get to Florida ⦠If we get to Florida. These niggas are holding up progress, bruh.â
âHave patience, little brother,â Diamonds said, motioning toward the glare of a set of headlights coming in their direction.
Hankâs dark-blue pickup truck pulled to a stop about a yard or so from the patch of land they huddled on. The mud-covered road was too slick for the truck to bring him any closer, so heâd have to go the rest of the way on foot, much to his dismay. Hank jumped from the cab and immediately sank ankle-deep into the mud. He moved awkwardly through the sludge toward the clearing, cursing with each step. As he drew closer to the fire, Diamonds noticed a newspaper folded under his arm.
âEverything straight?â Diamonds asked, once Hank had reached the clearing.
âOther than the fact that my feet are soaked to the bone for the second time today, everything is peachy fucking keen,â Hank said sarcastically while trying to shake some of the excess mud from his boots. âWhy couldnât we do this indoors like normal people?â
âBecause we ainât normal,â Diamonds shot back. âDid you handle what needed handling?â he asked, changing the subject.
âYeah, we good. The dope is all repackaged and tucked safely into an RV on its way west on I-10. It should be there by the time we arrive tomorrow,â Hank told him.
âIt better be,â Goldie interjected. âI still donât like the idea of letting them white boys drive our shit instead of taking it ourselves.â
âBecause driving it ourselves wouldâve been too big of a risk. Something goes wrong, we go down and lose the dope. Canât put all our eggs in one basket,â Diamonds explained.
âI feel you, bruh, but how we know we can trust them?â Goldie asked.
âWe donât, which is why I got the names and addresses of their next of kin.â Hank handed Diamonds the folded newspaper.
Diamonds peeked inside to examine the contents and nodded in approval. âAny sign of Dip?â
Hank shrugged. âSwung by his pad twice and even checked with his baby mama, but ainât nobody seen him.â
âYou think the police got him?â Vita asked. She had been so quiet, none of them even noticed her standing there. She was a cute girl, but not sexy, with smallish breasts and just enough ass to make you take a second look but not stare. Behind her rose-colored, pouty lips, she sported a mouth full of gold teeth. Instead of her usual wardrobe of loud-colored clothes and even louder weaves, she was dressed down in a simple black skirt set and black wig. The expensive flat shoes on her feet had been ruined by the mud, but she didnât seem to notice. Vita was clearly overdressed to be standing on the banks of the Mississippi at a Viking funeral, but she insisted on showing John-Boy the same respect as she would someone being laid to rest in a funeral home.
âMore like larceny got him,â Hank said in a disgusted tone. âI didnât want to say anything until I was absolutely sure, but when I was loading the dope, the bird count came back shorter than it shouldâve been. Looks like he got us for two.â
âI knew we shouldnât have took that closet dope-head with us on this run!â Goldie fumed, angry at Dipâs betrayal. Dip had never been part of their inner circle, but besides Buda, he was the only other person they knew who could operate an airboat. âI say we ride by that niggaâs house and spray it.â
âI told you he ainât home,â Hank repeated.
âSo what? Maybe his mama home. Iâll bet if I put the screw to that bitch, sheâll tell us where her olâ fuck-ass son hiding,â Goldie suggested.
Diamonds gave his brother a cold look. âEtes vous fou?â he asked, questioning Goldieâs sanity. âAfter all weâve already sacrificed, you willing