Dirty Business by Huck Pilgrim Read Free Book Online Page B

father,” Joe said “We’ll all get busted.”
     
    Miss Rose nodded. “That’s true, Donnell.”
     
    Donnell motioned to Cutter for the gun. Cutter handed it over and Donnell laid the weapon in front of him with a dull thunk. He propped his elbows on the table and rested his chin in his hands. A frustrated look on his face, Donnell kept his eyes on Joe.
     
    “Who’s on duty tonight?” Joe asked Miss Rose.
     
    “Dizzy and the young Johnson boy,” she said.
     
    At the mention of Officer Dizzy Jones, Gloria shifted uncomfortably. She wandered over to Donnell and stood behind him, letting her hands rest on his shoulders. ( Ed., See Bench Warrant for more on Gloria’s night with Officer Jones and his partner in Carnal Park ).
     
    Donnell smiled but didn’t take his eyes off Joe.
     
    “Dizzy?” Joe mumbled. He lowered his hands a little more and chuckled. “Maybe you could throw her in the street naked with Dizzy on duty,” Joe said. “But that don’t make it smart—”
     
    “—You take too many liberties,” Donnell cut Joe off. Tilting his head toward Gloria, Donnell stroked her hand.
     
    Joe sighed. He let his hands hang at his sides. Swallowed hard.
     
    “You won’t do any drugs with us …” Donnell said. He glanced at the mirror holding the drugs. “… Knocked out my boy.”
     
    The boy groaned softly and then curled into a fetal position on the floor.
     
    “In the end,” Donnell said, “Cutter’s right. You’re not one of us.”
     
    Fully dressed now, Veronica stood beside Joe. She tucked herself under his arm for protection. Joe felt her arms circle his waist, the crush of her breast against his side. Resting his hand on her hip, he thought of the beer game in her father’s backyard.
     
    “And if you’re not one of us,” Donnell said. “How can we trust you?”
     
    Donnell gazed at Veronica. “You okay?” he asked.
     
    She nodded, hugged Joe tighter.
     
    “This is yours,” Donnell said. He produced a glassine bags from his shirt pocket and laid it on the table. “You earned it.”
     
    Veronica looked up at Joe, but didn’t move from his side.
     
    “See, we trust her ,” Donnell said. He was addressing Joe now. “She’s not telling anyone about tonight.” Donnell glanced at Cutter and both men grinned at one another. “She made an investment. She’s got an incentive to keep the night a secret.”
     
    Veronica flushed, laid her head on Joe’s chest.
     
    “I need to see that same kind of effort from you,” Donnell said. He used his finger to rotate the gun on the table so that its barrel pointed toward Joe.
     
    Donnell grinned.
     
    “I need you to make a commitment,” he said. “A personal investment.”
     
    Joe saw where this was going. He looked down at Veronica. Had there ever been any doubt that this is where he would end up tonight? She held him tighter, gazed around the room. She didn’t see it yet. Didn’t understand what Donnell was driving toward. And even as Joe grasped it, he understood that it wasn’t about Donnell. Wasn’t about their stupid one-upmanship tonight, or the ongoing brinkmanship throughout the past year. It was Carnal. Sooner or later The Faun simply demanded this sort of thing. Maybe this was his payback for playing with Gloria. Or perhaps this would have been his to carry either way. It didn’t really matter. If you wanted to play in this town, you occasionally had to pay.
     
    Miss Rose understood what Donnell wanted. She settled back into her seat with a knowing smile. Raised her tumbler to her lips, ice cubes tinkling against the glass.
     
    Joe exhaled heavily. He knew what he had to do.
     
    He placed his hand on Veronica’s bony shoulder. Joe smelled her hair, the fruity fragrance of her shampoo. He thought of Maynor, then quickly pushed his friend from his mind, recalling instead the image of Veronica with Cutter. His dusky cock in her mouth.
     
    The room grew still.
     
    Veronica shuddered, then gazed up at