Who'll Stop The Rain: (Book One Of The Miami Crime Trilogy) by Don Donovan Page A

pounding. But it had to be done, and I was the only
one there to do it. I mean, that's the way it works.
    Why did I
agree to do this? Why?
    Because Mambo
asked me to. How could I say no?
    I could see in his eyes he was looking for a way
around the beating. Frankly, so was I, so I gave him plenty of time to think
about it. Unfortunately, nothing came to him, so I unloaded a solid right to
his gut. It was better than one to the jaw, which would do more serious damage.
He was soft and he took the full brunt of the shot. A loud grunt and he doubled
over, then down to one knee.
    With the wind knocked out of him, he waved a
hand and tried to say, "All right, all right." Pulling him to his
feet, I cocked my big fist, aiming it right at his mouth. I prayed he wouldn't
make me go through with the rest of this. I paused in that position and he
started talking, anything to prevent me from knocking his teeth out.
    He wheezed and said between gasps, "I'll …
make you a … a deal. Get LeeRon to give … Sharma a r-regular shift … over at
the Wi-Wild Thing … and she'll give you five hundred a … a week. That should …
buy me some time … with Mambo."
    I pasted my most menacing look on my face. It
worked, like always. Fear moved into his eyes and he started shaking as I held
him up by the collar of his expensive linen shirt. "Five hundred a week
won't buy you shit with Mambo. The
vig alone is over three grand a week. And the clock is ticking."
    "No, no." He coughed and gasped,
trying to get some of his wind back. "I mean … the money … for you.
Personally. Mambo doesn't have to know about it. You just … just give him some
story. He'll believe you. It'll put five hundred a week in your pocket."
    A weekly income? Could Trey have had an
arrangement of some kind with the stripper? I took the idea for a spin around
the block.
    Put him on
a plan. That's standard procedure anyway whenever a guy gets in too deep. He
pays the vig every week and still owes the principal. Pretty soon, he's paid
off the equivalent of the principal in vig alone. The stripper gives me an
envelope every week and Mambo gets his vig.
    Best of
all, I can stay retired while showing some money every week to Dorothy. The
dough I got from the bank score can be our nest egg. We won't have to spend it
if I have a guaranteed income. We can have a decent life with this money when
you add it to what I'll make when I can get that landscaping business up and
running. Maybe take a little vacation every once in a while. You know, run up
to Miami or something. Maybe even Disney World. She'd like that.
    And then
maybe I can forget about that teenaged girl …
    I loosened my grip on his shirt collar and
smoothed it out a little.
    "Why would she want to give me five hundred
a week, Trey?"
    Another wheeze. "Because I … I'll tell her
to."
    "But why would she do it at all?"
    "That's my business. She'll pay you. Don't
worry about it."
    I slapped him hard, flinging his head backward.
"Don't tell me what to worry about. If she's paying me, it's my business,
too. Now tell me."
    Trey rubbed his reddening face. It didn't do
anything for the pain. He hesitated before saying, "If I tell you, you
can't let on you know this, all right?"
    "She won't find out. Just tell me. And make
it quick."
    His shaking subsided and he got his voice back.
He also got comfortable with the idea of spilling. "I used to go up to
Hialeah to see her every couple of weeks or so. She's so lovely. And so very
talented. You know what I mean?"
    I ignored the question, but naturally, I knew
what he meant. "Up to Honey Buns? That's where you went?"
    "Right. Honey Buns. Don't you just love
that name? But anyway, before I started seeing her, I was enjoying the company
of one of her dancing colleagues. A gorgeous young lady, name of Cinnamon. She
was quite something, let me tell you. Slender build, long red hair like a fiery
sky, a body that —"
    "Save the description. Get on with the
story."
    Right then, two