"That's him," Ma said when a black SUV pulled up and parked next to my car.
"That's him," I whispered under my breath to Mel.
She shifted her eyes toward the car. Two boys got out of the car. "Which one is he?" she asked.
"The one that drove," Ma said.
"The driver? Isn't he Tevin's age? How's he got a license not to mention a practically brand new SUV?" I asked.
"How should I know?" Ma said.
"He probably doesn't care about a license and the truck's probably stolen," Mel said.
"Probably," I said. "But he looks so young."
Bach wasn't much taller than Josh, maybe five foot five and a hundred and ten pounds soaking wet. He wore a pair of faded jeans that hung so low the crotch was at his knees and a big white tee shirt with the number seventy-two in big numbers on the front. His black cap was pulled to the side and the expression on his face was all toughness and attitude.
The boys sauntered into the restaurant. They didn't move fast and acted like they should be worshipped and feared. Mel and I both acted like they didn't exist. The man looked up from his meal, saw the two boys and pulled money from his pocket. He placed it on the table and walked out, nodding to us as he left.
"That ain't good," Ma said.
I tapped my foot under the table, and kept my eyes focused on Mel. "Here we go."
They sat at the far end of the restaurant and kept to themselves.
"So what's the plan?" Mel asked.
"We're doin' it."
"But we can't hear them. I can't even see them without turning around and it'll be a cold day in Hell before I'll do that."
"They're not really doing anything but talking."
"Ah for cryin' out loud," Ma said. "I'll go over and listen and let you know what's goin' on."
I nodded once. "Ma's going over there to listen."
Their server brought the boys each a biscuit. Big spenders. She left their check and then came by and grabbed the card receipt for our bill.
Ma came back and filled us in. "They be fittin' to roll out an scrap wit da yanksta to gank da yayo."
"Excusawhat?" I asked.
"I got nothing outta that 'cept they're leaving to rob someone or some place. You want I should follow them?"
"Where's Tevin? He should be here," I said.
"How should I know? He's not my responsibility," Ma said.
"It's just strange, don't you think?"
"Maybe he's keeping tabs on someone else. Someone Bach's got workin' for him or somethin'."
"Maybe," I said. "Okay, they're getting up now. Let's casually get up, too."
"What are we gonna do, follow them?" Mel asked.
"Sorta."
We walked out to the car, got in, and I clicked the door lock. "Better safe than sorry."
"Definitely."
Bach and the guy with him got in their car and sat. "They're just sitting there," Mel said. "We can't sit here, too. It'll be too obvious, not to mention dangerous. Maybe we should just head home and let Aaron handle this."
"We'll be fine. We're gonna drive away and my mom will let us know where they're going so we can get there. Don't worry, they won't see us."
"And you can guarantee that how?"
"My spidey sense?"
"Could you say that with a little more confidence, please?" she asked.
I pulled out of the parking lot. "Nope. Not really."
"Great."
We circled the block. Mel stared out the window and played the I Spy game. "I spy a guy who looks like he could crush me with one hand. I spy a prostitute, in a really cute skirt, too. I spy a homeless person." She glanced at me. "That's so sad. I spy two kids with a flat screen TV."
"Jake wants a new flat screen for Christmas."
"Me, too. The Cheater is taking ours."
"That sucks."
"Yeah, how 'bout we ask the two kids to get us each one?"
"Sounds like a plan."
"These kids need help. They deserve better than what they've got."
"What? You don't like the brand?"
"Har dee har har. That's not what I meant."
"I know, sorry. I have a tasteless, inappropriate sense of humor."
"And that's why I love you, but seriously, I wish we could do something."
"What would you suggest we do? Stop and talk with them? Give them money?"
"No, that's not what I mean. It's not their fault. They're innocent victims just trying to survive."
"I know."
"Look, there they are." She pointed to the SUV from the Waffle House parking lot. "Is your mom with them?"
I couldn't tell. "They've got their windows tinted so dark I can't see a thing."
"Isn't that illegal?"
"Beats me."
"So what now?"
