. All the man could see was that Kell was a small, unarmed white boy on their block. Meaning anything he had on him he forfeited if he couldn’t protect it. The hoodlum’s words were meant to strike fear in him. But Kell didn’t know the man, so he didn’t fear him or care about his life.