He hesitated, staring at me as if I’d opened a whole new can of worms, which I did. “No, sir, I would not kill a man—not unless it was self-defense.”
I glanced over at Harold, a little disappointed, until Slick finished his response.
“But niggers, spics, and Jews aren’t men, so killing one of them is like deer hunting. Far as I’m concerned, it’s open season.”
That boy didn’t even crack a smile, but I did. Matter of fact, I laughed my ass off. “Slick, my friend, you’re hired. How’s a hundred grand a year sound?”
“Sounds real good. When do I start?”
“Right fucking now.”
Nevada
31
“Thanks,” I said to the Uber driver as I climbed out of the back seat of his Honda Accord.
The last week had completely sucked, other than sneaking off to tutor Kia at the library a few times. My mom and dad were still at each other’s throats, and each day was looking more and more like I was going to end up in a boarding school. Well, if I was going to be forced to leave New York, I was going to make the best of the time I had left, not locked up in the hotel like a damn prisoner. Luckily, Mom and Grandma had been so busy arguing about my fate in the living room that they hadn’t heard me slip out the back door of the suite.
As I stared at the entrance to the building where I’d been dropped off, my phone began vibrating in my pocket. I didn’t bother checking it, because I already knew it was my mother. She’d given it back to win favor in her argument with my dad, but it didn’t work. I was mad at both of them—especially her. She was the one trying to send me off to boarding school.
I took the phone out of my pocket and hit the IGNORE button, but she just called back two seconds later. I was tempted to block her but couldn’t bring myself to be that disrespectful.
The phone chimed with a text message on the screen.
Mom: Where are you? Call me right now and tell me where you are. Don’t make me call the police.
I knew she didn’t mean it. My mother hated the police more than she hated my dad’s girlfriend—and she hated Marie with a passion. But in case my sudden departure from the hotel had upset her enough to contact the authorities, I sent her a quick response.
Nevada: I’m fine. I went to see a friend. This whole boarding school thing is stressing me out! Just give me some space. PLEASE!!!!
I hit the SEND button then turned off my phone.
I walked toward the entrance and paused, not knowing whether I should ring the bell. My slight dilemma was solved when the door suddenly opened and a man walked out, bumping into me.
“Oh,” was the closest thing I got to an apology as he continued past.
I grabbed the door before it shut and walked inside. Looking around, I was surprised by what I saw. Marie’s place was called the Hellfire Club. I’d expected to see a room full of naked women carrying trays of drinks and giving lap dances like you would see in the strip clubs on TV. In my mind, I’d always pictured the Hellfire Club as a slightly sleazy place with red lighting. Instead, the entrance looked more like the lobby of a nice hotel, with soft jazz coming from surround-sound speakers. There were guys sitting around in leather armchairs, smoking cigars and drinking whiskey that was brought to them by super-hot waitresses. The women wore tight dresses and stiletto heels, but no one was naked.
No one seemed to notice me as I went into the bar area, which turned out to be closer to what I had been expecting. Men sat around small tables as waitresses dressed in sexier, see-through lingerie brought them drinks. One woman, wearing a short kimono, took a man by the hand and led him up a nearby staircase. As he followed behind her, he lifted the back of her robe and smacked her on the ass. She giggled and turned around, so he loosened the belt and fondled her breasts. I watched as they groped each other for a few seconds before finally making their way up the steps. There was no question where they were going or what they were about to do.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned around. I had to tilt my head up to look at the huge man grimacing at me.
“I keep telling you young motherfuckers to stay the fuck outta here. After the last warning I gave you and your little friends, I thought you would’ve learned a lesson. I guess not.”
“I . . . I’ve never been here before. I’m looking . . .” I stammered.
“Yeah, I see your horny ass looking. But after I blacken your eye, you ain’t gonna be able to see nothing.”
I winced as he began dragging me toward a nearby door. “Wait! You don’t understand.”
“Bubba! What are you doing?” Kia called out. “Let him go.”
I was able to turn my head just enough to see her rushing toward us.
“I’ma let his little ass go right after I fuck him up one good time,” Bubba told her.
“If you do, you may as well kiss your job goodbye,” Kia told him. She looked so much older in her sexy clothes and heavy makeup. “Do you know who this is?”
“Nope,” Bubba said. “And I don’t care.”
“This is Vegas’s son, Nevada. You care now?”
“Vegas? Marie’s Vegas?”
She nodded, and the man released his grip.
“You owe him an apology,” she said, pulling me toward her.
“My bad, little man. I didn’t know. But real talk, your ass is underage, so you can’t be in here. It’s bad for business. Scares away the regulars.” Bubba nodded toward a couple of people who were looking over at us.
“Come on, Nevada.” Kia
