Billy paused just outside the apartment door to give Jah some last-minute instructions. “When we get inside, you don’t say a fucking word. I’m gonna go in the back and tell Yoshi that you’re here. Don’t get your hopes up, though, because there’s no guarantee that she’ll even want to see you.”

“If she doesn’t feel up to it, I’ll bounce,” he assured her.

Letting herself in, Billy led Jah through the foyer to a carpeted living room. There wasn’t much furniture in it, with the exception of a sofa bed and a large television that had an Xbox hooked to it. Marcus, who had been playing Madden, glared up at Jah. Billy tapped Marcus’s leg and led him into the kitchen, where they spoke in hushed voices. A few moments later they came back out. Billy’s face was indifferent while Marcus’s was just suspicious.

“Jah, I’ll be back,” Billy told him, disappearing into the bedroom and leaving the two men alone.

Marcus waited until he was sure she had gone before addressing Jah. “So you know Yoshi from the block?”

“Something like that,” Jah said. Though Marcus wasn’t coming at him sideways, something about his posture made Jah’s hand move closer to his gun.

“Listen, my dude, I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but I feel like I gotta say it. Billy says you’re good peoples, but I don’t know you well enough to go on the word of a female. Yoshi has been through a lot, probably more than you can imagine. She’s in a very fragile condition right now, so I would appreciate if you kept that in mind when you go back there. I couldn’t see her hurting any more than she already is, smell me?”

Jah peeped the underlining threat in Marcus’s statement, but forced himself not to try and tear the kid’s head off. “I dig where you’re coming from, so we won’t have any misunderstanding about that there. I got nothing but Yoshi’s best interest at heart.”

“Cool.” Marcus nodded and went back to playing the game.

Jah stood by the front door looking everywhere but at Marcus. Something about the man’s cockiness made him want to punch him in the face. Luckily, he didn’t have to wait around too long because Billy came walking out of the back, with Rhonda on her heels. Jah watched her face, trying to read it.

“I heard Billy say it, but I had to see it with my own eyes,” Rhonda said, giving Jah a pound. “What wind blew your ass this way?”

“I needed to see Yoshi,” he answered.

“For what? When did you two become all buddy-buddy?”

“It’s a personal matter,” Jah said, becoming irritated that Rhonda was keeping Billy from speaking. “So?” He looked at Billy.