Free Crackhead II: A Novel by Lisa Lennox Page A

think they would be conducting business.
    It was crowded, hot, and noisy from the sounds of the arcade games that filled the air, along with the loud laughter and hollering from the teenage crowd. Smurf and his lieutenants huddled around their favorite game, Commando, and Smurf began his meeting.
    “It’s been brought to my attention that Five-0 been canvassingthe turf. Y’all seen ’em around your way?” Smurf asked as he played the game.
    “N . . . n . . . no,” Chunky forced himself to say.
    “You seen ’em?” Smurf asked Drake.
    “Naw.”
    All four of the guys were concentrating on the game and whoopin’ and hollerin’ when Smurf started shooting and blowing shit up.
    “Them muthafuckas been comin’ around West Ville askin’ questions about Dink, Marco, and Dame,” Lil’ Rob confirmed.
    “What the ffffuck you ddddoin’ in West Ville, mmman?” Chunky asked, looking at Lil’ Rob suspiciously.
    “Man, fuck yo’ fat ass!” Lil’ Rob shouted, glaring at Chunky, knowing what he was getting at. Everybody laughed.
    “It’s only gonna be a minute before they come down here asking that same shit, that is, if they haven’t already.”
    “Okay, well, what you want us to do?” Drake asked seriously, getting back to the meeting. He knew Lil’ Rob was a hothead and someone had to think rationally.
    “Nothin’ right now,” Smurf told his boy, coolly. “Just fall back, keep your eyes and ears open. Let me know if you see or hear anything that don’t seem right.”
    “Well, now that you mention it,” Drake spoke, “ain’t nobody seen them niggas. What’s up?”
    Smurf looked at his boy, who made him lose a turn.
    “Dink had some business to tend to, Marco had loyalty issues. Dame had loyalty issues too, but he got cut up slippin’ in some bitch pussy.” Smurf shook his head. “That’s a damn shame.”
    The crew became quiet and looked at Smurf. They knew what that meant. “I know you handled that shit, boss,” Draketold Smurf with a slight chuckle. He’d known of Smurf when Dink was around. “I thought there was something shady with that bitch Marco, but Dame . . . I thought he was on top of his game.”
    The real reason Dame was gone was because he was a cocky, ego-trippin’ nigga. Dink had been good to all of his boys and made everyone family, but when Dame threatened him, he realized that the nigga was on some bullshit and had to be dealt with. Dame wanted to shine more than he wanted to grind, but his crew didn’t need to know that. Dame went down the best way he could, at the hands of a ho. “Yeah, but we all know all pussy ain’t good pussy.” Everyone dapped. “But yo, speaking loyalty, let me holla at you for a second,” Smurf told Drake.
    Instantly, Drake’s pager went off. He looked at it and a frown spread across his face as he stuck it back on his hip. The two went off to a secluded area in the back of the arcade. Smurf noticed the other two guys went to scoop up some honeys.
    “Wassup, boss?” Drake spoke. He knew when he and Smurf spoke one-on-one, it was serious, and he was glad that it was him that Smurf trusted.
    “I been meanin’ to ask you . . . is there something up with your pager?”
    “Why you ask that?” Drake asked Smurf, with a perplexed look on his face.
    “I paged you earlier and you never returned my call. Let me see it.” Smurf grabbed it out of its holder and ran through the numbers. “See, it’s right here,” he told Drake, trying to jar his memory. Smurf handed the pager back to Drake.
    “Shit, I don’t know. Probably chillin’.”
    “Wrong answer,” Smurf said. “I’ma ask you one last time. Where were you?”
    Drake remembered exactly what Smurf was talking about. He was with his older brother who’d graduated from the academy. The two went riding in his new squad car and his brother gave him some information about a chick he was asking about. Drake knew he had to confess, because he knew that Smurf wouldn’t hesitate putting a