RUTHLESS

20

The summer was over and the new school year began for red and me. I decided to enroll in a community college and red had to be put in school. My social worker made Antonio her temporary guardian since he already has experience with foster kids.

"This gone be yo school. Stay lowkey, don't get in no type of trouble, don't run yo mouth off to people no none of that. You only here to get put in yo right grade and then afta that you can start payin Antonio back." I pulled up to her school, making sure she knew what was up before going in there.

"You think they gone find me?" She asked, referring to the dudes that broke in to Dimitri house.

"You want me to feed you lies or give it to you straight?" I asked her, Lookin in my rear view mirror.

"Give it to me straight?" She said, getting all jittery.

"I'll put them Nigga's in body bags before they find you. So don't even worry bout that shit and go to class. I'll pick you at 3.30 exactly so don't go nowhere by yoself. Stay round a group of kids, aight?" She nodded, getting out the car and going inside. I waited till they bell rang before I left, knowing them Nigga's was following me. I wasn't gone do no crazy shit since I had my son in the car with me. Driving around the neighborhood a few times, I was getting annoyed with them.

"Hold on Ssiah. We finna raise hell." I looked at him in the mirror.

"Raise Hell mommy."

{}

Pulling up to my house, I saw Dimitris car in my drive way and an unrecognizable car. Chuckling, I parked a block away and made sure I had my gun with me. They wasn't finna catch me off guard, now that I know they know where I stay at. They probably followed Dimitri here and caught his ass off guard, he neva check his 6.

Opening the door, I walked in and went to the kitchen.

"How long y'all gone keep breakin in my shit?" I asked, grabbing some stuff Imma need to cook with for dinner.

"She not even fazed by us no more P." Turning round, I looked at Dimitri who was just standing there like a bitch.

"You ain't check yo 6?"

"Caught me right when I pulled up." He said, hands in his pocket. Putting the stuff on the table, I started getting it prepared for what I was gone make.

"What you came ova here for anyways?" That's what I wanted to know the most out of all this shit cuss I made my self clear months ago. Taking my jacket off, I put my gun on the counter. It's not like I only got 1 gun.

"Drop some stuff off." Mhm. I made sure to grab all me and my son stuff from ova there a while ago.

"You ain't curious how we got up in yo spot?" One of Lo's boys asked, looking up at him, I washed my hands then shook my head no.

"I gotta back door but no body else got the key to it but me. My windows got bars on the inside. Ain't no signs of forced entry so that mean y'all bum rushed in here when Dimitri unlocked the door with the key." Looking at Dimitri, I wanted to murder him right now.

"Yo old lady got brains Mitri. Always knew how to pick him." Lo said, looking at me with this nasty look.

"I ain't his old lady and get yo feet off my damn table, yo mama ain't teach you shit?" Ion know what they wanted but now they was comin up in my spot and disrespectin it.

"My bad ma. I ain't mean no disrespect, just wanna talk."

"Then talk." For someone that wanted to talk they sure wasn't doin no talkin. Turning on the stove, I put some water in a pot and put some noodles in it. Been a while since we had pasta.

"You smart enough Miss. Lisa to know what I'm here to talk bout. It's been what, a month, since our last visit. Ion think you want me to have to keep doin pop ups, especially since you got a kid." I chuckled, puttin seasoning in the ground beef.

"Y'all came to my spot, with that dumb ass ova there, to talk bout a kid that y'all ain't gettin back." I looked at them, then back at the stove. Makin sure the pan had a nice coat of oil on it before puttin the ground beef in it.

"She ain't yo property. She a child that you trynna sell for sex. Shit from what it sound like, you trynna train ha for yo own sexual gratification." I washed my hands, then dried them.

Standing in front of them, I leaned against the table and looked down at Lo. His forehead creased, bottom lip in his teeth.

"You like little girls huh?"

"Lo you gone let this bitch disrespect you like that?" His boys started gettin disrespectful. I laughed cuss these nasty ass men, came up in my spot trynna get me to give them Red, so they can use her any way they please.

"Get the fuck outta my house. Take him wit you, since y'all go way back. And if you think imma let you take Red away, you got anotha thing comin." I wasn't scared of these wack ass hoes.

"So you takin ha place then?" He stood up, puffin up his chest like he big and bad.

"I'm guess D ain't teach you bout how we do business. I won't touch Red, but that means I gotta get somethin back of equal value." He gave me this nasty look again. The kinda look H gave me, it made my skin crawl kinda look.

"I ain't fo sell." He looked me up and down again.

"I ain't askin you to sell yoself. I'm sure D done taught you everything he know. You ain't gone be doin no body sellin shit. Imma put yo killin skills to good use."

"You want me to kill fo you, in exchange for Red freedom." He nodded.

"Don't even consider that shit Lisa." Dimitri came over to where I was at. I side eyed him, then looked back at Lo.

"How I know this ain't set up?" He could easily take me and Red at the same time. Or let red go and have me sellin myself by force.

"You don't."

Looking at him, I saw nothing but the devil. He had this look in his eye that I saw too many times before. He was the devil and I was bout to gamble away my life to save someone else.