Candy Licker by Noire Read Free Book Online

of the restroom pulling my computer case behind me and focusing all of my energy on looking normal while paying attention to every single thing going on around me.
    There were two security screeners up ahead and I didn't recognize either one of them. That was cool 'cause it meant they probably didn't recognize me neither. I'd pulled off a whole lot of different looks while traveling, but the one I was sporting today was one of my favorites. Brown contact lenses, shoulder-length brown hair that had just the right amount of curl. Plain black pants off the rack at Target and a navy-blue shirt that covered my booty and had dark buttons down the front. As usual, I'd made sure nothing about me was eye-catching or memorable, which is what made me so good at this game. I knew how to tone myself down until I was able to blend into acrowd perfectly, which was something I could never do looking like my real self.
    I'd fronted shit off in front of Lulu this morning, but in honesty, I had no idea how Nicky would react to the fact that I was leaving. He had taken me under his wing and personally trained me, so I was treated good by his people and got paid more than the average mule. But that also meant he was responsible for me and for whatever I did wrong. I'd seen the way the Gabri-ano family got down when shit didn't go their way.
    A young Puerto Rican dude named Pappo used to transport for the Gabrianos a while back, but he lost his cool and got burnt out after just six months. Muling was some scary shit, and dude's nerves got so shook he started pissing all the time. In his bed, in his whip, on himself … Finally he realized he didn't have the heart for this line of work. Since his girl had just found out she was pregnant and he'd been smart with his money and stashed away a few g's, Pappo decided it was time to get outta the game and get a real job.
    I guess Nicky and his boys figured on something different.
    Three days after Pappo quit the Gabrianos, the police found his naked body at a landfill. He'd been beaten into the ground and tossed out with the trash. But not before the tips of his feet were hacked off and some of his toes were stuffed down his throat. I was out doing a major cash run to Texas when it went down, but the message was so loud and clear I coulda heard it halfway around the world: When you stepped off on the Gab-riano family, you'd better step lively.

    I 'd cleared the security checkpoint and was waiting at the gate to board my flight when I got the call. This was the most dangerous part of my job because if I got caught boarding a plane with dirty money it was all on me. If I got caught handing it over on the other side, somebody else went down with me. It didn't matter though. The penalty for transporting interstate was crisp on both ends, so I was always on alert at boarding time.
    I flipped open my cell phone.
    “Lucy there?”
    The voice was scrambled, but I knew it was Nicky.
    “Nah,” I said quickly. “You got the wrong number.”
    Without another word I stepped out of line and wheeled my bag away from the gate. Nicky's call was a warning. Either the fake ID I was traveling under had come up hot or shit was on fire on the other side. Either way I needed to roll with a quickness, but I made myself walk naturally through the terminal and down toward baggage claim when I really wanted to break out and run.
    I didn't get really scared until I took a taxi back to my apartment and paged Nicky. He called me back ten minutes later and there was seriousness in his voice.
    “It was a bad flight, Candy,” he said. “Hal fucked up when he gave you that ID. The feds were looking out for it and they had agents waiting on the back end.”
    If I hadn't been planning to quit the mule game before, I sure as hell was quitting now. I still needed to get to the East Coast before Friday, but Nicky had other plans for me.
    “Forget this morning, Candy. I've already dealt with Hal and he's gonna need a wheelchair for the