Page 92 of Stay Dangerous

There was no screen on the window. But there was bushes right outside, that poked holes in my shirt and scratched up my arms something bad.

But I couldn’t stop. I had to go. I had to–

“Wynter? Is that you? The fuck you doing climbing out that window?”

I stumbled onto the sidewalk, flinching hard when big hands grabbed me. But when my eyesight cleared and saw it was Tyree, I sighed a breath of relief.

Before I broke down in tears.

“We gotta go. I gotta get out of here. But Auty. Oh, God! They have Auty!”

“Ay! Chill. C’mere.” Tyree pulled me toward a parking lot and pushed me inside a car in the third row. He got into the driver’s side, turned on the ignition, and then turned the radio down.

“What happened?” he asked after turning off the headlights.

I tried to lick my lips, but my tongue was so dry. Still, I pushed out the entire night, including what I’d heard when I woke up. He looked at my face, and I just knew there was a bruise from the way his jaw tightened.

When I was done, he turned on the headlights of the car and drove out of the lot like a madman, heading west.

“Wait! What about Auty?!” I shrieked, turning around to gape at the Birch in the back windshield.

“You said they said they locking the Birch down, so it’s locked down. She still gonna be there. But they talking about knockingoff my uncle and cousins tonight, and that can’t wait. Besides, them niggas know you, and when they get back in that room and see you gone, they gonna be looking for you. You need somewhere to lay low, and I need to talk to my uncle.”

He grabbed his phone and threw it to me. “Call Rico and Fredo. If one don’t answer, call the other, and if neither don’t answer, call Turk. Damn! Ay, first, call Reem and put it on speaker.”

I scrolled his contacts to Reem and hit dialed, putting it on speaker.

“Yo ass forgot my order already?” Reem said, answering the call.

“Kilo locking down the towers on some coup d’état shit, brodie. Take Trina to Granny’s and have her and Lala hold it down. Call Sean and have him and his mama go to Nan’s. Ms. Sheryl got a spare key. If he can’t get to the Twins and Pooh tonight, he may try her, but Baby Nitemare got it.”

“Fuck; aight. The fuck you at?” There was rustling on the other line, and a soft feminine voice.

“I’m going to the Hive. Stay by your phone.”

“Fasho. Stay dangerous.”

Reem hung up, and I started trying Rico and Fredo.

“Nutty, Set, and Tati took Shad to some winter camp this weekend in NorCal. That’s why they doing this shit now. Ain’t no telling how long they been planning this shit, though. Damn, man.”

“Wh-where are the rest of them?” I stammered, getting antsy every time the answering machine picked up.

“I’on know. Turk was on babysitting duty last I heard. Fredo be MIA. And Rico… you know… he be MIA too.”

I snorted, hanging up on Rico’s answering machine for the third time. “Yeah, I bet.”

“Not like that, Wyn.”

“Gotta be a special bitch to not answer your call.” I threw his phone into his lap and looked out the window.

“Man, I said not like that. Rico turning into Nutty, the way he don’t even want bitches breathing on him. I mean–aww shit. Here. Grab my phone and call Pooh, girl. Then put that seatbelt on.”

I rolled my eyes but grabbed his phone and dialed Pooh.

This time, the phone clicked over on the fourth ring. “Nephew, you know what time it is?”

“Man, niggas making movestonight. I’m on the way in a black impala with black rims. Rone’s whip. I got a female in the car with me. It’s only my car, but I’m being followed, and I gotta bring ‘em to you ‘cause I ain’t got enough gas to run off.”