A cop suddenly called to the others and waved them over. He’d spotted Marcus in the bushes. Marcus made a break for it.
“Freeze!” several cops shouted.
Marcus didn’t stop. He ran at full speed, firing on the cops. They returned fire.
“Now!” Tony grabbed my arm and shoved me outside. Bastard wanted me to eat the bullets while he slipped away.
Fuck him.
I tried to push back inside, but Tony blocked the doorway. “I said, Go now. I’ll stay close.”
“It’s suicide,” I said. “We’re better off letting them take us in.”
The shooting stopped. I glanced over my shoulder and saw that Marcus was down. When I turned back, I found myself staring into the barrel of Tony’s gun. “We go together, or I drop you right now.”
I didn’t move. “I’m not taking bullets for you. You’re on your own.”
Tony’s eyes were easy to read. He was going to squeeze the trigger.
I lunged, head butting him in the face. I grabbed for his gun just as it went off. Bullets whizzed past me. I’d barely registered the slice of pain in my neck when Tony tried to shove me to the ground. Catching him in a bear hug, we went flying down the steps.
My head made contact with the pavement, and dark spots flashed in front of my eyes. Tony scrambled to his feet and broke into a run.
I lifted my head to see him shooting the air full of bullets. The cops shot back. Tony took a bullet in the shoulder, but kept going. The next bullet caught his head, and I had to look away—but not before I saw blood and bits of skull explode. He fell to the ground.
It was getting harder and harder to breathe. My neck burned. When I reached up to touch it, my hand came away covered in blood.
And then my world went black.
One Month Later
SUNRISE
I woke up to Kiki jumping on my bed and giggling.
“Can’t I sleep a few more minutes?”
“No!” He clapped his hands on my ears. “No! No! No!”
I couldn’t help laughing. “How about we go eat breakfast?”
“No! No! No!”
But he dissolved in laughter when I Superman-carried him into the kitchen and plunked him down in his booster seat.
Tasha already had his Cheerios and banana slices ready.
“Where’d you go last night?” she asked. It didn’t sound like an accusation, but you never knew with Tasha.
“Jessica’s dad made dinner. It was ridiculous. The man’s an Iron Chef.”
“Lucky you. How’s Jessica doing, anyway?”
“Better every day. She’s back at school.” Jessica’s determination blew me away. She was already caught up and achieving top marks, though physically she still had to take it easy. She was even talking about a summer co-op placement.
“That’s great.” Tasha paused, as if she wanted to say more on that, but then said, “I’m out of class early today, so if you want me to pick up Kiki . . .”
“I got it. Right, Kiki?”
He gave me a sticky high five.
Tasha was nicer these days. It was weird. Now that I was around a lot more, she’d run out of reasons to bitch at me. Maybe that would change, but for now, it was a relief.
Both she and Mom knew I was out of the biz. The whole neighborhood had heard what happened to Diamond Tony, Marcus, and me that day. But nobody knew that the bullet that grazed my neck was from Tony’s gun, and nobody ever would.
There were no more cash drops on the kitchen table. Mom never said a word about it. Her dream of living large might be dead, but I knew she was glad I wasn’t dead too.
Since Tony’s death, everything had changed. The moment Andre got released, he’d taken back the streets. He’d shattered what was left of Diamond Tony’s operation, secured his old suppliers, and kept a tight rein on his dealers. I’d gotten out just in time.
I took a shower, then headed out to pick up my choco-latte. The moment I got to the bus stop, Trey launched into the weather forecast for the rest of the week. Sunshine all the way. I sipped my drink and smiled.
“Our bus!” Trey cheered. “I knew it was going to be early today.”
“You called it.”
Trey started to reply, but I wasn’t listening. A car was parked a few yards away with two guys in hoodies in the front seat. My instincts prickled. They were watching me.
The guy in the passenger seat got out and walked toward me, his eyes deadlocked with mine. The bus pulled up to the curb, its brakes making a long squeak before the doors opened.
Trey got on. The guy in the hoodie was just ten feet from me, hands in his pockets. He was turned away from the bus, as if he didn’t want anyone to see his face.
“Darren, you coming?” Trey shouted.
