Page 12 of Gold Rush
Goldie reasoned, “These guys are as bad as the BBC, Murphy. They are bad people.”
Dean pled, “I’m not saying to do it. I swear I’m not. I just know that I have had two friends lost to this pimp. They’re alive, but that’s about it.”
The others looked to Murphy, who would always make the final decision on the jobs, with their best puppy-dog eyes. Even Goldie let his full bottom lip protrude into a pout. “Please, Paps,” Mims asked pitifully.
“You are all the worst of the worst! I’m trying to keep you all alive!”
Hippy scoffed. “I’ll have them locked and loaded for the job. Even if they have goons, they’re going to be no match for us. I’ll go in heavy with them.”
“So, a gunfight in the middle of a pimp’s house. That won’t make the news,” Murphy groaned. “Goldie, I need recon on this. Heavy recon before I’ll even consider it. Dean, you keep out of sight for now. This is a big city, but it’s got the trappings of a small town. You have no idea who might see you bussing here. We get hundreds of people in and out of here on weekends.”
“I can maybe give him a makeover and change his appearance a little,” Abs offered while his eyes locked with Goldie’s. “Unless someone likes the way he looks right now.”
Goldie smirked at his friend. “My interest is to keep him alive and in one piece, Abs, sweetheart. Go ahead and change his appearance.”
After blowing a very sarcastic kiss at him, he got an even more sarcastic wink.
Little fucker.
He let Dean go off with Abs right then so they could finish going over the job. As soon as Dean was gone, it was Haze who asked, “He’s okay, right? I mean, don’t get pissed at me, Goldie, but are you checking him out first?”
Cosmo chimed in, “I think that’s only fair. We all were scrutinized before coming in here.”
Goldie had known that it would come up in their conversations. “I haven’t, but I will. I swear. If I get any hint he’s here for nefarious reasons, I’ll take him out myself.”
“We don’t kill people,” Murphy reminded him.
“This one? If he’s not one of the good guys?”
Hippy offered, “I know what to do with him in that case. I don’t want blood on anyone’s hands.”
“Except yours?” Cosmo asked in a high-pitched voice. “Hip…”
They were only getting closer, those two, and the rest of them knew that Cosmo was in love with Taran. It just seemed like he may soon have to make a choice. The way he feared for the guy, Cosmo wasn’t only fearing for Hippy. He feared for himself possibly losing Hippy.
“Okay, it’s settled. Goldie, Mims, you’re on research right now before anything else, but while they are, in case we get the green light on this thing, everyone do your best to get ready for this, wearing Kevlar, whatever you need for safety, and whatever you need for the faster way in and out of there.”
They split from the table, and Goldie was on it, heading up to Mims right off to grab him. “Let’s do the computer shit first. I need to know about him.”
“I figured as much.”
They went into the other secret room that was mostly used by Mims for his computer skills. There were three big monitors on the long desk he used, and over on the other side, there was a large screen television for projecting from the computer. They used that for mapping and such.
Mims got the search engine he used up and running before he asked, “Full name? Age?”
“Dean Miles he said. Age, shit, I’m not even sure. Twenty-five or under.”
It always amazed Goldie how fast Mims could type on the keyboard. His fingers were a blur as he added information into the search bar, and then he’d tap his fingers on the desk while he waited for the results.
When they came up, they both stared at the screen, dumbstruck. Dean Miles, 24 years old, was the recipient of the highest scholarship to Harvard Law ever given. The headline was the first article that came up, and right there was a picture of Dean, only with short hair and glasses on his pretty eyes.
“And he’s a hooker now.”
“Yeah, I don’t get it. Not at all.”
Mims typed some more and pulled up Dean’s rap sheet. It was clean.
“What’s going on, Goldie? This guy…there is no way.”
