Chapter 10
TEN
Earlier…
“You good, bro?” Demo asked for what felt like the hundredth time as he drove and glanced at Biggie every few seconds.
Biggie grimaced. As big as he was, this little stab wound was fucking him up.
He’d never been stabbed before, but it really wasn’t for the weak, and he was positive he needed to go to the doctor.
His fear with that was them trying to get in his business.
He wasn’t no snitch and was gonna handle the situation his way.
He pushed the pain aside baring teeth
“Yeah, man. We just need to find this nigga fast. I’m not tryna bring this shit into tomorrow.”
“We gon’ find him. We got niggas all over looking for him, and for some reason I don’t really think he left the city. He wants your spot too much to leave, you feel me?”
Biggie thought about what Demo said and had to agree, but he was for sure in hiding, and that pissed him off.
He didn’t want to spend a whole lot of time on this shit.
Leaving LA and coming here was supposed to help him transition into a more quiet life while still doing what he loved—running the streets.
Never in a million years did he think he would get a son and a baby mama out of this move and get caught up in some more street beef.
He was supposed to be lying low, and Antonio threatened that shit.
Biggie got lost in his thoughts while Demo drove, keeping his eyes peeled for Antonio or any of the niggas he ran with.
He thought more about getting out of the game.
The idea honestly made him sad, but not getting the chance to get to know his son made him sadder.
He couldn’t get the look of disappointment, on Tuesday’s face, from earlier, out of his head.
He couldn’t get the feeling of being stabbed out of his head, either.
He felt violated. Disrespected. Embarrassed.
Of course, he’d been in fights and was shot at before, but being stabbed felt too personal.
It meant he allowed niggas to get too close to him, and he didn’t like that.
“You ever think about getting’ out the game?”
Demo side-eyed him before focusing back on the road.
“What you talkin’ ‘bout, man?”
Biggie kept his eyes to the streets.
“I just been thinkin’.”
Silence filled the truck for a few minutes.
“Nah,” Demo said. “This is what we do, and we’re good at it, but you poppin’ up with a son was never a part of the plan either, so I can understand why you might be thinkin’ ‘bout it.”
Biggie appreciated Demo for understanding because he wasn’t even sure he fully did. Hustling was in his bones. Like Demo said, it was what he was good at. Him having a son shouldn’t have changed that…right?
Before Biggie could respond, he caught sight of a yellow Dodge Challenger following behind them. It had just bent the corner, causing his thoughts to shift. He tapped Demo with the back of his hand, sitting up straight.
“Didn’t Antonio and them niggas drive off in a yellow Challenger yesterday?”
It was chaos yesterday, but Biggie distinctly remembered that damn Challenger. Demo looked at Biggie and then followed his line of sight before clenching his jaw.
“Yo, these new niggas is bold as hell.”
That was all the confirmation Biggie needed. He grabbed his gun out the front pocket of his hoodie. Demo grabbed the one out the holder in his door. Slowly, they rolled both their windows down while Demo took a quick right. The Challenger followed.
“Stupid ass niggas.” Biggie leaned out his window, and with much difficulty, tried aiming behind them at the sports car.
When they rammed the back of the truck, Biggie let off a round, cracking the windshield of the car. Inside, he saw a bunch of lil’ niggas and Antonio in the passenger seat. He fired again while Antonio and another young nigga in the back fired at the truck.
“Fuck! Stick to the side streets, but don’t slow up, D,” Biggie ordered.
“Already on it,” Demo hollered as he kept calm control over the truck.
Biggie and Antonio exchanged shots. The entire windshield shattered in the Challenger, which must have pissed the driver off because he sped up and pulled alongside Biggie.
Hot led grazed his ear, and his body tensed, realizing how close that had been.
Ignoring the stinging in his ear, Biggie focused on the young niggas in the back, who now fired at him relentlessly as he tried to make himself small in the front seat while still firing back.
He popped up enough to hit one of the guys in the back before quickly ducking down again.
“You gotta swerve these niggas, man. Lose them!” Biggie said through gritted teeth.
“The fuck you think I’m tryna do?” Demo said, swerving and hitting turns like his life depended on it, because it did.
Biggie focused back on the threat and popped back up, aiming for the back once again.
Bullets tore through his shoulder, and he gritted down in pain as he fired two more shots, hitting the other nigga in the backseat.
He focused on the driver next, since he couldn’t get a clear shot on Antonio from his position, and God must have been with him that day because his shot went clear through the driver’s head.
“Speed up,” Biggie shouted, watching as the car swerved out of control. Antonio took one more shot, hitting Biggie in his chest, and the look of fear on Antonio’s face, as the car spun out of control was the last thing he saw before darkness took completely over.