I drove past the SUV hoping to find a reasonably safe place to pull over but the dilapidated and boarded up buildings didn't offer any safe haven. "I'm not pulling over around here."
"Smart move." She twisted sideways in her seat and peered out the back window. "How about over there?" She pointed to a park area. "At least it's well lit."
The well-lit area turned out to be an old outdoor basketball court with a chain-link fence around it and two basketball hoops that no longer had any netting. I pulled into a small parking lot next to the courts and killed the lights but kept the engine running.
Mel held up her pepper spray. "I've got this ready to go. Anyone tries to come at us I'll spray them till they're pretty in pink."
"My hero."
"Trust me, the gun guy says this stuff is incredible."
"I believe you."
"I really think we need to call Aaron. Plus, I gotta pee," Mel said.
"You need to see a doctor about that."
She crossed her legs. "I have a small bladder." She pointed to the street. "Look. That's them."
Bach's SUV drove past the courts and pulled into the parking lot.
"Crap. Where's my mother?"
They exited the vehicle and headed toward the back of it. The other boy pointed to my car as Bach opened the back of his SUV. Bach glanced in our direction and strode toward us.
"Crap," I said again.
Mel pulled me to her, wrapped her arms around me and said, "Go with it." She pressed her lips into mine.
I closed my eyes and imagined myself doing laundry.
Someone tapped on the window but we ignored it.
"Yo bizzles," one of the boys said. "You got to moo on out, you hear? We got bidness an don't need no ho's jackin' wit us."
Mel's lips smashed harder into mine. I pulled back, twisting my head toward my window. "Uh, we're a little busy here, you mind givin' us some space?" I wiped my mouth and Mel nuzzled my neck. I did everything within my power to stop my stomach from churning. "We'll be outta here in a sec." Mel held me tighter, probably because my whole body was shaking.
Mel's head popped up. "Don't mind us. We're just looking for a little privacy."
He pounded on the window. "Fine dat some place else."
Mel ran her hand through her hair. "Fine, chill out. We're leaving. Man, what's a girl gotta do to get a little lovin' time with her girlfriend?"
The other held up his cell phone. "I gotta get some video a dis."
Oh hell no. I pushed my foot on the brake and kicked the car into reverse. "We're leaving."
"Yeah, you do dat, beyotch," Bach said.
"Yeah, an don't come back," the other boy said.
I did a three-point turn and left the lot.
"Lovely young men, aren't they?" Mel said.
I dragged the back of my hand over my lips. "Jesus, Mel. I feel violated."
"Oh come on. It wasn't that bad. Bet you never thought I'd be that good of a kisser, huh?"
"I think I just threw up a little in my mouth."
"Thanks for waiting to do that."
I drove around the block and pulled to the side of the road. "I need a minute."
"I have
that effect on people."
We ducked low in our seats when two cars passed us.
"I bet they're going to the park too," Mel said.
"One way to find out."
Mel was right. The cars were parked next to Bach's SUV. Six more boys, all dressed similar to Bach stood around the cars. Ma and Tevin hovered next to Bach. "Poor kids don't have a chance."
"That's a lotta kids," Mel said. "I'm not sure I've got enough pepper spray for all of them." She glanced at me. "Wait, what'd you just say?"
"Ma and Tevin are there."
"Thank God. We woulda been toast."
I pulled over next to a row of battered mailboxes and kept the engine running again.
"What do you think's going on?" Mel asked.
"I dunno. I'm not really up on the social interactions of gang members."
"That's too bad."
"Where are the police?" Tevin asked from the backseat.
I shot up out of the seat and banged my knee onto the steering wheel. I dropped an f-bomb and rubbed my knee. "Man, that hurt. Tevin, seriously, announce yourself or something next time, please."
"Sorry about that," he said.
I twisted toward the backseat. "You know this isn't the kind of area we normally hang around, right? So probably we're a little on edge."
Mel snorted. "Not unless we're trying to make some easy money."
The corner of Tevin's mouth twitched. "I understand. Next time I'll give you a warning first."
