Page 44 of Cove City: Vol. I

“Nah, I got to go back to get Keith.”

“That nigga got in the car with his friends.”

“Nah he went back toward the fire nigga I saw his ass!”

Quinton stood in front of me. Clapping his hands. “Nigga, you tripping. I saw the nigga get in the car with his friends. Let’s go!”

“Fuck, fuck fuck!” I shouted.

Against better judgment, I hurried back to my car. Once Quinton got in, I sped off. I didn’t know what the fuck happened back there, but that shit gave me an eerie feeling.

Sweat trickled the side of my face as I ran my hand down my legs wanting to tell Pierre to fucking drive faster. “Yo! Are you sure Keith got in the fucking car with somebody!” he shouted.

“Yes,” I replied.

What the fuck did he care about that little nigga for? He wasn’t his blood. The nigga hadn’t once asked if I was ok. “What had happened back there?” Pierre’s eyes bounced from the road to me. “Fuck that!” he snapped as he did a quick U-turn at the light. Panic set in, “Where the fuck are you going?”

“I’m going back. I need to make sure. Nigga I was responsible for him, and I need to see to it his ass makes it back to his people.”

I couldn’t believe this shit. Pierre was on some hero shit, and I wasn’t with it. I reached over and grabbed the wheel. “Fuck is you doing?” he shouted as his elbow slammed into my nose.

“Ah, shit!”

“Nigga fuck wrong with you? Huh? You’re trying to kill me. What the fuck did you do?!” He barked.

Right before he hit the corner to where the fire was, he slammed his foot on the brake sending me forward. “My nigga did you do that shit?”

“Nah, I didn’t want you to have no smoke with those niggas. If they see you around, they’ll think it was us, and I just didn’t want that.”

“Man, I’m not scared of those niggas. I have nothing to hide, but at the end of the day it’s a young nigga over there who was left behind and not giving a fuck is not an option.”

He put the car in drive and hit the corner. I eased the seat back and scooted down. Pierre slowly drove past the engulfed building. The amber from the fire reflected off his face. My eyes grew as I watched Zaria’s Place burn. Suddenly, Keith came running from the back holding a girl’s hand. “Oh shit!” Pierre yelled.

He sped up and swerved his car next to Keith. “Get yo ass in.”

Keith looked back at the girl. “Come on,” he told her.

I threw my hands up, “Come on, man.”

They both hopped in the back seat. I could see Pierre looking at them in the rearview mirror. I turned to look at Keith as he angrily eyed me. “Nigga is you cool?”

Keith said nothing. Instead, he nodded. His eyes landed on the girl. She looked scared and confused. “Are you okay?” he whispered to her.

“Yes.”

Pierre rode off, turning his head to look in the back seat. “What the fuck happened? I thought you rode with your friends," he asked, then shot his head my way.

“I heard her screaming and I couldn’t just leave her.”

“So, she was in the building. I’m sorry, little momma,” Pierre said.

My mind began racing. I had gone to ask a question, but Pierre jumped in. “Did you see who did it?”

My heart raced, and the saliva in my throat had thickened. “Nah.”

I let a brief sigh of relief. I had done some wild shit, but this was by far the craziest. Now that I knew no one had a clue, it was time to watch the magic happen. I closed my eyes briefly and opened them to Shorty in the back watching me closely in the side mirror. I didn’t know who she was, but the way she looked at me, I knew I needed to keep an eye on her.

My mouth opened wide as a moan fell from my lips. “Ah Zu-Zeus!”

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