Chapter 5, Rent Boy

I sighed as the flame at the end of my blunt died, and dropped what remained into the ash tray on the table. I leaned back, content and high.
"So Diz, where you livin?" Snoop asked. He'd finished his blunt long before me.
"I don't really have a place to stay, I was kinda on the run." Snoop nodded understandingly.
"Cool… well you gow'n stay wi'me now, ok?" I opened my eyes and looked at him.
"Seriously?" I asked. Snoop nodded.
"Sure thang Diz." Holy shit: I'd just been invited to stay with Snoop Dogg.
"Well thanks but….. why?"

"Coz you ain't got no place to stay. An' look at you. You a….." he paused, searching for the right word, "….. Superhuman. Ain't no winged kid stayin' own tha street if I got somethan' to do wid it." He half- smiled at me again, before downing the rest of his Tequila.
"Thanks Snoop." I said again.
"No problem Diz," he sighed.
"Why are you calling me 'Diz'" I asked. He chuckled to himself.
"Well… Ain't no way I'm callin' you Nick, its real homo. And I had a dog called Fang…" he trailed off, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye.
"What happened to him?" I asked.
"He got taken by my neighbours. They was Korean, so next day he on a barbecue. Mother fukkas." He was staring intently at his empty glass, "I'm sorry, I still ain't come to terms with it. The memory still painful, which is why I'm callin' you Diz." I nodded in understanding. The giant, whose name I'd learnt was Theo returned to the table.

"Here's yow drinks" he said in a deep voice, sliding over my vodka and orange juice and handing Snoop another tequila. He himself had a pint of Budweiser. Snoop apologised for leaving, before getting up and going to the bathroom, assuring us he'd be back. Theo and I sat in silence for a minute.
"You learn that about Snoop" said Theo, breaking the Silence "He gets very emotional." Then he looked up at me.
"I don't trust you. I hope you know that. I believe your story about your wings and your childhood and I'm sorry. I know that Snoop trusts you. But I don't." He looked at me sternly and then took another sip of his beer.

"Who do you trust then Theo?" after another minute of silence. He pondered for a moment.
"Snoop. I trust him with my life."
"Is that because he employs you?" I asked.
"No," he said defiantly, "It's coz he's my friend." I nodded.
"Is there anyone else you trust?" I said, looking around at the other guys in the club.
"Not really, no" said Theo after a moment.
"So I'm not that special then?" I asked. He smiled, and nodded. I downed my vodka. Just then Snoop returned from the bathroom.

"My apologies gentlemen, I needed to freshen up," he assured us downing all of his tequila in one.
"Now Diz, is there anything else you need?"
"Like what?"
"I dunno man. Anything. You got any medical stuff you need? Fake passport? Driver's licence?"
"Actually yeah: I need a new identity." I hadn't even thought of that before: how else was I going to survive.
"Cool. We'll get that shit sorted in the next few days. And where's your car?"
"It's a couple blocks away." I said, remembering where I'd parked the Lamborghini.
"Come on Theo, we gow'n to pick up this car and validate it before some dumbass nigga try to burn it." He clicked his fingers and, Theo and he got up from the table. I followed their lead.
"Lead the way Diz" said Snoop.

"What do you mean validate Snoop?" I asked as we were walking down the street, Theo slightly behind us, constantly worried about Snoop's safety.
"You see the stickers in the front of some of these cars," he said pointing to the cars parked by the sidewalk. In the windscreen of some of them there was a sticker shaped like the Buddha with some regulatory shit written on it.
"That sticker ain't got nothin' to do wid insurance. It's a sign that the Crips own that car, so other members know not to steal that car." The Crips, as Snoop had already explained to me, were a gang that he sort of belonged to. Whilst not an official member, Snoop was more of a benefactor.

"Holy shit Diz!" said Snoop as we arrived at the place where the Lamborghini was parked. Thankfully it was still in one piece.
"Holy shit, you didn't tell me this was yo' ride." I guess I'd left that detail out. Snoop ran his long fingers over the Aventador's shiny orange hood, his rings scraping the metal. Even Theo whistled in appreciation.
"That one hell of a car" hissed Theo. I grinned.
"I gotta drive this thang. its new right?" asked Snoop.
"Yeah," I nodded. Snoop smiled, and hopped into the driver's seat. He patted the passenger seat.

"Get in Diz, we're going for a ride," Chuckled Snoop. I slid into the passenger seat, relaxing as the leather seat hugged my shoulders.
"Boss, I don't think this is a good idea," Said Theo, leaning in through my window.
"You always say that," laughed Snoop, "Now Theo, meet me back in the crib in one hour. We got a lot of business to discuss." Theo sighed.
"Look after him" Theo whispered to me with a hint of menace as he withdrew his head from the car. Snoop giggled like a kid and started the engine.

"Mmmmm" he purred as the engine growled. I gave him a look, and then put on my seatbelt.

This is just the foundation of the story people, the real action starts soon. The next chapter's coming when I reach 20 reviews, so come on, you know you want to.