Baby Brother's Blues Read Online Free PDF Page B

welcome.”
    “Don’t be a stranger.” She was already heading for another table, but moving slowly to make sure he got an eyeful of her beautiful behind, of which she was justifiably proud.
    She didn’t need to worry. His eyes were glued to the small, heart-shaped birthmark that she carried at the small of her back just before the billowy curve of her hips.
There it was!
A birthmark identical to the one Juanita had in exactly the same spot! He couldn’t believe his eyes, but he had to have a closer look. She was turning her smile toward a table full of men clutching five-dollar bills.
    “Hey!”
    She looked back over her shoulder and he beckoned to her. The table that had been eagerly anticipating her arrival protested her sudden change in direction as she headed back to General. “Hey, girl!” the boldest one called out. “You see we holdin’ good money over here, don’t you?”
    “You ain’t holding much of it,” she said, knowing whatever General wanted would be more interesting and certainly more lucrative than anything those guys had in mind.
    General watched her heading back his way slowly, taking her time. Her breasts swayed provocatively, but what he wanted to see was behind her.
    “Change your mind about that dance?”
    “What’s that on your back?” he said, his voice gruff with emotions he didn’t want to share.
    “It’s a birthmark,” she said. “You want to touch it?”
    She turned her back to him again, bent over slightly at the waist, and jiggled her behind at an alarming rate of speed. He couldn’t take his eyes off the birthmark. It was exactly like Juanita’s, but this girl’s energetic shaking of her rump made it impossible to look as closely as he wanted to, even though he was staring.
    “You can kiss it if you want,” she whispered over her shoulder.
    “What?”
    “Go on and kiss it if you want.”
    Blue’s voice spoke sharply from the front seat and startled General out of the memory.
    “That’s our turn coming up!”
    General realized he had been flying down the two-lane blacktop. The speedometer said sixty, and in these little towns around Atlanta, that was a guaranteed ticket. With all the emphasis on homeland security, maybe even a search. He eased his foot off the gas and made the turn, still going faster than he should have.
    “You with me, brother?” Blue said quietly. General knew it was a serious question. This was no time to be distracted. He had promised Juanita he’d keep an eye out for signs, but he’d also promised to look out for her only son, especially on nights like this.
    “I’m cool,” General said. “Let’s do this.”

5
    F or the first time in a long time, Brandi Harris had something to look forward to. She was sneaking a cigarette in the tiny, airless dressing room before she had to go back out there, but she was thinking about General. He had “I’ll be back” written all over his face. She didn’t think he’d recognized her, but that was cool. That was the whole point of being in this hellhole, to stay under radar. She wondered what he had been doing here, talking to that fool Johnny. Guys like General didn’t make a point of coming in places like this.
    Montre’s was not what you would call a class act. It was a no-frills neighborhood strip joint that catered to workingmen looking for the cheap thrill offered by a five-dollar lap dance, or wannabe gangsters whose fortunes were invested in sneakers, not stocks. The whiskey was watered, the beer was cheap, and the dancers had seen better days. It was not the kind of establishment that Brandi was used to working in. She had been stripping since she was fourteen, flashing a fake ID and flaunting a body that looked like it
should
have been over eighteen even if it was still under the legal limit.
    She had started out in places worse than Montre’s. No stages. No pole. Just the dancers right on the flat floor, hoping the patrons would throw some dollar bills her way and stop trying to