Jazz: Vol 3 of the Still Waters Series

Chapter 32

Ruby pulled up to the house in Rico's cranberry red Impala and I quickly got in. Rico asked me a few days after he came by looking for Remmey if I wanted a job. I said yes. He asked me if Remmey would mind. I said no.

Remmey had two cars now, but I didn't know how to drive either one of them, so Rico had Ruby pick me up. I could have walked, but for some reason they didn't really do a lot of walking around there.

Well, Remmey did.

He liked for people to see him. In his words, he wanted to "stay visible." He knew nobody would touch him.

They were all afraid of him.

Even Rico.

When we got to the house, there were two men standing out front holding M-16s. I hesitated before getting out of the car. Ruby jumped out as soon as she put the car in park and tapped her foot impatiently as I continued to stare through the glass at them.

Finally, I got out.

Ruby introduced me to them.

"This is Tony From Atlanta," she said, gesturing to a tall light skinned man with hazel eyes. He winked at her and grinned at me. He had a kind face, so I smiled back and nodded. "He's not here all the time so..." She didn't finish her thought. "This," she said and ran her hand smoothly down the muscular arm of a dark-skinned man with deep, sensual eyes, "is Rahim. Everybody calls him Rah."

He also had a kind face and smiled at me. I smiled back. He bit his bottom lip when he looked back over at Ruby and acted like he was about to kiss her. I looked around quickly.

They did this in front of Rico's house?

I was confused.

Rah rubbed his hand down Ruby's backside and gave it a squeeze, then he patted her bottom and let her go.

Ruby was all grins when she pulled away from Rah and led me into the house.

"Rah will be out front every time we have product in here." I nodded. When we got inside the door, she closed and locked it behind us, then looked at me and said, "Take your clothes off."

I just blinked at her.

"Before you go in there," she nodded to the kitchen, "you have to take your clothes off."

I looked around the house. I didn't trust her, and I knew she didn't like me, so I was trying to decide whether she was about to set me up.

I heard female voices coming from the kitchen and, even though it went against everything in me that was telling me to get out of there fast, I did as I was told. I wanted to turn away from her while I was getting undressed, but I didn't want Ruby to see the scars on my back.

She stared me in the eye the whole time I was undressing and refused to look anywhere else.

Once I was completely naked, she gave me a once over and grinned, running her tongue across her teeth just like Rico had, nodding her approval. After that, she went back to staring me hard in the eye. I flashed my eyes at her in warning, and she kind of jumped a little before turning and leading the way to the kitchen.

The house was already freezing, and somehow it was even colder in there. I wrapped my arms around my chest and paused once again when I saw a man standing at the door watching two ladies who were sitting at a table, measuring out a grainy white powder.