Chapter 5
Luna
I kissed Davey’s head before I headed for the door. I jog down the stairs and out the door, walking down the street. I need a job while I’m here. I need something to do with my time. Mom sure as hell doesn’t care if we have food in our stomachs, so I’m left to deal with that.
“Hey, new girl!” I hear someone yelling behind me. I turn around and see some guy jogging to catch up to me.
“What?”
“I’m Hock.”
“And?”
“Damn, Marco was right. You’re a fun one.”
“What do you want? I’m busy.”
“Where are you going?”
“To find a job.”
“Your mom doesn’t work?” he asks, nodding toward the apartment, seeming to know everything there is to know.
“Mom does what she wants to do. That doesn’t include putting food on the table,” I tell him.
“I know how that feels. Check with the laundromat. They’re usually hiring if you don’t mind dealing with people’s bullshit over a fucking quarter,” he says with a smile.
“Where is that?”
“Right down the block and to the left. You can’t miss it. Big yellow sign,” he says.
“Thanks for that.”
“If you need help with anything, let me know. I know how that shit feels.”
“How?”
“My mom’s the same. I have a little sister, she’s nine.”
“Thanks, Hock.”
“Sure. What’s your name?”
“Luna.”
“I like that. Tell Joann that I sent you. She might give you a break then. She owes me,” he says before turning and walking away.
I smile and turn back to the sidewalk and start walking.
I’m still in Marco’s sweat pants and long-sleeve shirt.
I found one of my sweatshirts and slid it on over so I wouldn’t be too cold.
I’ve never had a heavy coat, not even when we lived in Chicago. I made due with what I had so that Davey could have the best.
I round the corner and slam into someone before I’m shoved back a few steps.
“Watch what the fuck you’re doing!” A girl screams at me.
“It was an accident,” I tell her.
“That’s how I’ll make your death look too,” the bitch snaps at me. I smirk at that. She thinks I’m scared of her? Not a chance in hell.
“You think you can?”
“Do you have any idea who you’re talking to?”
“Do I look like I give a fuck who I’m talking to?” I snap at her. She looks at me funny before a smirk crosses her face, and she pulls a gun from her pocket.
“I’m Raven’s Crew, bitch.”
“And that should mean something to me?” I ask, stepping closer until the barrel of the gun is pressed to my forehead. Little Miss Raven’s Crew’s eyes widen. I take it she’s never had to use that gun of hers before today, and it’s all for show. Too bad I know how to shoot.
“Yeah, it should. You’re on our turf.”
“I live here. Now are you going to lower that gun or pull the goddamn trigger?” I challenge her.
“Why is it whenever I see you, you’re always causing trouble?” I nearly roll my eyes when I hear Marco’s voice next to me.
“I’m not causing trouble,” the girl says. Marco laughs.
“Not you. Her.” I can see out of the corner of my eye that he’s nodding at me. “Put the gun down, Kim.” She lowers the gun as I turn to face Marco. He has an amused look on his face.
“I’m going to look for a job. It’s not my fault that your crew is stupid,” I snap at him. Now his amused look turns to a pissed one.
“Kim, put the gun back,” he orders. She raises the gun and presses it to the side of my head as I look at Marco, unamused.
She isn’t going to shoot me, or she would have already.
She’s trying to scare me, and it isn’t working.
“I warned you, Chula. You can’t go around here just fucking with everyone in my crew. ”
“Maybe you need a stronger crew.”
“You think Kim won’t shoot you?” he asks, challenging me again. I hold my head high and smirk.
“Let her. Anything has to be better than this life, right?” Now he narrows his eyes at me, and I sigh. She isn’t doing shit. So I spin around, grabbing her wrist with one hand and snatching the gun out of her hand with the other. When I move, I aim the gun at her quickly.
“All I want to do is find a fucking job. I don’t need to have you assholes on me every step of the way,” I tell him as calmly as I can.
“Give her the gun back,” he says smoothly.
“Why?”
“Because I said so.” The tone in his voice causes a shiver to run down my spine. He steps closer and closer before leaning in, his warm breath dancing over my flesh. “The things I’d like to do to that defiant little mouth of yours. Hmm.”
“I’m sure you have plenty of girls that do that for you.”
“No. None like you, Chula. And if you want a job, I’ll give you a job.”
“Sucking your cock isn’t the job I want,” I tell him. Now he chuckles as I keep the gun aimed at his friend.
“That’s not the job I was offering. What I’m offering is for you to make as much in a day as you’d make in two months at a regular job around here.” He reaches up quickly and tries to take the gun, but I hold steady.
“Call off your crew then.”
“Give her the gun then.” I lower my arm, spin the gun in my hand, and hold it out to her. She takes it from my hand and quickly shoves it back into her pocket.
