In the Blink of An Eye by Jerry Baggett (ebook reader for surface pro TXT) 📕

beginning. She had no doubt he would cut his mother’s tongue out and not flinch. Most who know that are already dead, she thought.

He turned and put the bottle away. “The girls are all sitting around in the break room. I think you should draw blood for testing this week. You know, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” He picked up the unlit cigar and rolled it around in his mouth. “Also, I don’t want our hookers on oxy or heroin. That shit burns them out too fast and the good ones are hard to come by.”

Smiling, she said, “You’ve gotten mighty touchy about who you offer it to, haven’t you? That’s how you control most of the girls.”

“We have a new horse in the stable, a good one. Give her a good look-over. We need to be careful with the exceptional women like this one. Treat them right, so they’re with us for the long run. Demand for the new one already exceeds her ability to deliver. Don’t want to scare her off the gravy train.”

“Is this the bartender, the one with the cover girl looks?”

“That’s the one. Treat her like family.” He carefully placed the wet cigar in the ash tray. “How are things on the farm?”

“Fine. I’ll have an inventory of what’s left of that last delivery tomorrow. The oxy is almost gone, but the fentanyl goes a long way. Are we going to have problems meeting demand?”

“I don’t believe so,” he said. “Were you able to repair the water leak in the outside door to the basement without assistance? There’s a lot of dough tied up in what we have in there.”

“It’s good to go. One of our people used to be a roofer. He took care of it.”

“From now on, the runners only make pickups from inside your residence. None should know about the basement. How many people have had access to the basement?”

“Oscar Fortas, the big mule, was a runner. Now I use him to move goods in and out of the cave. He’s also the ranch manager, doing a good job keeping the place up. He came to us from here in California. No one else has been inside, but lord only knows how many of our people know what’s going on at the farm. The runners, you know, there filling orders for distributors.”

“Well, there’s still no connection between the ranch and my place here on the island. Better be sure to keep it that way.” He turned and called loudly. “Hans, come in here. You know Hans. He stays on top of everything that goes on around the island.”

She said, “Oh yeah,” and looked at Hans. “Of course, I know this redneck bastard. Haven’t seen you around much.” There’s never been a need for Marino to know about our long-time connection, she thought.

Hans smiled at her. “Not since you took that bullet outta my leg. How you doing, hon?”

She laughed and stood up to greet the big man. “Not getting around much. Don’t have time to play around anymore.”

Harvey interrupted. “I liked what you put into your last report. You’re doing a good job over there. Just remember, Hans here is my right-hand man. Call him if you can’t get hold of me, in an emergency. There’s been too much rumbling coming from our contacts in the sheriff’s department. I’ve got a feeling the shit’s about to hit the fan somewhere.”

Oh yeah, she thought. That stuff always flows downhill. This smart bastard will come out clean, smelling like a fresh-picked rose. God help everybody else.

Chapter 6

Dick checked the GPS before leaving San Diego. Straight north, on I-405, to Long Beach. He could catch a shuttle boat to the island from there. A nice drive. He was eager to get behind the wheel. Some of his best thinking was done while driving. He connected his phone to the car’s Bluetooth and found his way onto the interstate.

The visit with Dam and Robbin had been highly productive. He would consider their offer and make a decision after gathering a few more facts. He knew the offer was time-sensitive. His mind shifted to Robbin and how life had changed since he and Dam had met up with her at Virginia Beach. Their very first meeting. Her companion had been murdered while sleeping in Robbin’s bed. It was all about the enormous inheritance she was to receive. Their world had changed since then and he was happy for them. A couple now. He’d give them another call on Tuesday, back on base by then.

He switched his thoughts back to Samantha, feeling deep down, she would be a key player in his future. His carefully calculated plans were changing. She might be the most important consideration in the most critical decision of his life. He thought about due diligence, gathering of the facts, and considered it paramount, before moving ahead with his plans.

“This is hard for me,” she said. “Please understand. We hardly know each other, Dick. I feel guilty just talking to you.”

“You’re not turning me away after I’ve made the drive down, are you?”

“No! I’m just clarifying our situation at this point. You will be sleeping on the sofa, and won’t make an issue of it. You promised.”

“I did promise to be a good boy. We agreed this brief visit was only a test of our initial reaction to one another. Both agreed it was special. Didn’t we?”

She hesitated a few moments. “I would never forgive myself if we’d lost contact and never met again. Yes, the feeling was mutual. I’ve never gone behind one man’s back to be with another. Please forgive me if I act like a school girl.”

“Had you rather meet in a more public place, like a restaurant?”

“That’s not necessary, regardless of how awkward I feel. I’m actually