Dub
Dub parked the van in the back lot of the apartment complex. He didn’t want to tell his mother about the van. At least not yet. She’d wonder how he’d gotten the money to pay for it and then she’d want to know whether he had any money left over. Dub didn’t mind helping her out. But he wanted it to be on his terms. Besides, if he gave her any cash, he was afraid what she might buy …
He walked fast up to the apartment. It was nearly five o’clock now, and his mother would be home in half an hour.
Inside, he slid the second set of car keys into his backpack and looked around the apartment for places to hide his remaining $466. The toilet tank was too obvious. Same went for his mother’s mattress. He thought about taping it under one of the kitchen drawers, but with his mom’s history of delinquent rent payments he didn’t want to risk them being evicted and someone else ending up with his cash.
Where should he hide it?
He realized then that the safest place to stash the cash was in the van itself. He rushed back out of the apartment, down the stairs, and was almost past the laundry room when Marquise stepped out of the doorway and blocked his way.
Shit.
Marquise’s upper lip quirked. “Where you going in such a hurry, WC?”
None of your fuckin’ business. “Where d’you think?” Dub snapped, bumping shoulders with Marquise as he pushed past him. “To see a girl.”
“Ah.” Marquise laughed. “Gonna get you some, huh?”
“You know it.”
Dub continued on into the parking lot, looking back to see if Marquise was still watching him. Luckily, the guy was no longer in sight.
Dub climbed into the van. Though the vehicle might be a safer place to hide the cash than the apartment, Dub knew thieves sometimes broke into cars looking for electronics or drugs, especially in neighborhoods like this one. Dub also knew the glove compartment would be the first place someone would look if the van were broken into. He needed a better hiding spot.
He looked around. There were no floor mats to hide the cash under, and the back of the van had only straight metal walls. Spots of clear, dried glue told him there had once been carpet in the back of the van, but it was gone now. As he leaned back to check out the cargo bay, he noticed the vinyl backing on the passenger seat had separated at the seam, leaving a gap just wide enough to shove the money through if he folded it into a wad. He pulled the cash from his wallet, folded it in two, and shoved it into the seatback.
Good.
He turned back to the door and almost screamed when Marquise, Long Dong, and Gato stood at the driver’s door, staring in at him.
Had they seen him hide the cash?
Would they take it from him?
Before he could decide what to do or say, Marquise yanked the door open. “What’s this, WC? You been holdin’ out on us?”
“Yeah, man,” Gato said. “You got yourself some wheels and didn’t tell us?”
So they’d seen the van but not the cash. Good.
“Just got it.” Dub slid down from the driver’s seat and pushed down on the manual door lock. “Traded my twelve cartons of Camels for it.” He was blowing smoke, but he didn’t want these guys to know about the lottery tickets. He knew how these relationships worked. As the newest member of their gang, it wouldn’t take much for the other three to turn on him.
“You move fast,” Marquise said, watching Dub closely. “No grass growin’ under your feet.”
“You got that right.” He closed the door behind him. “I’m going to use this van to start a lawn business.”
Long Dong scowled and waved a hand. “A business? Shit, man. You should be having a party in there!”