Tattoos. Neck. Scalp. XIII. Por Vida. Mi mama. T-shirt. White. Jeans. Baggy.
Streetlight. Corner. Alley. Wall. Graffiti. Turf. Tag. MS-13.
Shuffle. Desperate. Eyes. Red. Cheeks. Dusty. Tattoos. Relief.
Yo dogg. Hand. Pocket. Five bucks.
Palm. Vial. Rock. Crack.
Alley. Dumpster. Rat. Trash. Stink.
Sit. Pipe. Inhale. Sweet mercy, baby Jesus.
Slide. Pit. Blackness.
Shaking. Gnawing. Aching. Groaning.
Engine. Idling. Voices. Corner. Steps. Louder. Stop.
Sneakers. Manhole. Lift. Tape. Stash.
Cover. Lower. Steps. Door. Thud. Engine. Tires. Silence.
Alley. Empty. Crawl. Grit. Manhole.
Pull. Reel. Off. Lean. Look. Baggies. White. Rocks. Lots.
O sweet, sweet mercy, baby Jesus.
Grab. Rip. Pockets. Run. Stumble. Run.
Chapter 2
Tattoos. Neck. Scalp. XIII. Por Vida. Mi mama.
Corner. Alley. Jog. Manhole. Lift. Nada.
Hand. Hole. Nada.
Fist. Punch. Ground. Blood. Knuckles.
Heart. Pumping. Mind. Racing.
Boss. Ripoff. Bullet. Head.
Who. Alley. Crackhead.
Find that muthafucka.
Drive. Search. Crackhouse. Nada.
Boss. Ripoff. Bullet. Head.
Late. Crackhouse. Nada.
Boss. Ripoff. Bullet. Head.
Later. Crackhouse. Nada.
Crack. Smoke. Gone. Give up.
Boss. Ripoff. Bullet. Head.
Wall. Graffiti. Turf. Tags. 18.
Waistband. .38. Bullets. Chokespray.
Corner. Tattoos. Neck. Arms. XVIII Dieciocho. Snake. Crucifix.
Slow. Yo dogg. Ten bucks. Window.
Tattoos. Neck. Arms. XIII. Closer. Hand. Vials. Rocks. Crack.
Gun. Aim. Trigger. Blast. Stomach. Clutch. Scarlet. Drop.
Ground. Hunt. Pockets. Vials. Seize. Throw. Seat. Go. Screech.
Count. Vials. Short. More.
Kill. Crack.
Crack. Kill.
Enough.
Chapter 3
Tattoos. Neck. Scalp. XIII. Por Vida. Mi mama.
Streetlight. Corner. Alley. Wall. Graffiti. Turf. Tags. MS-13.
Car. Black. Slow. Corner.
Window. Down. Muzzle. Pointed. Tattoos. Arm. XVIII.
Bullet. Thunder. Forehead. Collapse.
Blood. River. Pool. Sidewalk.
Shuffle. Desperate. Eyes. Red. Cheeks. Dusty. Tattoos. Relief.
Stop. Body. Fuck, man.
Wait.
Step. Squat. Search. Snatch. Vials. Pockets.
Sirens. Stand. Run.
Sweet mercy, baby Jesus.
Christine Hoag is a reporter for The Associated Press in Los Angeles, where she covers urban affairs. She was a business writer for The Miami Herald for five years before that. She's been a newspaper journalist for more than 20 years. Her favorite assignment was being a foreign correspondent in Latin America, where she was based in Venezuela. She covered coup attempts, guerrillas, mudslides and general mayhem and skullduggery. Now back on the relatively tamer U.S. shores, She writes about all that stuff in her fiction.