“You,” the boy said, fear in his voice as he recognized Xavier.
He let go of the chain and the dog lunged at Xavier. This time the mutt got a face full of pepper spray. The pit gagged, snorted, and made other funny noises as it dropped its massive head to the ground and began helplessly pawing at its eyes. It bounced up quickly and shot off down the street, yelping.
Dog Boy lost it and charged at Xavier. He got a face full of pepper spray too, followed by a vicious right haymaker to the left temple that dropped him. Xavier bent down and for the first time noticed the audience. Spectators were on the other side of the street at a safe distance watching the action, some even applauding. It was pathetic that this jerk and his dog had been terrorizing folks at this school to the point that these people were cheering and clapping their approval.
The dude was on the ground, paralyzed by the punch. He was out of his head and groggy. Xavier grabbed the boy up by his collar and smacked him across the face for good measure.
“From now on, homeboy, if you see my little brother walking up the block, you better cross the street. Don’t have me come back up here again. The next time I smash you, your own mama won’t recognize you.”
Xavier stood up and spotted Alfonso. Noah was just pulling up when Xavier nodded his head at his little brother, as if to say that everything was going to be all right now. Alfonso smiled and Xavier could immediately see the relief in his little brother’s face.
Not wanting to be spotted by his father, Xavier bounced.
22
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5
1:38 P.M.
Ms. Scott had her entire fifth-hour class in the library doing research. Xavier was sitting behind a computer terminal, tapping away. It was an odd topic, but Xavier had chosen to do his research paper on a few of the world’s deadliest snakes. There was no obsession or anything like that; a mild fascination at best. Truth be told, when the teacher had asked him to declare his research subject, it was the only thing he could think of off the top of his noggin. After all, having to watch his back was a full-time gig. Left him with very little room for concentration. But given what different kinds of snake venom could do to the human body, the gory detail would almost assure Xavier’s complete and undivided attention. He needed to ace this thing. The boy still held out hope of crossing the stage at the end of his senior year, regardless of the goons lurking in the shadows with itchy trigger fingers.
Xavier yawned and stretched his limbs. He’d been kept up last night listening to Billy argue with his baby mama, Brandy James. From the way the two were getting after it, Xavier concluded that they’d argued before. But this time the confrontation had spilled outside, where Xavier could hear every word. The chick was mad ghetto, cussing and yelling. A lot of the stuff Xavier had ignored, except when his name had come flying out of her mouth.
“Xavier ain’t yo’ damn son!” he’d heard Brandy yell last night. “Send his freeloading behind home. Get him outta that house so we can rent it. Worry about home and less about a kid who ain’t yours!” Of course Billy had defended him, but the only words that stuck in Xavier’s head were hers. In his opinion the chick was too young for Billy, and too stupid. But in her own ghetto way, she was right. Xavier had become a burden and the financial strain was starting to wear on the couple’s relationship. He had to bounce. It would be good for Billy’s family.
There was a light tap on his shoulder. Xavier turned around and saw Ms. Scott staring squeamishly at the pictures on his computer screen.
Her brow was wrinkled and her lips were pulled in. “Mr. Hunter, you are an interesting piece of humanity. I never knew that you liked snakes. And, oh my gosh, look at the head on that one. And are those small horns on its nose?” She pointed to the snake on the computer screen.
Xavier smiled. “I kinda got hooked a few years ago. Was watching Animal Planet and they had this documentary on dangerous snakes.” He gestured at the picture on the screen. “It’s a Gaboon viper. Has the longest fangs in the world and the venom is what they call hemotoxic. Means it destroys tissue.”
“I have to admit that the dark, yellow-edged pattern is pretty, but I wouldn’t want to run into it,” Ms. Scott said, wrapping both arms around her body and shivering.
“I wouldn’t worry about you walking up on one of these bad boys, unless you plan on visiting Africa. It lives in the bush.”
“I expect a thoroughly enlightening and entertaining paper from you, Mr. Hunter.”
“No doubt. My paper will be tight.”
“By the way, has Doug contacted you?”
