Chapter 16

World rode shotgun in the Pathfinder with his goons, a Glock on his lap. K’wan was behind the wheel, the sawed-off shotgun between his legs. He had become one of the deadliest killers in World’s crew. He and his brother were indisputably proving themselves, laying muthafuckas down and spraying blood all around. They were riding around Harlem, looking for Squirrel.

When World got word that three of his men were gunned down like dogs, he didn’t flip out. He kept his cool. It was all part of the game. He could care less that Squirrel was back in town and trying to make some noise. World looked at Squirrel as an insect, a nasty little bug that was about to get squashed under his boot. In his mind, Squirrel was still a lightweight, no matter how many soldiers and artillery he’d brought back with him.

World smiled at the thought of Squirrel being back home. At first he was upset that Squirrel had tried to kill Luca. Now he looked at it as a plus. Squirrel could try again and kill his cousin. It was something he himself couldn’t do. He loved tormenting her, fucking with her mind, taking from her, and destroying the world around her.

Another benefit of having Squirrel back in town was, he could rob that nigga again. His Bad Boy product was running low. His relationship with Xavier was rocky, and Harlem was thirsty for some quality dope and coke. He had his scouts out on the streets looking for crews to rob and kill. If any of his scouts sniffed out quality product, World was taking it by force.

World was going through money it like it was water. He had an army of soldiers who needed to get paid. He also had a fly bitch he kept in Gucci and Prada.

It was no secret that everyone feared World. And it was no secret that he and his bitch were becoming the Bonnie and Clyde of the city, and Maribel was just as crazy, possessive, and jealous as he was.

As World drove around Harlem with his crew, his mind drifted to the incident that had happened a few days earlier. He even smiled at the thought of it.

***

One of Maribel’s young friends caught World’s eye. He liked what he saw. She was five-foot-six, petite and athletic, with dyed blonde hair, hazel eyes, and pouty lips. She made eye contact with him and smiled. That was all it took. World made conversation with the seventeen-year-old and disappeared with her to receive some oral pleasure.

They concealed themselves in the narrow stairway. World forced the girl down on her knees, and she hurriedly undid his jeans to whip out his dick. He leaned against the wall with her in the kneeling position, and she gently took him into her mouth, sucking his dick like a two-dollar whore in the project stairway. He fucked her mouth while she stroked his balls in her hand. She was sucking it like there was a prize in the center of his dick. He grabbed her hair and slammed his balls against her chin, feeling the wetness of her mouth. World was in oral bliss with the girl’s talented mouth sucking him off.

But then, suddenly, the doorway to the stairwell slammed open, and Maribel, a sharp razor in her hand, came charging in, lunging for her friend. She attacked her friend, repeatedly slicing her across the face with the razor, and the skin on her face opened up like a zipper.

“Fuckin’ bitch! Don’t fuck wit’ my man, you fuckin’ slut!” she shouted.

By the time World and his men restrained her, the poor girl’s face looked like a jigsaw puzzle coated with blood.

World didn’t have a choice. He looked at his henchman and said, “Take care of her,” meaning, kill her and discard her body.

They carried her out while World and his bitch argued in the stairway. Maribel wanted to cut World too, but she wasn’t that stupid.

***

As World drove around Harlem with his goons searching for Squirrel, his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID, and saw it was an unknown caller. He answered.

The male voice on the other end was calm and demanding. “You get a reprieve, for now,” he told World.

“What?”

“We took a vote, and for now you’re still some good use to us,” Xavier said. “I looked out for you.”

World chuckled at his comment, not taking it seriously. “And that’s supposed to be some concern to me?”

“Listen, you ignorant fuck, you think you’re fuckin’ invincible, World? Anybody can be touched.”

“Exactly.”

“I warned you; don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”

“I’m pretty capable of feeding myself, Xavier,” World responded. “Why the fuck you callin’ me?”

For weeks, things between World and Xavier had been tense. They’d had a few choice words for each other. They tolerated each other because each one had something the other wanted. World needed his supply, and Xavier needed his insanity.

World and his crew weren’t scared to do anything, even killing a federal judge in his own courtroom. They were just that crazy to pull it off, for the right price.

“We need to meet,” Xavier said.

“When and where?”

“I’ll call you back with the details. Meanwhile, keep yourself alive, you stupid fuck!” Xavier hung up.

World smirked. He was never worried about death. In his mind, he was the Grim Reaper. Everybody feared him, and in his warped mind, even the Commission feared him too. It was the only reason they wanted him dead, and why Xavier continued to play somewhat nice. He’d heard of the Commission a few times. He knew they were corrupt, wicked cops, but he wasn’t afraid to go against them.

They drove around for hours, but there was no sign of Squirrel. No one knew where he was. No one was talking. Squirrel was playing it smart, hiding out, probably not in Harlem. New York was a big city to search. World had his killers spread out in Brooklyn, Queens, and as far as Long Island. The minute Squirrel popped his head out of the small hole he was hiding in, World was ready to take it off, but not before having some fun with his prey first.

World’s cell phone rang again. This time he was caught completely off guard. The person had some nerves, some balls on her for a bitch. It was Luca calling out the blue. Did she call to surrender herself? The thought put a wicked smile on his face.

He answered her call and casually said, “Hey, cuz. How you been? I missed you.”