Memphis Streets 2 (Urban)

Chapter 10- Lucifer

Strolling across the dark hospital parking lot, I'm suddenly hit with the smell of burning oil. To my right, I catch sight of a rusted-out Buick Electra and twist my nose up in disgust. Some niggas really will ride around in any damn thing nowadays. Then something strange happens. A chick in the backseat points at me, and the driver's eyes get so fucking big that he looks like a goddamn cartoon. Do I know these niggas? I stop at the curb and watch the car make an awkward U-turn.

The hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and I cast a look at a couple of my flagged crew standing guard outside the ER, ready to shut down any potential drive-by bullshit like we had to deal with the last time.

"Yo! Go peep that shit out," I yell.

Like real soldiers, they take off to follow those shady-looking muthafuckas. Satisfied, I resume my stroll toward Mason's SUV and hop into the passenger's side, but before I can launch my interrogation about where his ass has been for the past hour, I notice blood seeping through his white T-shirt.

"What the fuck?!" Mason groans as he tries to shift his massive frame around in his seat.

"Don't worry about it. It's a scratch."

"A scratch?"

I reach over the dashboard and turn on the interior light. I get in only one quick glance before Mason shuts it back off.

"Damn. Chill out, Leah! I said it's just a fuckin' scratch. Tell me what's going on in there with my brother. Is he going to make it?"

For a few seconds I draw a damn blank, because I want to get to the bottom of what else went down tonight while I was getting my clit sucked at a goddamn club. At my hesitation, Mason's head jerks toward me.

"Is he ... ?" His voice croaks.

"Nah." I snap out of it.

"At least they haven't come out and told us one way or the other just yet. But ..."

I struggle on whether to reach for his hand. I'm not exactly known for my softer side. It's hard for me-has been for a long time.

"Dice took a lot of bullets. Whoever did this shit tried to turn him into Swiss cheese. For real. But you have my word that we're going to find these muthafuckas and return the favor, and we're going to make sure that their asses ain't still breathing when we're through."

"What the fuck happened?" Mason growls.

"Last I heard he was taking his lil girlfriend to the prom. Did a gang fight break out or some shit?"

"Not at the school, but a few of our young guns who go to Morris High filled me in on a few things I didn't know about. Not that it's my job to keep up with the drama that goes on in the high schools."

"What are you talking about?"

"Dice. Apparently, he and his girl, Brielle, have been pissing a whole lot of people off- blatantly flaunting their relationship."

Mason's brows dip. "Okay. What's the big deal? They were all hugged at his initiation party, too."

"Dice has never talked to you about Brielle's people?" Mason pauses.

"All I know is that he's crazy about the girl."

He thinks about it some more. "She's crazy about him, too. At least as far as I could tell."

I bob my head because that's the same impression I had, too.

"The last time we were up at this hospital," Mason continues,