Before Xavier could respond, Doug walked into the library. He spoke to Ms. Scott and asked for a little time with Xavier. The two walked out into the hallway.
Xavier asked, “So have the white coats from the mental hospital nabbed that insane girl yet?”
There was an intense look on Doug’s face. “Mr. Hunter, I’m afraid this is no joke. We did some looking into the matter. Found out that Heather was adopted by a lady named Mickey Larkin. We got in touch with Ms. Larkin and she reported Heather hasn’t been home in three weeks. Said she went to sleep one night and when she woke up next morning, Heather was gone, and so was Ms. Larkin’s Ford Edge.”
“The police?”
Doug said, “I’m getting to it. Because Heather has a history of staying away from home for long stretches, Ms. Larkin thought this was just another one of those times. And as for the vehicle, Ms. Larkin didn’t want to get Heather in any trouble with the police. So she never reported it missing.”
“So you’re telling me that nobody knows where this Bipolar Betty is?”
Doug scratched his head. “I know you’re referring to her as Bipolar Betty as a joke. But, son, this is no joke. Her mother says that she does have bipolar disorder. She stopped taking her meds about a month ago.”
This didn’t happen to Xavier much, but goose bumps crawled over his flesh. The silence around him was creepy, almost reminiscent of a swimmer treading in the ocean while watching a shark fin break the surface and then chillingly dip back down, out of sight.
Doug reminded Xavier, “You have a lot of enemies for somebody so young. You are stretching my security team thin, you know that? The police are investigating and looking for Heather. In the meantime, Mr. Hunter, you better watch your back.”
“That’s the understatement of the year,” said Xavier.
“Oh by the way. That abandoned house lead turned up empty.”
Xavier said to Doug, “Why am I not surprised?”
The very next day Xavier was chilling in the lunchroom. He was surrounded by the usual suspects. This time the cast had been joined by Samantha. On the phone last night Xavier had gotten a chance to put Samantha up on game. Heather was out of her head and off her meds. And even though Samantha had said that she wasn’t worried about the threat, Xavier knew better. She had that same fear in her voice that she’d had during the time of those prank calls last year.
Dexter asked Linus Flip, “Will your ride be ready when we mob to the MJR Cinema 20 on the twenty-seventh to see Ratchet Chicks, my dude?”
“You know it, but I’m taxing the fools rolling with me.”
Samantha smiled. “You have to make that engine money back some kind of way.”
Linus laughed at Samantha. “You back on my ride again.” He looked at Xavier. “Man, why don’t you get your girl up off my car. Everybody can’t be rich like her and have a driver.”
Xavier was sitting right next to Samantha. “Homeboy, better you than me.”
Dexter asked, “Where is the jock?”
Xavier said, “Bigstick said he was skipping today to chill at home with Ray Taylor. The two of them are gonna breeze down to the hospital and check out Clyde.”
They started discussing Clyde’s improvement when Kato Holloway walked over. He was flamboyantly dressed, of course—high-profile Cartier frames, a sweet Gucci hooded sweatshirt, big-money diamond studs, expensive jeans, and high-top signature black Gucci sneaker
s. His dreadlocks flowed smoothly down his back.
“Xavier, what up doe?” asked Kato.
This dude is up to something, Xavier thought. But he played it off by saying, “You got it all day, homeboy. Let me introduce you to a few of the homies.” Xavier introduced Kato to Dexter and Linus. “And this lovely lady sitting next to me is my girl—I mean my friend—Samantha Fox.” Introducing her as just a friend—Xavier had never stopped to realize how hurtful it felt.
Kato complimented, “And yes, you’re all kinds of foxy, mama.”
Samantha blushed and said, “Why, thank you, Kato. That was sweet.”
Xavier didn’t think it was sweet. He wasn’t trying to show it, but he was jealous.
“Kato?” Dexter asked. “Is that like Bruce Lee in The Green Hornet Kato?”
Linus said, “Man, I heard of Bruce Lee, but what the hell is The Green Hornet?”
