L.A. Blues III by Maxine Thompson Read Free Book Online Page B

who was used to giving orders, looked shocked to see me not comply, and a furrow of anger crossed his brow, but then he settled into a look of amusement.
    â€œWell, now I know you my sister for sure. You know you got fire in you, girl.”
    I hesitated, and picked my words carefully.
    â€œListen, Mayhem. You my brother, and I’ve put in work for you, but, baby, the price was too high. Besides, David, there’s a lot you don’t know about Appolonia.” How could I tell him that she had been in a witness protection program for the past fifteen years and that her real name was Samaria? That she had a teenager daughter by a drug lord who had gotten out of prison and set up the drug deal in order to get her back?
    â€œLook, I know she has a past, but who doesn’t?”
    I don’t know where my boldness came from but now I do know this: I’d invested a part of my life in Mayhem’s life, which had changed my whole destiny because of his mess, and I had a right to be bold and speak my mind. I started to divulge what I knew, but something held me back. I couldn’t tell him that Appolonia was a willing prisoner. Diablo was her oldest child’s father, the child she gave birth to at fourteen, just before she turned state’s evidence on Diablo and went into protective custody.
    After a long silence, Mayhem started to try to break me down. His head rubbernecked as he mean mugged me. “Why won’t you help me?”
    â€œWhy should I? Besides, what so special about her? You can have any of these women out here. How about that one at your club?” I snapped my finger. “What was her name? Cinnamon or some type of spice?”
    â€œWho? Chutney? I don’t care about her. Look. I can’t help who I love.”
    â€œLet’s get one thing straight. I’m not going to go back to Rio. But I’ll tell you what I learned: it’s dangerous. In fact, it’s suicide.”
    â€œSo you won’t go with me?”
    â€œI can’t.”
    â€œWhy not?”
    â€œI’m pregnant. I . . .” There. I’d said it for a second time to a family member.
    Mayhem’s face shifted from the hard lines to a softness I seldom saw in him as he interrupted me. “Are you happy? Is it for dude who got killed?”
    I hesitated. How could I tell him I wasn’t sure? “Yes.” My voice came out barely above a whisper.
    â€œHe was a stand-up dude. You know I think your man saved my life. He found out I was your brother and he told his fam to hold off until you got back with the money.”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œNo shit. Your man did that for me.”
    â€œWell, how can you go out the country anyhow? Aren’t you on parole? Don’t you have a parole officer?”
    â€œI can handle that. I got an insurance policy where I can come and go in and out the country when I get ready. But on the real, I’ve got something I want you to put in a safe place for me.”
    I looked down at another flash drive.
    â€œThis is my passport out the country and back without violating my parole. This is for you, too, if you need any money. The password is on the flash drive with the account number. It’s out of the Cayman Islands. If I get detained, I trust you to get money to my lawyer. Here’s his name and number.” He handed me a business card to an Attorney Donald Solomon, which I later put into my phone.
    I read the subtext here. Uh-oh. A frisson went through my bone marrow. I had this strange feeling. Déjà vu. My gut went to churning. I went through this with Okamoto, my former, now deceased police partner, on the night he was murdered. He’d given me a key to his safe deposit, which had information in it which almost cost me my life.
    But something else was on my mind, eating at me.
    â€œDid you turn state’s evidence? Are you a snitch?” Now that I’d shaped the words, they felt scary, like Mayhem might