I was tempted to hurl myself onto the bus. But I couldn’t do it. If this was it—if I was going to get shot—I didn’t want anyone else getting hit too. I took a breath and shook my head. “Nah, I’ll get the next one.” The door closed in front of Trey’s puzzled face, and the bus pulled away.
“Darren.” The guy pushed his hood back. He was older than me, maybe twenty-five, with sharp brown eyes and a slight dent in the side of his skull, like he’d taken a bullet there. “Darren Lewis.”
“That’s my name.” I broke eye contact for a split second, scanning for an escape route. There wasn’t one.
“You were one of Tony Walker’s executives.”
“Once upon a time.”
“I want to thank you. And make you an offer.”
Suddenly I knew who he was. The bloodred ruby in his left ear gave him away. “Andre.”
“Yeah.” He smiled. “Enjoying my freedom.”
Was he ever. The streets were his now.
“I understand you’re an effective infiltrator,” he said.
I didn’t react. Didn’t even flinch.
“My lawyer heard the cops had a CI inside Walker’s operation,” he said. “I figured that might be you.”
“How’d you figure that?”
“You survived. When Tony and Marcus were shot dead, you lived. And then you got out of the game.”
He’d guessed the truth. Made it sound so damned easy. “You got it wrong.”
“Whatever you say. I came here to ask you to work for me. I could use someone connected to Walker’s old crew. Rumor has it Ray-go is trying a little start-up operation.”
The news caught me off guard, but it shouldn’t have. Ray-go had the ambition and the connections to go into business for himself. Andre was right to be concerned.
“I’m not interested,” I said.
“You can name your pay.”
“I’m out. For good.”
He looked skeptical. “I said that once too. Problem is, the game is like the product we sell. Once it’s in your blood, you need it to feel alive.”
“Not me.” I wasn’t like the others. I didn’t need the status, the money, the adrenaline. What I needed was to start over.
“I’ll take your word for it.”
Andre could force the issue if he wanted to. He knew the truth about me, and that could still get me killed any day of the week. But instead, he slipped something into my hand. It felt like a wad of cash. “Enjoy your new life, Darren.”
Before I could reply or hand him back the cash, he went to his car and got inside. The car started up and made a U-turn.
I glanced down at the money in my hand. It was a couple of grand at least. I hoped it was just a thank-you. I hoped I’d never see him again. But I had the feeling that if Andre needed something, I’d be hearing from him.
A gust of wind hit me. I looked back, watching until the car was out of sight. Maybe I was just being paranoid. But that’s the thing about the game. If you weren’t paranoid, you were dead already.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To the pros:
John Rudolph, my agent, for believing in Darren’s story, and in me. My editor, Annette Pollert, for making this a better book. And the Onta
rio Arts Council for its generous support.
To my peeps:
My family, for their support, and for their patience when I have a deadline. My friends, the ones who call me Al. And my writer pals, especially Debbie Mason.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Allison van Diepen is also the author of Street Pharm, Snitch, Raven, and The Vampire Stalker. She teaches at an alternative high school in Ottawa, Canada. Visit her at AllisonvanDiepen.com.
Also by Allison van Diepen
STREET PHARM
SNITCH
RAVEN
* * *
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
SIMON PULSE
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www.SimonandSchuster.com
First Simon Pulse edition September 2013
Copyright © 2013 by Allison van Diepen
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
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Designed by Angela Goddard
The text of this book was set in Adobe Caslon Pro.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Van Diepen, Allison.
Takedown / Allison van Diepen. — 1st Simon Pulse ed.
p. cm.
Summary: After years in “juvie,” Darren cooperates with the police to infiltrate a drug ring to settle a vendetta, but sweet, innocent Jessica is now in his life, so when a deadly turf war erupts, Darren must protect not only his own life, but Jessica’s as well.
ISBN 978-1-4424-6311-0 (hc)
[1. Drug traffic—Fiction. 2. Vendetta—Fiction. 3. Criminal investigation—Fiction. 4. African Americans—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.V28526Tak 2013
[Fic]—dc23
2012039237
ISBN 978-1-4424-6312-7 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-4424-6313-4 (eBook)
Allison van Diepen, Takedown
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