"I really don't like thinking of Pax and sex. Makes me pukey."
Sighing, I remain quiet for a few minutes while she pays for her order. Once we're heading out the door, I think about the way Pax looked at me before I left.
"I love him so much, but what if he breaks my heart?"
"Then we kill him and bury him in the backyard. I'll bring the shovel."
Laughing, I bump her as we reach the car. Despite our good moods, we're hyper-alert to our surroundings. Little Memphis has always been dangerous and full of random thugs. These days though, we can't even trust people we know.
34
Pax
Stop the Damn Twitching
I'm pissed by the time Ford and I run down the fucker Ginger sends us after. Why are we playing errand boys for a pimp? All I know is she snaps and Joker jumps. Then he turns around and snaps, so we're jumping. This shit has me in a rage by the time we locate the dickhead.
Ricie twitches a lot, and I smack him until he's barely conscious.
"Stop," Ford grunts at me when the guy finally passes out. "You're prolonging this shit, turd."
"Fuck off, penis face."
"You think about my dick a lot, don't you, little brother?"
Laughing, I swing my bat at him, but he leans out of the way. Joker and Lucky enter the wrecked classroom.
"Anything?"
"What is this guy supposed to know?"
"About Tiny Dick."
"Every time we say 'dick,' he giggles, and I'm forced to hit him again."
"Life is all kinds of difficult for you, isn't it, Homerun?" Lucky teases.
"Why is everyone picking on me?"
"Easy target."
The four of us look down at Ricie, waiting for his brain to click on.
"Why, man?" he asks finally. "I don't even know you bros."
I glance at Joker. "See what he's like?"
"Ask him what he saw at the quarry."
Behind us, Madden leans against the door pane. He's wearing a hat over his dark, wavy hair like he's undercover.
"What about the quarry?" Ford asks, kicking Ricie's foot.
"Oh, man, I don't want to think about that."
"Save the drama bullshit and spill what you know, or I'm having him pound on you again."
Ricie looks at me then nods. "I saw them fucking up this guy. They were cutting him all up. He was screaming, so they shoved dirt in his mouth. No, it was gravel. He couldn't breathe, and maybe that killed him. I think he was gonna die anyway when they cut open his chest."
Madden steps into the room. "He doesn't know the guy they killed, but I bet he knows the ones who did it."
"Who killed him?" Ford asks, since Ricie apparently can't hear Madden a few feet away.
"Ah, man, he won't like no one talking about his business. He always says he don't like people ratting on him. How he hates that and it makes him take out his knife. I don't want him taking out his knife on me."
"Sounds like half of the guys in Little Memphis," I mutter.
Ford leans on Ricie's foot again. "Say the name, or we'll take out our knives."
The guy's eyes go in two different directions, and I wonder if he might be having a seizure. Realizing he's just thinking, I feel smarter just by being near him.
"Zombie."
The room goes quiet like we all stopped breathing for a few minutes. I look at Ford, who shows nothing on his face. Joker is always cool. Lucky though looks like someone punched him.
"What the fuck?" he says to Madden.
"Not in front of the dipshit."
"What do we do with him?"
"He can't leave or else he'll snitch. If it makes killing him easier, I heard he beats his elderly mom and steals her Social Security checks."
Madden walks out, probably too soft to see the violence. Before I glance back at Ricie, Ford has brought down his bat. I hear a crack, and the guy stops twitching.
"Does this feel like a setup?" I ask Ford.
"Yeah, but what's the point?"
We follow Joker down the hallway and find Madden a few rooms down. He isn't alone.
Ginger looks smaller in the light of day. Her hair is hidden under a hat, but I don't think it's red like I assumed. She's wearing a jacket and jeans. In her lap rests a pistol, but her focus is on the lollipop in her mouth.
"Big Dick didn't think taking out Joker was a good idea," Madden says when we walk in. "He thought the club needed an older president if Dad died. He didn't think I was ready."
"So Trigger killed his kid?" Joker asks, seeming unconvinced.
Ginger pulls the lollipop from her lips. "Tiny Dick was a loser. He couldn't control shit on the West Side. Pimps pushed him around. Dealers paid late. No one respected him. He thought he was in love with a teen hooker and spent most of his time following her around to make sure she was safe. It was cute until she actually got roughed up by a couple of competing girls. When he stepped in, they kicked his ass. The guy was big, but he fought for shit."
Joker rubs the back of his neck. "So Trigger kills a weak link and gets his buddy Big Dick on board in one move."
"Why not just fucking tell us this?" Ford asks Ginger and Madden.