Drama City

as they began to comment on his presence, taunt him, and call him names. He wasn't frightened. He was used to this. But he figured he better get to the Tahoe and back up Lorenzo. He was worried for Lorenzo's safety, but, more than that, he was concerned that Lorenzo might lose his temper.

Lorenzo was a good worker. Mark wanted to make sure that he stayed on the job. Indeed, Irena Tovar had charged Mark with the responsibility of keeping Lorenzo straight.

Mark climbed the rise.

Lorenzo Brown, standing by a silver BMW, watched the men coming out of the woods, players and participants alike, walking dogs to vans and SUVs, carrying equipment, sections of ring, and folding tables and chairs. Some dipped casually and a few moved hurriedly. Some walked right through the community garden that the neighborhood residents had planted. None ran. The dog players and handlers had seen the white Humane officer in the woods and saw Lorenzo in uniform now. They knew that both officers had limited power and that they were not police.

Soon Mark appeared at the tree line, followed by many others, some of whom were making derogatory comments in Mark's direction. Mark, as usual, seemed unfazed. He stepped around the community garden and met Lorenzo.

'You okay?'

'I got some pictures,' said Mark, sweaty, pink-faced, jacked on adrenaline.

Lorenzo looked around the field. Cars and trucks were pulling out, heading down the dirt alley. Mark was staring at Antoine Loomis, who was letting his animal into the backseat of a large black Mercedes sedan.

'You need to leave him be,' said Lorenzo, recognizing the look in Mark's eye. 'He don't like lectures.'

'I'm just gonna have a few words with him.'

'You ain't gonna convert Twan, that's what you're thinking. Some judge gonna do that eventually.'

'Just going talk to him, is all.'

'It's not on you,' said Lorenzo, but Mark was already off, heading toward Loomis.

Lorenzo was intending to go to the Tahoe, radio in, and check on the status of the MPD, when he saw a man and a young man coming toward him. He recognized the older of the two and tried to place him. As he was doing this, Lorenzo realized that he had been leaning against the silver BMW. He moved off the car.

The two got nearer, and it came to Lorenzo who the older one was: Melvin Lee. Lee and Lorenzo had both come up in Park View. Lee had worked for Deacon Taylor, done time, come uptown, and was rumored to be working for Deacon again. Lee had made himself a rep when he was young. But looking at him now, Lorenzo realized that prison had broken him, even if Lee did not know this himself. Lee and his running partner stopped a few feet shy of Lorenzo.

Lee was all arms and legs, with a small torso, as if God had run out of the right size the day he'd made him. Lee's head was tiny, and his eyes bulged slightly. He looked like something that crawled up a wall. He wore a baseball cap cocked sideways on his head. He wore the oversize jeans. He was trying for that youth thing, but it was never going to work for him again. Man his age, to be dressed that way, it was just pathetic. He was going for down, but the vibe he put out was defeat.

The boy standing beside Lee had slack posture and nothing eyes.

'Dog man.' Lee looked Lorenzo over. 'What, you done lost your mind or somethin'?'

Lorenzo did not cut his eyes away, nor did he stare with any sort of malice at Lee.

Lee stepped in. His breath smelled of alcohol and onions. 'Someone give you permission to touch my whip?'

Your whip? What'd you do to get it? You ain't never worked an honest day in your life.

'Didn't realize I was touchin' it,' said Lorenzo. Then he said something he never would have said, to anyone he was not close to, in his youth: 'I apologize.'

Lee looked over his shoulder at the boy, then back at Lorenzo. 'Now he gonna 'pologize. You hear that, Rico? After he done rubbed his dog-smellin' self against my shit.'

The boy smiled, revealing teeth and gums that no dentist had ever touched. It reminded Lorenzo of the way an animal might smile, when it was hunting another animal, in a cartoon. Maybe it was the boy's face. Thin, long, and lightly bearded. Only thing missing was the sheep's clothes.

'You remember me?' said Lee.

Sure. I punked your ass out once in a club. You thought you could step to me, and I put you down with my eyes. You weren't shit then. You less than shit now. So you just keep talking, if it makes you look tall and strong to this boy.

Lorenzo nodded, still showing no emotion.

Lee looked him over. 'What happened to you? They turn you out in there?'

Lorenzo did not answer.

'What, you forget how to speak?'

I don't need to. You don't mean nothin' to me.

Lorenzo looked past Lee, at Loomis's Benz. Loomis was out of the car, up in Mark's face, his chest almost touching Mark's. One of Loomis's partners had come around the car and was heading toward Mark too.

'Look at me, motherfucker,' said Lee. 'I'm talkin' to you.'

No need for this, little man. You only get one chance to break bad on a man, and you had yours.

'I got to get goin',' said Lorenzo.