said.
“Looks like someone made your life pretty miserable,” he said with a sneer. “You sure you wanna mess up that pretty face some more?”
“Try me.”
“Noah, come on,” Bella said. “Don’t.”
Paul didn’t back up and decided to come closer. I grabbed his arm, surprising him and pulled him in tight to me, spinning him around so his back was to me. I swung my arm around and across his neck and pinned his other arm to his side.
“Don’t be stupid, Paul,” I said. “Stupid people get hurt.”
“Easy, dude,” Greg said, standing up. “We don’t need any of this.”
“Tell your buddy that then.”
Greg rubbed his hands together and then through his dirty hair. “Look, man, we gotta have the product to make rent, okay? It’s … what we do.”
“I don’t care what you do or what you sell or who you sell it to,” I said. “But you’re no longer buying from her. You can buy direct from David for all I care. But not Bella.”
Greg thought for a moment. “That’s it? He sends someone else, we’re cool?”
“We’re cool,” I said. I pressed my forearm a bit harder into Paul’s throat. “We cool?”
He gave a terse nod. I released and knew it was coming. He took a step and spun, his arm already cocked to throw a punch. I stepped into him and slammed the heel of my hand into his jaw. He toppled backward over the table and landed at Greg’s feet, blood spilling from his mouth.
“Don’t let him get up,” I said to Greg. “Or I’ll make sure he can’t get up next time.”
“No worries, man,” Greg said, glancing at his friend. “I won’t let him up.”
I looked at Bella. “Let’s go.”
TWENTY-SIX
“What the hell was that?”
“What?”
Bella smacked her hand on the steering wheel as we drove out of the neighborhood. “You can’t just do that shit with David, alright? He is gonna be furious. You have no idea what he’s capable of.”
“Relax,” I said.
“Relax? Are you serious?” She hit the wheel again. “He’s gonna come after me now. Guarantee you they’re calling him right now.”
“No, they aren’t.”
“How the hell do you know?”
“They just want their weed,” I said. “Right now, Paul is trying to piece his face back together. It’ll be awhile before they decide what to do. They’re too scared.”
She shook her head, exasperated. “You think you know, but you don’t.”
“You wanna know what I know?” I said.
“Yeah,” she said, not bothering to hide the sarcasm and anger. “Tell me what you know.”
I stared out the window at the aquamarine water. “I know that I’ve been shot at. I know that I’ve had the shit kicked out of me far worse than what David did. I know that I’ve seen people killed right in front of my eyes. I know that I’ve been in rooms with dealers who do about a hundred times the business David does. I know that I’ve been in jail. And I know what it’s like to kill someone.”
The car slowed and I could feel her eyes on me, even as I continued to stare at the water in the distance. She pulled over to the curb, but I was still going.
“So I know a helluva lot more than you do,” I said. “I know a small-time operation that wants to be big-time when I see it. I know arrogant pricks who are too stupid to expand their business when I see them. I know dumb ass college kids who need to sell weed in order to pay the rent and buy beer when I see them.” I swiveled my head toward her. “And I know you asked for my help.”
She held my gaze for a moment, then dipped her eyes.
“If you want my help, don’t question me,” I said. “This world you’re in, that seems so scary? It isn’t shit to me. This is a fucking amusement park compared to what I know. It’s not exactly something you put on a resume, but this is my wheelhouse. I am in my
“Looks like someone made your life pretty miserable,” he said with a sneer. “You sure you wanna mess up that pretty face some more?”
“Try me.”
“Noah, come on,” Bella said. “Don’t.”
Paul didn’t back up and decided to come closer. I grabbed his arm, surprising him and pulled him in tight to me, spinning him around so his back was to me. I swung my arm around and across his neck and pinned his other arm to his side.
“Don’t be stupid, Paul,” I said. “Stupid people get hurt.”
“Easy, dude,” Greg said, standing up. “We don’t need any of this.”
“Tell your buddy that then.”
Greg rubbed his hands together and then through his dirty hair. “Look, man, we gotta have the product to make rent, okay? It’s … what we do.”
“I don’t care what you do or what you sell or who you sell it to,” I said. “But you’re no longer buying from her. You can buy direct from David for all I care. But not Bella.”
Greg thought for a moment. “That’s it? He sends someone else, we’re cool?”
“We’re cool,” I said. I pressed my forearm a bit harder into Paul’s throat. “We cool?”
He gave a terse nod. I released and knew it was coming. He took a step and spun, his arm already cocked to throw a punch. I stepped into him and slammed the heel of my hand into his jaw. He toppled backward over the table and landed at Greg’s feet, blood spilling from his mouth.
“Don’t let him get up,” I said to Greg. “Or I’ll make sure he can’t get up next time.”
“No worries, man,” Greg said, glancing at his friend. “I won’t let him up.”
I looked at Bella. “Let’s go.”
TWENTY-SIX
“What the hell was that?”
“What?”
Bella smacked her hand on the steering wheel as we drove out of the neighborhood. “You can’t just do that shit with David, alright? He is gonna be furious. You have no idea what he’s capable of.”
“Relax,” I said.
“Relax? Are you serious?” She hit the wheel again. “He’s gonna come after me now. Guarantee you they’re calling him right now.”
“No, they aren’t.”
“How the hell do you know?”
“They just want their weed,” I said. “Right now, Paul is trying to piece his face back together. It’ll be awhile before they decide what to do. They’re too scared.”
She shook her head, exasperated. “You think you know, but you don’t.”
“You wanna know what I know?” I said.
“Yeah,” she said, not bothering to hide the sarcasm and anger. “Tell me what you know.”
I stared out the window at the aquamarine water. “I know that I’ve been shot at. I know that I’ve had the shit kicked out of me far worse than what David did. I know that I’ve seen people killed right in front of my eyes. I know that I’ve been in rooms with dealers who do about a hundred times the business David does. I know that I’ve been in jail. And I know what it’s like to kill someone.”
The car slowed and I could feel her eyes on me, even as I continued to stare at the water in the distance. She pulled over to the curb, but I was still going.
“So I know a helluva lot more than you do,” I said. “I know a small-time operation that wants to be big-time when I see it. I know arrogant pricks who are too stupid to expand their business when I see them. I know dumb ass college kids who need to sell weed in order to pay the rent and buy beer when I see them.” I swiveled my head toward her. “And I know you asked for my help.”
She held my gaze for a moment, then dipped her eyes.
“If you want my help, don’t question me,” I said. “This world you’re in, that seems so scary? It isn’t shit to me. This is a fucking amusement park compared to what I know. It’s not exactly something you put on a resume, but this is my wheelhouse. I am in my
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