Zero Degrees Part 1 (19 page)

Bookie’s thick black lips curled up into a sarcastic grin, behind the black cotton ski-mask. He was juiced off cocaine and ready to shoot some-damn-body. Hell, everybody.

Two of his closest guys—Kevin “K.G.” Goldman, who was just as high as he was; and Johnny Lay, a lanky dude—stormed in behind him, aiming their semi-automatic guns at Blake and his crew.

“Ain’t this a bitch,” Blake muttered, as he looked up at the armed robbers.

“Damn, mane,” seconded Lil Mike.

Bookie landed a glancing blow across the side of Lil Mike’s blue mesh Bubs cap with the butt of the gun, opening a deep and old wound that instantly gushed blood down the side of his neck.

Within seconds Blake, Young-D, and Lil Mike were on the floor, and K.G. was dropping the money and crack from the card table inside the backpack he’d brought with him.

“Take everydamnthang,” Bookie said. “The PlayStation, too. We need all this shit.” He kicked Blake’s head and smiled when he heard the painful grown that followed. “Punk-ass niggas think y’all ballin’, huh?” Bookie’s voice was high-pitched.

Johnny crouched over Lil Mike and began searching through his pants pockets. After retrieving a hefty bankroll and a baggy containing about a half ounce of marijuana, Johnny dropped it all in K.G.’s backpack and went on to search Blake and Young-D.

Bookie and his east side crew, who were better known as the Tenth Street Hustlers, left Blake’s crackhouse with over three thousand dollars in cash and drugs.

Today was the last day Blake would ever leave home without his forty-caliber Smith and Wesson gun.

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PART TWO IS COMING SOON