"Thank you." I glanced back to the group of boys. "What's going on?"
"They're planning to hit another gang. They've got trunks full of weapons."
"I thought they were going to vandalize something?" I rubbed my forehead. "This is way above my pay grade."
"What'd he say?" Mel asked. "And you don't get paid."
"Well if I did this would be way above it."
I filled Mel in.
"We're crazy to stay here," she said.
"Yes, but Tevin thinks something's gonna happen that's important to his case."
"Like what?"
I leaned toward the backseat. "You got an answer for that?"
"Not at the moment."
I bent my head toward Mel. "He doesn't know."
"That's helpful."
Ma appeared over the hood of my car, wiggling her arms and legs.
"Your mother is so funny," Tevin said.
"Uh huh. Real funny."
She appeared in the backseat. "Oh this is gonna be good."
I bent my head toward Mel again. "Ma's here. Said it's gonna be good."
"What's gonna be good?"
"Be right back," Tevin said and he and my mother shimmered away.
"What's going on?" Mel asked.
"I don't know." I turned on the car. "But I've changed my mind. I don't think we should wait around to find out." I pulled to the apartment lot exit just as Bach's SUV and the two other cars from the basketball court slid in front of it, blocking me in. "Son of a beach ball."
"We're dead," Mel said.
Bach got out of his car and ambled over to mine, nice and slow like he didn't have a care in the world. Five other boys followed, all ambling the same way, shoulders out, hips swaying, and knees partially bent to keep their pants from dropping to their ankles.
Bach tapped on my window. "Yo beyotches ain't gon' nowhere," he said.
Mel and I locked eyes. When she glanced down, I followed and saw that she was recording things on her cell phone. I acknowledged her with a slight nod. I spoke to Bach. "I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're saying."
"I said yo beyotches ain't gon' nowhere."
I tried to buy us some time but for what, I wasn't sure. "I'm sorry, can you speak slower or something? I have no idea what you're saying."
'Beyotch makin' fun a us," one of the boys said. Three of them surrounded my door while the others stood guard at Mel's. I wasn't worried. In fact, I was just the opposite, confident and cocky. My secret weapons floated next to the boys, cracking jokes about their clothing. It wasn't easy but I managed not to crack a smile when Ma said the one kid looked like he'd taken a dump in his drawers.
"Lookie here at this one," Ma said, pointing to another kid. "He's got blue undies on and I think he messed his pants at one time too, 'cause there's a big ol' poop stain right here." She pointed at the boy's backside. "If he'd pull his pants up like normal people we wouldn't have to see his leftovers. No sense in wearin' any pants if they don't cover the privates, you ask me."
Not even a second later the boy's pants dropped to the ground. He stood and stared at them until Bach scolded him. "Keep yo pants on."
The kid sang a string of expletives and Tevin snickered behind him.
I snorted and quickly covered my mouth but it was too late.
"Whatchu laughin' at beyotch?" Bach asked. He flashed a knife at me. "Don't nobody mess wit my crew."
"And don't nobody mess with mine either," Ma yelled.
The knife flew from Bach's hand and soared high into the air, landing with a clunk just outside of the street lamp's reach. The boys froze in shock.
"How'd you do that?" Bach asked.
"I didn't," I said.
Ma shot up into the air, twirling in circles so fast I got dizzy watching. She dropped back down, sending a flurry of dust and garbage into a mini vortex. The boys backed away from the small tornado, swearing and shielding their eyes from the dust. The two boys standing guard at Mel's door rushed to help their friends but before they got to my side of the car, Tevin depantsed them. They tripped and crashed to the ground next to each other.
Mel laughed. "Oh my God!"
Bach charged my door, pulling something out of his saggy pants pocket and pointing it at me. When the flurry of trash subsided I saw the barrel of a gun aimed right at my face.
"Holy shit," Mel said, ducking down in her seat. "We're dead."
