“Yes, sir,” JB said. “Good man.” He shook Sonny’s hand and then Jake’s. “Do you remember me?”
“Possibly,” Jake said.
“Yesterday, Jordan pulled me over to your table so he could pretend he was the king.”
“Oh right, Maya’s uncle. I remember.”
“He’s an ass. We’re still waiting on somebody else, but let me give you the rules and introduce you.” He didn’t wait for a reply. “We have a poker game going right now. We’re here because we don’t want our wives to know. You say anything about this meeting and we’ll swear you saw and harassed us. After yesterday, you have zero credibility.”
Jake was still hungover and pissed. “Why would I give a shit, and who would I tell anyway? The Bishops? Fuck them.”
“Oh, good man.” JB clapped him on the shoulder. “Let me introduce you.” He named people around the group. “This is my son, Eddie. This is Gossett and his boys Pryor and Prince. That’s Nipsey. Over there.” He made a circle with his hands. “We’re all in this together.”
Sonny and Jake acknowledged each man in turn. Eddie, Pryor, and Prince were younger. All three were in their early twenties. Eddie wore glasses and had his grandmother’s red hair. Prince sported a beard, and all three enjoyed the flannel-shirt look of farmhands. A style undoubtedly passed down from their fathers.
“It’s a shame about you and Maya,” the one called Pryor said.
Others agreed.
Jake was there for answers. “Can anyone tell us what is going on with those people?”
“They are trying to revive slavery,” Nipsey said. “That much is clear.”
“Reverse slavery,” someone—Jake didn’t see who—corrected.
“What the hell?”
“I told you.” Sonny tapped Jake’s arm with the back of his hand. “I knew that when they pulled that bogus arrest-shit.”
“How is that even possible?” Jake furrowed his brow.
“We’re being poisoned.” JB took over the conversation. “They own the land, the farms, the restaurants, the food. People have to eat. But, then we start to die.”
“Unless they give us the antidote,” Gossett finished for him. “We have to do what they say or we die.”
Sonny’s eyes popped. Jake took a step back. Both men were rendered speechless.
“It’s true,” JB said. “We’ll prove it to you, then, you’ll see. We have to do what they say, but you don’t.”
He stopped talking as a car approached. A black vehicle with tinted windows.
“Let’s wait inside before anyone makes a connection.”
Those still smoking put out their cigarettes and followed him inside the building.
“Connection to what?” Sonny asked.
JB’s son, Eddie, took up the rear. He heard and answered, “The FBI. They’re here.”
Chapter Fifteen
When they were away from the center of town, Nile held his shoulders and stood up. It made Dylan grin. Damned daredevil. She leaned forward and pointed. A right turn and then a left, past a large, well-manicured cemetery. Soon they were on a dirt road to nowhere. That suited Dylan. Nowhere with her was everything. Down a dusty lane, a quiet farmhouse faced away from the morning sun. He slowed and brought them to a stop.
“Wow!” Nile slid off the bike and took off her helmet. “That was amazing. If I had a motorcycle, I would never get off.”
Dylan did the same. “It has its perks...where are we?”
“My secret hideout.”
The two-story house looked big enough to house a large family with room to spare. “Secret?”
“A secret everyone knows exists,” she conceded on her way to the porch. “But, I’m the only one who comes here.” She held the door, and he entered an American dream of yesteryear. The old fashioned farmhouse made Dylan feel like he stepped back in time.
Heavy furniture—meant to last. Polished hardwood floors. The decor was a multitude of styles and colors. Floor to ceiling bookshelves, a big-box record player, and a black-and-white floor model television. All the modern things were there too—but, the house preserved memories.
Dylan whistled. “You thought the bike ride was something. This place is impressive.”
He said the right thing.
“This was my grandfather’s house.” Pride dripped from her tone. “I spent as much time here when I was little as I did at home.” She wandered through the downstairs with him following. “When he died, it kind of became mine. Nobody bothers me here. I don’t allow anything from the outside to come in.”
“So what’s that make me?”
He reached for her and marveled that she came.
She slid into his arms and let him embrace her. “In. That’s what it makes you.”
They both wanted that kiss so bad, they met in the middle. Lips fused, bodies touched, and a fire ignited. Two steps. He backed her into a counter and lifted her onto it. She opened her legs, and he pressed into her. A trail of kisses down her throat. Her head rolled back to allow him passage. His tongue slipped into her cleavage. She arched her back.
“I’m trusting you to keep us out of trouble.” Her words were breathless.
“Oh, damn.” He nipped and laved and slowly worked his way back up.
He claimed her mouth again and let his hands roam. Going under her top to cup her breasts with both hands, tweaking her nipples through her bra.
He pulled back to see her face, watch her expressions as he coaxed her into wanting him. Her eyes were glossy and filled with need. Her kiss-swollen lips parted as sounds of pleasure fell from her mouth. The tip of her tongue quivered. She drew ragged breaths. His body was taut and his erection was heavy with anticipation. And, his mind was tormented. He wouldn’t screw her, but hell if he didn’t want to. Bad.
She leaned forward, pushing her breasts into his hands, and nibbled the underside of his jaw. Her tongue was hot on his stubble. He closed his eyes and savored it. Her sweet, naïve foreplay was enough to make him second guess his good intentions.
“What is this?” she whispered. “Chemistry, heat, fatal attraction...”
“All of it.”
“I’ve never felt this...so hot everywhere...”
“You’re not giving me incentive to keep us out of trouble.”
“I can’t help it... I’m not just horny-hot...it’s you...I don’t want to stop...”
“No incentive. None.”
Her giggle almost made him spill. He stepped back and raised his hands in surrender. “We have to stop.”
“I don’t want to stop.”
“Me either. But we have to. Right now.” He took a few deep breaths. “This isn’t a rejection. No way. This is you making me our conscience. I want to do everything to you. Everything. I want to feel you...taste you...be in you...all damned day... I want you so bad the anticipation might finish me.”
She squeezed her legs shut and twisted her body in a way that made him question his integrity. “You’re right. Of course, you are. Kisses shouldn’t do that to people.”
“Kisses don’t do this to people.” He kissed her quick and helped her down. “You do this to me.”