Page 27 of Rue

“Naw,” he shrugged, not looking at her as his jaw set.

“Can you find out? Please?”

Davon looked at Geo then, the question in his eyes.

“Find out,” Geo agreed. “Get a phone number. If she’s good, I might let ‘r call. The old lady, too.”

“Yeah,” Davon shrugged. “Okay,” he agreed, pulling up his phone. “You got a pen and paper? I got the numbers and places here.”

Someone gave him a tablet of paper and pencil, and he wrote down both places and the phone numbers, then handed it to Geo without looking at Sailor. “Both places only take visitors on weekdays from 10-3. That one is downtown, and that other one is near Ollallah, but this side of it. Room 204 on Renee,” he went on, writing down the room number, “and Gina in 113.”

“Thank you!” Sailor told him, her heart aching.

Davon said nothing, setting the pencil down as he lookedat Geo.

Geo snorted and cut his eyes at Sailor. “I don't think he’s into you no more, Rue,” he chuckled.

Sailor said nothing as she gave Geo a sober look. She had a million things to say about how anyone would pretend someone else didn’t exist if it meant their life.

Geo turned his smirk back to Davon. “Aight then. Find out if this new boy wants more. Give his info to Mig so he can vet ‘m. We don't deal with him again till he is, you hear? One time with no setup is fine, but not again till we know he can be trusted.”

“He’s family, I know him,” Davon shrugged. “He ain’t workin’ with pigs.”

“Suits? You sure?”

“Positive. He used to deal some hash ‘n shit but got too much heat and almost closed his club down. He backed off it, now he just deals in pussy.”

“He a pimp?”

“Nah, he does that internet shit. Has rooms upstairs where a girl can go on cam for an hour or night or whatever. Gets like, 20%? Sometimes they go in two and three at a time, messin’ with each other ‘n shit. Take men in with ‘m sometimes, too. Do what the feed says to. Better they are, more they make, an’ them bitches is fuckin’ shameless. They do it all. I seen one bitch put a whole baseball bat in her pussy. Rode that thing around for, like, an hour ‘n shit. Turned over ‘n had another bitch put it in her ass. That shit was fucked up. ‘Nother time, this dude came in and just started tyin’ this girl up with ropes. Didn’t do shit but origami or fuckin’ macrame or whatever it’s called and hang her up all tied up in an elaborate knot design. People were fuckin’ wild for it. Every time he comes with a chick, my cousin puts him top of the list and lets him in a room. That shit’s fuckin wild as fuck. They do other shit too, but I got bored watchin’ it all the time. Always the same shit. Still, thought about gettin’ some bitch in there with me, doin’ some fucked up shit to her pussy while rich assholes watched. They always want them ripped open, you know? Fisted and shit. Other shit inside ‘m. One guypaid like four grand to watch a girl shit on another bitches tits, then piss in her mouth. Rich white folks are fucked up. Still, I would piss on a bitch for four grand.”

Geo snorted. “Your cousin sounds like fun. What’s ne need my shit for?”

Davon shrugged. “He mentioned things were gettin’ dicey, you know? Bad folks comin’ round, people askin’ questions. He makes a lot at the club, but he makes more upstairs off them customers that come in and get drunk, wantin’ to get wild and shit on camera. People startin’ to wonder how much cash he keeps around. He pays in cash when they done with their time, you know? He gets the credit card payments in his account, but he takes the cash he makes at the door and on drinks and pays the bitches their percentage in cash. It ain’t all above board, and he’s fuckin’ with the books ‘n shit with all of it, so people think they might just get fingers in the pie, you know? He wants to make sure that don't happen.”

“So if he does need more, it won’t be soon?”

Davon shrugged. “Not real soon, but you never know. I think he expects shit to go down.”

Sailor suddenly realized what it was all about. “You sell guns,” she blurted.

Geo snorted. “What’d you think it was?”

“She thought you was a drug dealer,” Davon rolled his eyes.

“Nah, tha’s small time. I don't fuck with that shit, and I don't let them fuck with my boys… you think them crackheads in front of that place that night was mine? The ones who hang out there, not the ones with me that night. Do I look like I deal with that shit? Filth like that?”

Sailor turned to the wall, her face going red. They all looked the same to her, a bunch of thugs who didn’t care who they hurt.

“Press Shane on a time, and lemme know when and where,” Geo growled to Davon.

Sailor glanced back at Davon, feeling sick. “Why aren’tyou at school?” she asked him, feeling betrayed somehow. She knew he wanted to graduate.

“What’s the fuckin’ point? I got a job, what do I need a piece of paper for?” he asked darkly, still not looking at her. “I was asked to step up, and I am. I’ll go now,” he told Geo, standing up. Justin followed him out, as quiet as he always was.

Chapter 15

Geo leaned back as Davon left and put a hand on her feet under the blanket. “Order her some food,” Geo told Mig.

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