Out of Control

“Out of here. You can have your gun back when we get outside,” Travis said and walked Rain toward the door. Jackie opened the door. When Rain’s men saw her being led out of the office at gunpoint, they went for their guns.

“It’s all right,” Rain said. “Put away your guns. We ain’t got no problem here,” she said and continued for the door. “Don’t nobody do nothing stupid.”

When Rain was at the door, Jackie motioned with her gun for them to follow her out. Once they were outside, as promised, Travis gave Rain back her gun. She put it in her waist. Travis and Jackie choose to keep theirs pointed at Rain and her men.

“Like Travis said, we don’t want no problems with you, Rain,” Jackie said. “You just can’t come up in here and disrespect me like that and expect me to take it.”

Rain smiled. “I think we understand each other, Jackie.” Rain turned to her men. “Come on let’s go. Good night Travis.”

“Rain,” he said with his gun still pointed at Rain’s head.

They stood and watched with guns drawn until they got in the truck and drove off. “Put a couple of people out here in case they come back,” Jackie said.

“Done. As soon as you tell me what the fuck is goin’ on,” Travis said.

“You heard most of it. We’re at war,” Jackie said and went inside. And just like that, Jackie was involved.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

It was quiet in the Suburban as they drove away from Jackie’s spot until Chris Toney asked the question on everybody’s mind. “What just happened?”

“Nothing,” Rain said and continued to look out the window.

“Looked like a little more then nothing, Rain,” Memphis said.

“Look. I was juiced about what went down today. Losing Brandon and shit, and I went up in there incorrect. Like I said, it was nothing.”

“What you wanna do now?” Chris Toney asked as he drove.

“Take me to Nick.”

Nobody else said a word on the way to the convalescent home where Nick was recuperating from his wounds. When they got there they checked in with the convalescent home in-house security.

“Lorraine Robinson to see Tom Paris,” she said and showed her ID to the man at the desk. That was the name she had checked Nick in under.

“Sign in, please.”

Rain signed everybody in and they made their way to the room. When they came in, Nick was awake and talking to Jap. The only time he’d been out of the room was when Rain was there, otherwise he hadn’t left. “What’s up, Jap,” Rain said and went to the bed. She kissed Nick. “How you feeling, baby?”

“I feel good. Perry said he might let me outta here tomorrow.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Yeah, that is,” Donavan agreed.”

“Yo, Rain, we ’bout to get outta here,” Chris Toney said.

“Where y’all goin’?” she asked.

“We’re goin’ to the club.”

“I’ma stay here tonight. Y’all be safe and stay outta trouble.”

“You know us,” Memphis said.

“Yeah, I know y’all, that’s why I’m sayin’ it.” Last week, when she let them go off by themselves they were bored, so Chris Toney suggested they ride by one of Grant’s gambling spots. “We gonna burn it down?” Donavan asked.

“No, man. Rain already did that. We need to do some different shit,” Chris Toney said.