“Don’t you know anything, Mr. Engine Trouble?” Dexter said, laughing. “The Green Hornet was a TV series back in the Stone Age when Bruce Lee got his start on television. It just so happens to be one of my father’s favorites.”
“Okay, Mr. Engine Trouble,” Linus said to Dex. “Samantha got a ride to the movies. Don’t let her get you in trouble by using her jokes.”
Kato stood there laughing. “You cats are funny. But to answer your question, Dexter—”
“Call me Dex.”
“No doubt, homie. Much like your dad, my old man watched the show back in the day and he also loved Bruce Lee. Pops named me after his favorite action star.”
Xavier didn’t have the complete facts as to why Kato was starting to get so friendly. He’d learned recently that potential enemies should always be kept in front. Couldn’t see what they were doing behind. If this guy wanted to play the game, then Xavier could too.
Xavier waved his hand. “Why don’t you cop a squat, homeboy. Kick it wit’ us. We’re all family around these parts.”
Kato said, “Thank you. Don’t mind if I do.”
“Look, Kato,” Xavier said. “February twenty-seventh we’re all going over to the MJR Cinema 20 to the movies. Why don’t you come kick it with us?”
Linus and Dexter looked at Xavier like he had completely flipped his wig. Since Kato’s arrival, all three had been trying to figure dude out.
“Yes, Kato,” Samantha said joyfully. “It’s on a Friday. Bring a girlfriend, friends—whoever. We’re going to have a great time.”
Kato smiled. “That’s what’s up. I’m there.”
Xavier was determined to keep this dude by his side. No matter what. At least until he found out what Kato had up his sleeve.
23
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20
9:00 P.M.
Death might’ve been riding on his coattails, but Xavier wasn’t going to be deterred by his enemies. He was driven to think positive thoughts, and having an opportunity to flex at his prom and walk across the stage to receive his diploma were two of them. The boy was so committed that he’d passed on an invitation to kick it with Dexter and Linus Flip tonight. And despite the teasing he’d received from Dex and Linus about being a bookworm, Xavier had put his foot down. This research paper would be 50 percent of his grade on the last report card of the school year. So Dex and Flip could kick hot rocks wearing open-toed sandals. He had to stay focused. And though Slick Eddie’s henchmen were out there somewhere and probably waiting on Xavier to make a wrong move, that was no excuse for him to fall behind in his grades.
Xavier was working in the front room, using his cell phone to look up the deadly black mamba, as he sat snugly in the corner on the throw pillows, his back against the wall. The serpent he was researching was super aggressive, with lightning strikes, a drop of his venom was able to take out ten to fifteen adults. Highly distinguishable by the black color inside the mouth, it lived in Africa and had been recorded as being the fastest land snake on the planet. Xavier was finding out some pretty interesting facts about the serpent world. Like the deadliest snake in the world didn’t live on land but slithered in the sea—the Belcher’s sea snake. It was tiny, not as big as its land cousins, but a few milligrams of venom would be enough to wipe out a thousand people.
Yes, the research was interesting enough but failed to capture his total attention. The dark recesses of his mind were in command and taking his thoughts down a pathway to the troubles that were disturbing his world. Dude seemed to be wanted by everybody. It was a wonder that he was still alive. Tall and Husky had no doubt made an attempt on his life, but had missed the opportunity and came up busted. And after they’d done Clyde and Ray Taylor, the GMC SUV boys seemed like they had completely vanished. Even Heather’s ratchet self hadn’t been spotted creeping. Xavier took no comfort in this. At any given time he could step out of his front door and become a victim. He wasn’t going to let down his guard or bank on his enemy giving up the chase.
And poor Samantha had been nothing but a trooper behind all this madness. For the life of him he couldn’t understand why she still was willing to be his friend—all the crap he’d taken her through. Any other girl would’ve been in the wind by now, especially after being threatened by some demented chick who possessed a dark fetish for wanting to leave tire tracks over her victim’s mangled body.
