“Fuck that rape shit y’all niggaz is talking. We caked up out this bitch!” Jay declared. “If shorty tries to get on some funny shit, we’ll just pay her off.”

“Whatever, man,” Lex said. His attention was drawn to Pain’s cell phone rattling on the table. Pain looked at the screen and sucked his teeth, but didn’t answer. He had been looping someone all night, and Lex was starting to think that it wasn’t a female like he’d told them.

“Who the fuck keeps ringing your phone?” Jay asked.

“Nobody important,” Pain said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “Let’s get up outta here.” He stood, dropping a fifty-dollar bill on the table.

The three men made their way out of the diner and into the morning sun. It was almost twelve o’clock, so the sun was nearly at its highest point. On their way back to the truck, a black Lincoln pulled to a stop next to them. The back doors opened up and three Spanish cats stepped out, holding pistols at their side. By the time the group even noticed the men, Paco was coming around from the driver’s side.

“What’s up, Pain?” Paco said with a smile.

Pain’s eyes got as wide as saucers. He looked from his crew to Paco and the men carrying the automatic weapons and was mad at himself for leaving his gun in the car.

“I’ve been trying to call you since yesterday,” Paco said, standing directly between the trio and their car.

“What the fuck is this shit about?” Jay asked, trying to hide his nervousness.

“Oh, you ain’t know? Your boy here owes me a grip and I want it. You got my money, Pain?”

Lex couldn’t believe what was about to go down. He always told Pain that his habit was going to get him into some shit, but he never imagined getting caught up with him. He tried to gauge the distance from where he was standing to the truck and wondered if they would gun him down before he made it.

“Paco, I ain’t got it all, but—”

Paco waved his hand for silence. “Save it. I told you when you took my shit that the clock was ticking. Time’s up.”