Читать книгу Deliver Me From Evil - Mary Monroe - Страница 14

As much as Wade turned me on, I still ignored him rubbing and patting my crotch. I had had enough sex for one day. He wouldn’t let me off that easily, though. He slid my panties off and fucked me, anyway, all the while thinking I was asleep. For the next hour, he rode me like a mule before he slumped over to his side of the bed like a boneless corpse.

I had had some very long nights in my turbulent life, but this was the longest night that I’d ever had to get through. But the ruckus that the hookers made running in and out the rooms on both sides of us, and fussing, fighting, and fucking their tricks, would have been enough to keep me from getting to sleep, anyway. And, even though this was not a family-friendly motel, somebody outside had a baby and a dog that were crying and howling so much, I could barely tell one from the other. I couldn’t have slept if I had wanted to. I knew that I wouldn’t really sleep well again until after Jesse Ray had paid the ransom money for my return.

If he did.

I was still wide awake when Jason returned to the motel around ten the next morning. Grinning as usual, of course. I was annoyed and angry to see that Wade had given that punk a key to the room. I didn’t have a key. Not that I was going to be out taking a morning stroll or anything, but to me, it would have made more sense for me to have a key than Jason.

“I figured y’all would be hungry,” Jason said, stumbling into the room, holding a brown paper bag. “These bear claws is a day old and the coffee is kind of weak, but I went to the cheapest and closest place I could find.” He took out one of the bear claws and bit into it with that one tooth, his whole face twisting from left to right as he chewed. Then he set the bag down on the dresser, looking me up and down. I was still naked, thanks to Wade. But I had the covers pulled up to my chin, so it didn’t do Jason any good to roll his eyes up and down my body, hoping to see my crack through a crack in the covers.

“Thanks, man,” Wade said as he fished the two cups of coffee out of the bag. He took a quick sip, making gurgling sounds in his throat. “Baby, you need to eat something,” he said, handing me one of the bear claws, which looked like somebody had been playing with it. I shook my head. “Uh, listen, me and Jason, we decided to go call my man from a pay phone today, like you suggested.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” I said, sitting up. I made sure that the covers were still up around my chin. “I wish you had done that yesterday when you called him.” I dragged my fingers through my matted hair and slid my tongue around inside and outside of my mouth. The taste of my gums, teeth, and lips was enough to make me sick. But I didn’t want any coffee, any of the beaten-up bear claws, or anything else in my mouth except some mouthwash or toothpaste, which I didn’t have. But more than anything, I wanted this episode to be over and done with. “What about those pictures we took yesterday?” I said, looking from Wade to Jason.

“What about them pictures?” Wade asked, talking with his mouth full.

“What are you going to do with them?” I wanted to know.

“We are going to use them. What did you think I took ’em for, woman?” Jason snapped.

“Jason, I wasn’t talking to you,” I said, shaking a finger at him. “I was talking to Wade.”

“Well, I’m talking to you. And while I’m doing it, I want to tell you that you got one hell of a mouth on you, girl. No wonder you couldn’t keep your husband happy,” Jason sneered, talking and chewing at the same time. A hard look crossed his face, and he stared at me with so much contempt, I felt a sharp pain shoot up my back.

“I didn’t want you involved in this in the first place. And if it was up to me, you wouldn’t be here now,” I reminded. “This is my”—I paused and tapped my chest with my finger—“my game. If you don’t want to play it by my rules, you can take your fucking bear claws and get the hell up out of here. And, with your lovely record, I know I don’t have to worry about you blabbing about any of this.”

Jason was still chewing, but the look on his face had softened. He blinked and swallowed hard. “We ain’t going to use them pictures unless we have to,” he muttered, looking at Wade.

“Jason, I’m in the room, and I’m the one talking now. I asked the question about the pictures, not Wade. You can address me,” I said, with a smirk. “After we get the money, you won’t ever have to see me again.”

“Woman, I don’t know why you be tripping. We are all on the same side,” Jason said, speaking to me but still looking at Wade. Then he slurped from his coffee cup like a hog at a trough.

“Both of y’all need to chill out. We got business to take care of,” Wade said, shaking his fist in Jason’s face but looking at me. “Baby, you better stay in the room while we’re gone. I seen a pay phone about two blocks down the way.”

“What are you going to say to my husband this time?” I asked, still glaring at the side of Jason’s face. I flinched when he let out a loud belch.

“First, we need to find out where my man’s head is right about now. If things are going our way, I’ll tell him when and where to drop off the money.” Wade paused and gave me a thoughtful look. “Once we get our money, well, it’s over. You do what you got to do. I do what I got to do. Any questions?” He looked from me to Jason.

“Hell, yeah! I got a question! When do I get paid?” Jason asked in an anxious voice, moving toward the bed. Crumbs decorated his chin and lips. It was only then that I noticed that Jason looked cleaner and neater than he’d looked the day before. He wore a nice crisp plaid shirt and a pair of jeans that somebody had taken the time to iron. The creases in the legs were razor sharp. Whatever he was doing to the women in his life was working. Or, if he was as lucky as Wade, one of the women taking such good care of him was his mama.

“Calm down, brother. You’ll get your money when old J.R. gives me my money,” Wade said firmly, giving Jason a hot look.

“I think you mean my money,” I said, ignoring the ominous feeling that suddenly came over me. The feeling that I had was one thing, and that was bad enough. But the way that Wade looked at me gave me a chill that went all the way down to my bones.