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JJ clutched the money and scowled at Sue. "What the hell took you so long?"
Barely able to hold back the aching weariness, she said, "Ama's in a bad way, Pop."
"That old bitch ain't your mama." JJ huffed with indignation. Sue leaned back from it. His breath stank of rotted teeth and bad food. "All she is, is some old whore I picked up." He turned back to his beer, grumbling for her to work the crowd.
"She's my mama's cousin, and she loves me." Sue tossed her purse, a small black bag that held lipstick and a few condoms and little else, on the scarred bar of Antoine's Place. "She needs her stuff."
JJ grunted a sour laugh. "Then let her go and earn it."
"You took all her money." Sue's hands clenched into fists. "Where'd it go? The track, I bet. Maybe to a couple a bar flies you call friends." Her head tossed in contempt at a couple of rummies near JJ. Her fist cracked on the bar.
"Dammit, JJ Hanna."
A tall black man ran up behind the bar. "Keep it down." Mich saw the pain in Sue's face. "It's your mama? She bleeding again?"
"Rectum and nose, Mich. She's hurting, bad."
Mich sighed and shoved a hand down in his pocket. He came up with a fistful of bills. "Here," he told Sue. He glared down at JJ when the big man reached for the money. JJ wilted.
"Go on. Take it, girl."
Benny drifted after Sue. He cast a puzzled frown at the bartender and plump woman who came out of the kitchen to hug the man.
"With us, are ye?" Myers leered down at Benny and tipped his head up for a sip of beer. "Don't care what you say, Boyde. Beer's better'n ice water any day." With a delicate hiccup, she tilted the can to her own lips and the straw poked her in the eye.
Boyde sighed and plumped down in a chair. She snatched the can from Myers and drew hard at the straw.
"Ah . . . not bad, old woman. Got another?"
With a grin that threatened to drop her false teeth into her lap, Myers reached under the bed and dragged out the rest of the six-pack.
Still half asleep, Benny had to watch Myers and Boyde kill the rest of them. Myers cackled at his sour look and offered him some water.
"You're too young to drink much, kid," she said. "Best wait until you arteries harden, first."
Boyde rumbled a belch. "Think I can hear mine hardening now. Want to come to my place for Surf-and-Turf? My Tup, he knows his way around a grill like nobody's business." She grew expansive. "I'll stop by the commissary for an extra few kilos of soy-T-bones, so your boys won't go hungry."
Myers grinned and crushed the cans. Benny licked his lips, but all he got was more water.
"Leave the fat on 'em this time, Boyde. I like a lot of beef fat, and is it shrimp or steamed clams?"
"Depends, Myers."
"On what?"
"Which have more cholesterol. Shrimp, I hope."
Myers cackled a laugh and pulled out another six-pack. Benny got more water.
©2003 StoriesByEmail.com
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