“Good girl,” he whispers and nips at my ear, causing my insides to stir.
“Next time you want to threaten to shoot someone, take off the safety,” I snarl at her. Her eyes widen as she looks between me and Marco, but I only laugh.
“What’s the job?” I ask him this time.
“Come with me,” he says. We turn and head back the other direction, continuing to walk. I follow Marco around behind another building before we climb the fire escape and reach the top of the building.
I follow him across, and then he rests his hands on the ledge, nodding toward a building blocks away that you can barely see.
“What’s that?”
“There’s a crew that operates out of there. Not the best crew there is. Some people who want that place blown to hell and are willing to pay for it.”
“Gang wars?” I ask, looking over at him. He shakes his head and turns his head to look at me.
“They are a crew, yeah, but they’re worse than that. They initiate kids. Kids as young as seven, to run their fucking drugs.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“No. There’s also been word that they rape the kids.” Now anger rushes me, running wild through my veins. My hands clench in front of me, and Marco sees it.
“Why can’t you do it?”
“They know me. They know my crew. In fact, they know most of the crews around here,” he tells me.
“You need an outsider,” I say more to myself than to him.
“Exactly.”
“I won’t do it if there are kids in there,” I tell him truthfully.
“So you want the job?” I stare at the building and debate my options, which aren’t many. I could go to the laundry mat and see what’s up, but like he said, that wouldn’t make me shit, and we both know it. And I need the fucking money if I’m going to keep the heat on for Davey.
“Yeah, I’ll do it.”
“You sure? You don’t back down from these guys once you say you’ll work with them,” he tells me.
“I said I’ll do it.”
“Fine. Let’s go.” I follow behind him as we climb back down the fire escape. He stops to tell Tony that we’re heading out, but he’ll be back. Tony takes whatever it is Marco gave him as we walk down the road.
“If anyone tries to stop you, keep walking.”
“Why?”
“These aren’t the ones to mess with over here, Chula.
They’re far bigger and badder than my crew is, and I’m not willing to take a bullet for you.
” I huff out a small laugh as we keep walking.
Thankfully, we reached the building after about twenty minutes of walking in the cold.
I’m a shivering mess when Marco knocks on the door.
A man pulls it open and looks between the two of us before moving aside to let us in.
They fist-bump Marco but mostly ignore me, which I don’t mind at all.
I don’t need to draw any attention to myself if I’m going to do what he asked me to do.
I follow the man and Marco to the back of the apartment and into a bedroom where a desk is set up. A large man sits behind it, looking us over when we come to stand in front of him.
“Good to see you again, Marco.” He says, nodding toward him. Then his eyes move to mine. “You let your girls get this cold?” he asks, nodding toward me. Marco reaches out and puts his arm around me, pulling me into his side and rubbing his hand up and down my arm.
“It’s fucking freezing out there, Pete. You been out today?” he asks playfully.
“Hell no. I’m not going out in that shit. I heard it’s supposed to snow, and you know I don’t play with that shit,” he laughs. Marco laughs too, but you can tell that it’s fake as fuck.
“What are you here for?” Pete finally asks him.
“You wanted someone to handle that shit over on sixth. She wants to handle it.” Pete’s eyes move to mine and hold there for a long second.
“She your crew?”
“No.”
“Whose crew is she?”
“She’s no one’s crew. Just moved here,” Marco tells him.
“She has to be in a crew, Marco. You know how this shit works.”
“I don’t need to be in a crew to handle what you need handled. I can do it,” I chime in now. Marco’s hand tightens around me, and I know he wants me to stop talking, but I won’t.
“You’re new around here,” he says, leaning forward and resting his arms on the desk in front of him.
“And around here, I make the rules for my jobs. If I say you need to be in a crew, then that’s what I mean.
Now get the fuck out of here and let me know when you join up.
” I’m about to open my mouth once more, but Marco doesn’t let me.
He quickly grabs my hand and drags me out of Pete’s room and down the hall.
“What the fuck was that?” I hiss at him. “Did you know that when you dragged me over here?” He doesn’t answer until we’re out of the apartment and halfway down the road.
“I didn’t know that, Chula, or I wouldn’t have brought it up to you.”
“So now what?”
“Now you go look for a job.”
“No. I want that job!” I snap at him.
“You’re not in a crew, Chula. Nothing you can do.”
“What if I do it anyway? What if I take them out anyway?” He stops walking and turns to face me now.
“You want your family dead? Because that’s what Pete will do. He will kill your goddamn family, Chula. You don’t cross Pete.”
“Fuck Pete,” I smart off and start walking away from him. Marco grabs me and jerks me back toward him.
“No. It’s not fuck, Pete. You know why? He’ll come for you and my fucking crew for taking you there. If you think for one second that I won’t put a bullet in your fucking head to keep my crew safe, you’re wrong.”