'You been out of it so long, you forgot how it goes. You go in, you got to go in fierce. Forget they're human. Forget that you're human too.'
'I know it. Remember, I've done this before.'
'But you cleaned your slate. Now, what, you gonna go and throw away your soul again?'
'What about yours?'
'Mine's been lost forever.' Nigel looked away. 'I'm sayin', this ain't you anymore.'
'I'm on this.'
'I don't want you with me, Lorenzo.'
'I don't give a fuck if you do or if you don't,' said Lorenzo, turning to stare directly into his friend's eyes.
'You that set on it?'
'I am.'
'Thickheaded,' said Nigel.
'C'mon.' Lorenzo stood. 'Let's get on over to my crib. Wanna show you what I got.'
They walked down Otis toward Lorenzo's apartment. Lawrence Graham followed in the Lex.
CHAPTER 25
Lorenzo Brown entered his apartment. Nigel Johnson and Lawrence Graham followed. Jasmine, as always, was waiting just inside the door. She backed up and growled at the sight of Nigel.
Lorenzo crouched, patted her belly, and rubbed behind her ears. His touch calmed her down.
'Dogs don't like me,' said Nigel, taking a seat on the hope chest behind the living-room sofa. Graham stood with his back against the wall.
'That's 'cause they know you're scared of 'em,' said Lorenzo.
'I can't forget that shepherd in the alley behind Princeton, took a piece out my hand.'
'That was twenty years ago.'
'I just told you I can't forget it.' Nigel pointed to the hallway. 'Do me a favor and put that animal back in your bedroom.'
'Yeah, okay. C'mon, girl.'
Lorenzo went down the hall, Jasmine behind him. Nigel and Graham exchanged a glance. They heard the sound of Lorenzo's bedroom door closing and the footsteps of Lorenzo coming back down the hall.
'Where your hardware at?' said Nigel.
'You're sittin' on it.'
Nigel got off the hope chest. Lorenzo moved it aside and pulled up the throw rug that lay beneath it. Under the rug was a rectangular cutout that was fitted in the hardwood floor. Where two sides of the rectangle had been grooved out, Lorenzo grasped the cutout and lifted it from its place. He leaned it against the chest.
In the space beneath the floor were two large metal toolboxes. Lorenzo lifted them out one by one. The muscles of his forearms rippled against the weight.
Lorenzo opened one of the toolboxes. Its inner tray had been removed to accommodate three handguns wrapped in oiled shop rags. Lorenzo unwrapped one of the guns, a Glock 17, and showed it to Nigel.
'It's live,' said Lorenzo.
'What about the others?'
'They're carrying full loads too.'
'Where you get these?'
'Remember Hoppy, stayed over there on Lamont?'
'Thought he was out of it.'
'He back in.'
'They clean?'
'Straw buys out of Virginia. Never been fired. Serial numbers still on 'em.'
'Why?'
'Why I have 'em?'
'Yeah.'
'For the reason I been sleepin' on the same side of the bed my whole life. It feels right.'
'What else you got?' said Nigel.
'Forty-five Colt and a thirty-eight Special.'
'And in the other box?'
'Extra magazines and bricks. Couple clean rags. A box of latex gloves.'
'Lemme see the thirty-eight.'
