Murderville 2: The Epidemic Read Online Free PDF Page B

Thepassenger window came down, and Liberty was frozen in fear as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them back up, she saw a face appear, looking directly at her. It was Po.
    “Need a ride?” he asked as he glanced at his side mirror, and then back at Liberty. Although Liberty barely knew Po, she was actually glad to see him. Knowing that Samad and his goons could have popped up on her at any moment had her paranoid. Liberty returned the smile and looked around.
    “What are you doing here?” she asked.
    “I’m here to come get you. You just dipped out on me. I wanted to make sure you were okay.” Po said. “Where are you headed exactly?”
    “Arizona,” she answered as she looked down at her ticket.
    “What’s in Arizona?” he asked with a frown.
    “Nothing, but that’s kinda the point. You know?” she replied. Liberty was seeking solace and going to a discreet town in the middle of nowhere was right up her alley.
    “I need a road trip anyway. Get in,” Po said as he hit his unlock button.
    “Are you serious?” she asked in disbelief.
    “I’m here, aren’t I?” he replied as he stepped out of the car and walked over to her. He picked up her duffle bag and headed back to his car.
    Just before opening his trunk, he looked at Liberty. “Come on, it’ll be fine.” Liberty couldn’t help but smile as she stood up and shook her head.
    “Okay, let’s do it,” she said as she headed to the passenger side and got in. After loading her bag in the trunk, Po joined Liberty in the car and slowly guided the car away from the curb. Although Po felt slightly guilty about deceiving Liberty, he knew it was all business. He was not about to get into the unfinished business that Samad and Liberty had going on. He just wanted his money: nothing more . . . nothing less.
    Po left Rocko behind; this was something he had to do by himself. The way Samad’s people moved, he knew that he was feeding Liberty to the wolves and he wanted the blood to be only on his hands. As Cash Money’s latest hit lightly pumped through the speakers, they merged onto the highway and headed west.
    “Why are you doing this?” Liberty said as she pulled off the hair tie that held her ponytail and let her hair flow onto her shoulders. Po briefly looked over at Liberty and couldn’t help but notice her beauty and flawless skin. He focused back on the road, reminding himself that this was a business trip.
    “I don’t know why I’m doing this. That’s a good question,” he responded. So many thoughts ran through Po’s mind as he tried to ignore his conscience. He was literally trading someone’s life for money. He tried to convince himself that it was just business, but there was something about Liberty that drew him to her.
    Liberty reached into her purse and pulled out a Lauryn Hill CD, her favorite. She then looked at Po for approval, and he grinned and nodded his head. She slipped the discin and the melodic sounds filled the car as they listened closely to the lyricist. Two hours passed and not one word was spoken between the two of them. It seemed as if Lauryn Hill soothed them, making the ride easy and comfortable.
    Liberty turned down the music. “So, Po . . . tell me about yourself. At least we can keep each other entertained. It’s a very long car ride,” she said.
    “Well, what do you want to know?” Po asked as he kept his eyes on the road.
    “What do you want to tell me?” Liberty responded as she turned her body and folded her legs Indian-style. She looked directly at him.
    “I’m twenty-five. No kids, no family.”
    “Girlfriend?” Liberty asked, as she raised an eyebrow.
    Po glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as he gripped the steering wheel with one hand. “That’s a long story,” he said.
    “I’ll just bet it is,” Liberty replied with a small smile.
    Liberty could tell that Po wasn’t open to discussing his personal relationships so she quickly switched the subject and