The Lotus Crew Read Online Free PDF Page B

rules but ours, mine. If you don’t wish to play, feel free to leave. You don’t need us … do you?”
    T shrugged. “We’re staying. Go on, please.”
    â€œWho will supply your material?”
    â€œWe have sources set up,” T said.
    â€œWhy not sell directly to us? We pay top dollar for pure.”
    â€œWe want to get retail for it. We’ll play it as you call it. We’re prepared to give you a fair price to operate. All you have to do is—”
    â€œAll we have to do is see that you are not killed or arrested instantly.”
    â€œCorrect.”
    The masked man turned to Alvira. “The Alvira Kid. Your reputation on the street is straight up. You are a junkie, but unlike most, you would not betray a friend for a fix. You would rather be sick. Is that so?”
    â€œYes,” Alvira said. How could he know about the incident last year, when the police tried to force Alvira to drop a dime on a connection by holding him sick in a cell?
    â€œAnd you, Tommy Sparks. You could have worked with the heat and walked away from that kilo bust. Instead you did your time. These are not virtues we take lightly. Many come to us, every day, every month. Usually we say no, and they do it anyway. They are killed by their own crewmen or quickly ruined by the police. In your case—only because I feel you might succeed—we are prepared to help. If you agree to our terms, you will be given two points of activity. A storefront and an abandoned building. You will be permitted to run your crews without complications, unless you yourself draw heat or create conflict. Our fee for this will be one thousand dollars a day for the first week, two for the second, up to ten. If you are still alive and operating in ten weeks, we will stabilize the number for a while.”
    T shrugged. He didn’t want to bicker. The offer was workable, and it was time to show class. No telling when he’d see this man again. Maybe only if something went wrong.
    â€œSounds good to me,” he said, looking from ShyWun to Alvira.
    Alvira shrugged. “Your play, T.” T’s cash and credit were providing seed action, so he had final say.
    â€œChu will be your crew boss,” ShyWun said. “You can contact me through him.”
    â€œVery good.”
    â€œYour limit on material is ten percent heroin. Anything over and the deal is off. Have you been doing your market research?”
    â€œYes,” Tommy said. “Your people are putting out the best bag around right now. Real dope. Seven to ten percent. Most of the others are putting out three percent laced with powdered barbiturate, injectable methadone, powdered Valium.”
    â€œCorrect. We give people what they pay for. I trust you will do the same.”
    â€œOf course.”
    â€œYou have my best wishes,” ShyWun said, getting to his feet. “And now, if you will excuse me . . .”
    They were ushered back into the van, deposited at the Jaguar. On the way home they blew reefers and listened to the Persuasions on me tape deck.
    Alvira had an uncomfortable feeling. Something told him to back out now before it was too late. But that was impossible. How would he get by? He was flat broke. Jones was upon him. For better or worse, he was in. He sniffled. Soon as they got back he’d hit T’s stash and straighten out the bends and chills Jones was laying on him.
    â€œWhat do you think, Alvira?” T asked.
    â€œI think we’re going to be in a whole lot of trouble soon, or we’re going to be rich.” Alvira drew on a freebased reefer and closed his eyes.
    Chu laughed in the back seat. “Don’ worry,” he said. “Eb’ry’sing bery bery cooool.”

The Job Interview
    JJ HAD NO FIRSTHAND experience with smoking opium, so he and Furman turned to the resources of their drug library. They found the healing ritual described in a book called Flowers in the Blood