The next few minutes played like a slow motion movie. I watched Bach twist his hand to the side, keeping the gun aimed at my head. Then Mel screamed and pulled me down on top of her. I covered my head with my hands. Emily and Josh's faces flashed before my eyes. I saw Jake standing above my grave. I saw my dad's face and felt comforted knowing I'd at least be with him when Bach pulled the trigger. I prepared for the clicking sound and the feel of the bullet rocketing into my brain and prayed it wouldn't pass through me and into Mel.
A booming roar so loud, so strong, and so fierce my car shook, made me grab Mel and squeeze. The sound of the shot was even louder. I waited for the bullet to make contact but it didn't. Bach screamed a stream of curse words and praise to God and Jesus. I sat up and saw him on the ground, holding his leg and rolling back and forth. Blood poured from his thigh. Ma hovered over him, her energy so bright it made my eyes hurt.
"Oh my God," Mel said. She pointed at my mother. "Fran. I can see her and wow does she look pissed."
She wasn't exaggerating.
The other boys saw her too. They gaped in awe and then bolted from the scene like they were running from the cops.
Ma hovered over Bach, her face so filled with anger I barely recognized her. "You point a gun at anyone I love again and you'll be begging the devil for a glass of water, you hear me?" The same roar from earlier filled my ears again and I realized then it had come from my mom.
"Holy shit," Mel said.
Bach saw Ma, too. His eyes were as big as salad plates. He dropped the f-bomb and scrambled backwards, trying to get away from her. He pushed himself up onto his good leg and hopped into a full standing position but Ma leaned in, and back down he went, falling onto his injured leg.
He screamed, "I need a ambulance. I'm hit."
I jumped out of the car and pulled my shirt over my head. I had a tank top underneath, so it was Bach's lucky day. I ripped the shirt apart and wrapped it around his wound.
Mel got out of the car, too. Ma loomed over Bach but Tevin was nowhere to be found.
"Did you see dat?" Bach asked. "What da hell was it?"
/> "Do you see it anymore?" I asked.
"No man, it ain't here now. Yo gotta call a ambulance. I got hit bad. I don't wanna bleed out."
"He ain't gonna bleed out," Ma said. "I need to work on my aim."
"You're lucky. The bullet didn't hit the right vein," I said. "Too bad too since you were gonna kill me. You're lucky I'm helping you because your friends deserted you."
"Yeah why you do this?" he asked.
"Because I wanna know what happened to Tevin and I think you know."
"Man, I don't know nothin' about dat."
I pulled the shirt into a tight knot.
"Ouch, dat hurt."
"Tell me what you know about Tevin. He didn't jump, did he?"
"I to' you, I don't know nothin' about dat."
Mel sprayed Bach with her pink wannabe pepper spray. He covered his eyes and screamed.
"What'd you do that for?" I asked.
"He almost killed you," she said. "And he knows what happened to Tevin. If he doesn't tell us now, I'm gonna do it again."
Bach rolled onto his side and used him arm to push himself up.
"Oh hell no," I said and dropped my butt right onto his chest. "You're not going anywhere."
He made a loud poof sound.
"Mel, call Aaron. Tell him to get here right away."
"Not yet," she said. "Not until the little punk tells us what happened. I'm not coming to this side of town again. Either he tells us now or I'm emptying this whole bottle into his eyes."
The whole bottle was no bigger than my index finger but given how red and puffy Bach's eyes were already, I had a feeling it was effective.
She sprayed him again.
"Son of a—"
I cut him off. "Mel, what'd you do that for? He didn't even get a chance to speak."
"He tried to kill my best friend. You think I'm gonna let that slide with just one shot of pepper spray?"
She stuck the can in his face. "You better start talking and it better start with an apology, you hear me?" She held the bottle in one hand and her cell phone in the other. "It's recording. Now talk."
And talk he did. He told us we were right, that Tevin didn't jump off of that bridge. He admitted to pushing him. He said they were there as a set-up. He dared Tevin to walk the edge of the bridge, on the wrong side of the railing, fully intending to push him off for hitting on his girlfriend. "Don't nobody mess with my shit," he said.
Uncharted Territory (An Angela Panther Mystery Book 3) Page 27