Xavier had kicked it with Samantha about an hour ago. Just before she, Tracy, and Jennifer had stepped out for an evening of shopping and probably dinner. This was the only time that Xavier wasn’t worried about Samantha. Her driver, the black Lurch, wasn’t quite as tall as Shaquille O’Neal but just as thick. He’d also been given strict orders by her parents to protect their daughter at all costs. Smash whoever might jump in Samantha’s face, popping junk.
Kato Holloway continued to be quite friendly. The boy sometimes went out of his way to have a conversation with Xavier in school. Had the nerve to ask him a few times if Xavier wanted to be dropped off at the crib. Even before Linus had his ride back, Xavier had declined. Didn’t know Kato like that, and there was no way he was going to show homeboy the location in which he laid his head.
On his phone Xavier had pulled up a picture of a Philippine cobra, when there was a knock on the front door. Instinct forced him to click off the living room lights. He crept toward the windows to peek through the vertical blinds. No way on God’s green earth was he gonna place himself in harm’s way by standing directly in front of the door and staring out the peephole. Cats had been blasted out of their shoes and socks in the past for such a careless action. The front window gave direct access to the porch. It was Billy standing there in the shadows.
Xavier opened the door. “Old man, you were about to get your head blown off.”
Billy moseyed on in, bringing with him the cold air from outside. “With what, your cell phone? Because I know you don’t have any illegal firearms up in here—not my rental property, you young punk.”
Xavier closed the door. “You can’t tell me what to do in this house—I’m paying—oh, wait a second. I’m not paying rent. But I do live here.”
“For free, you little parasite,” Billy joked. The old guy had on a thick winter jacket, his regular hospital scrub pants, and tightly laced old-school black combat boots. He paid attention to Xavier’s notepads and thick textbooks scattered around his work area. “You in here getting your lesson, I see.”
Xavier walked back over to the throw pillows and sat down. “I would offer you a seat, old geezer, but somewhere I heard that standing up for a guy your age is healthy for circulation.” He pointed to the pillows. “Besides, this is the only chair I have to sit on in here.”
Billy looked at the picture of the Philippine cobra on Xavier’s cell phone screen. “What are you doing in here looking at snakes?”
“Research for my paper. Writing about some of the deadliest snakes in the world.”
“Aw shoot, young’un. You could’ve saved your research on the Internet and come to talk to me. Do you know when I was over in the jungles of Vietnam we had to be very careful? If it was
n’t the red ants, it was those pesky tiger leeches. But in the field you had to be alert because they had some stuff over there nobody wanted to tangle with. We used to be over there, knee-deep in heavy bamboo or elephant grass. The spitting cobra, bamboo pit viper, Malayan pit viper, and the Malayan krait—a bite from any one of those would’ve gotten a grunt shipped back to the United States in a metal coffin.”
Xavier asked, “You ever see some?”
Billy popped his lips. “Shoot, yeah. Especially at night, when we were lying around on our air mattresses. Suckers would slither right on by.”
“I guess I should’ve come over to pick your brain.”
Billy walked over to the window and peeled back the blinds and looked out.
Xavier could tell something was heavy on his mind.
“Youngster, I’m not gonna beat around the bush. I know you heard us fighting the other night. Brandy and I are butting heads—the woman is like a wildcat. And I went and got her knocked up like a darn blasted fool, should’ve had my head examined. But anyway—”
Xavier said, “You don’t have to say it, Billy. I’m coming between y’all. You’ve been nothing but good to me. It’s time for me to go back home.”
Billy put a hand up. “Listen, take your time. If you feel you need another month to get yourself together, then you take it. You are a good kid and I want to see you do well. One thing the heffa is not gonna do is bully me into doing anything.” Billy pulled up his coat and removed a thick business envelope from his right scrub pocket.
The envelope was like the one Billy had given him before, but a little thicker.
He handed it to Xavier. “When you leave here, this ought to get you through the rest of the school year. Don’t go tricking—”
Billy’s words were cut off by the explosion of the middle window. Xavier and Billy hit the deck, as jagged glass flew through the air. Xavier looked over at Billy. The old man had pulled his pistol out but stayed down. Outside, a car door closed quickly and tires squealed as the vehicle sped away.
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