Sweet Fall

“You gonna get that?” Lexi asked, and I shook my head.

“Let the world turn without us for a while.”

No sooner had my phone cut off, than it started ringing again. This time I did pull it out. Axel only ever called twice if it was urgent.

“Axe?” I asked as I answered the call.

“Kid, shit’s going down here tonight, and Mamma’s in pain and needs her meds.”

“What shit? Where are you?” I barked out, and Lexi immediately stilled as I pulled my hand out of hers and began to pace in front of he fire.

“We’re at the Heights. The Kings have just done a drive-by. Two of the guys are down,” Axel stated as though it was nothing—day-to-day life in the Heights.

Blood rushed to my head. “Where the f**k’s Levi?”

It felt like a lifetime before Axel answered. “Little f**ker got outta the way damn quick. He’s in the trailer with Mamma. Told him to stay inside until you got here.”

I nodded my head as if Axel could see me.

“She ain’t doing good today, kid. Her meds need picking up. I filled out the script. They just need collecting.”

“I’m on it. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Slamming the END button on the phone, I spat out, “Fuck!”

A soft hand lay on my back, and I spun around to see Pix looking at me, fear all over her face. “What’s going on, Austin? Is your momma okay?”

Her voice had a slight tremble to it. I leaned forward and pressed a hard kiss to her mouth, surprising us both. I just needed to kiss her.

“I need to get Mamma’s pain meds to the trailer park. She’s having one of her bad spells.”

“Okay…” Lexi said, and her eyes were demanding more.

Clenching my fist, I added, “There’s been a drive-by at the Heights. I gotta go check everyone’s okay.”

Lexi’s tiny hand slapped my bicep and her fingers dug in. “No! You can’t!” she shouted.

Ripping my arm from her hand, I snapped, “Yeah, I have to, Pix. That’s my family in there, like sitting ducks to the Kings!”

She didn’t say anything in response. I brushed past her to get to the door and instantly halted my step.

“Shit!” I spat out loud, and I heard Lexi behind me.

“What’s wrong now?” she asked tentatively.

“I need Rome’s truck. I need to get there like yesterday, and I haven’t got the time to catch three buses home.”

Lexi moved closer and, reaching into her purse, pulled out the keys to her Prius. I breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the keys, but Lexi snatched them back.

“I’ll drive,” she said forcefully.

Laughing in her face, I quickly lost my humor and replied, “I don’t f**kin’ think so!”

“You need to get your momma’s meds and, right now, I’m the only one who can get you there without you having to go explain your situation to someone else. And I know you’re not gonna do that. Rome’s with Molly. They can’t be disturbed. So I’m about all you’ve got!”

My blood boiled at her stubborn attitude. So I stepped closer to her, towering above her tiny frame, and met her eyes. She needed to get this ‘situation’, as she called it, straight in her head.

“You get that this ain’t no vacation park, don’t you, Pix? You get that two street gangs are fighting for turf and you could get shot. Shot! Drive-bys are real. People die. Are you getting all that?”

I caught Lexi’s long, hard swallow, but she tipped her chin and said through gritted teeth, “I know what your home situation is like. You’ve already told me, many times. But I wanna help your momma. I like her, and I’m the only one to get you there right now. So let’s go,” she said and walked straight out of the summerhouse, leaving me standing in the middle of the room like a dumbstruck pu**y.

Clenching my fists, I almost punched a hole through the glass wall. I never wanted Lexi getting anywhere near that part of my life. It was f**kin’ embarrassing. And her, a willing deer walking into a den of lions, she was taking that choice away from me.

But she was my only way there, and I had to get home.

Fuckin’ A.

This day was just getting worse by the damn minute.

As we drove slowly under the ancient and dilapidated Westside Heights sign—the shitty rectangular red metal hanging off its hinges at one side—ominous dark clouds rolled above us in the sky. Spots of rain began to splatter sporadically on the windscreen of the Prius, the wipers screeching as they automatically tried to clear them out of the way.