Ysanya stared first at him, then me, and I knew she was going to start hollering or some shit and Trace and his partners would show up from nowhere and blow us away. Instead she took a drag on the joint she'd been holding and started laughing like Nap had told her the funniest joke of the week.

Then she turned to kiss the muscle-bound boy, her big butt wiggling with pleasure. "Can we do it, baby? Can we take that bastard for all he's got and more? Then you and I can go away and leave this place of ruination."

"Only with your help, honey." Nap put an arm around her and pulled her on top of him. They clearly didn't need me at the moment so I got up and went into the can. Afterward I came out and found Nap laid back on the love seat, still smoking maryjane.

Ysanya was bending down before the altar, gesturing with her hands and swaying side to side. Her eyes sparkled like I'd seen rookie linemen's after getting their first pro sack. She scared the shit out of me.

"This is destiny," she mumbled. "My beautiful black knight will deliver me from hell into a brighter future."

I looked at her black knight. He was lit up like a fuckin' Christmas tree. What had I got myself into?

Nap tipped the splif at me. I shook my head no. Then he said to Ysanya, "So have you ever had to call your husband out at the place where they meet?"

"A time or two, but Ellison changes the phone number each month for security reasons. He thinks he's a sly pig." Ysanya rubbed a few crystals over her bare top. "But he doesn't fully trust his cousin either. So while he's circumspect about telling me where they meet, he also wants to leave some clue in case he doesn't make it back from one of their pow-wows." She got up and went to sit next to her boyfriend.

Nap played with her dyed blonde hair. She didn't dye down below. "When do they meet next?"

"It has to be soon because I came in the other day to his office, the day we saw you, Zelmont. Anyway, I walked in and he and Rudy were yelling in Serbo-Croat to each other. Mine has fallen off, but I caught enough of it to know they were pissed at you two for what happened at the garbage dump."

"Mad enough to whack us?" Nap asked.

She frowned. "I don't know, others have done worse to them and they've all wound up being in business together."

"But they weren't black," I added. I needed another drink and went to get one.

"Well yes," Ysanya said as I walked past her. "But they're also worried about Weems."

That stopped me. "Yeah?"

She put a hand on my thigh, kneading the muscle. "He and Weems hate each other. But what can Weems do? The owners took a vote and let my husband and his backers into the league. There's no hard evidence against him, but that's why the commissioner moved out to L.A. His pet project is to screw Ellison."

"Wonderful." I went and got another Scotch.

"I know it's somewhere in Ridgecrest," I heard her tell Nap.

"How do you know that?"

"I'm not stupid, Nap, I find out things."

"Oh I know, darling, I know."

We talked about what would happen once she got the new number. Then we showered, me by myself, them two together. After that, me and Nap were let out by the woman who'd let me in. She just smiled, and I figured she must know plenty of secrets. Maybe she and Ysanya had a thing going on, for all I knew.

We drove over to the Locker Room in our separate cars and went up to his office. Danny had set up headquarters in another room, so Nap's area was untouched.

"You really gonna hat up with her when this is over? It's gonna be hard enough laying your large self low, let alone dragging around a chick more than ten years older than you who's used to popping over to Rodeo Drive or Newport Beach."

Nap was leaning on his desk, his forearms and triceps bunching and releasing. "I know, man. But once we play this hand I just can't leave her to take the heat. That wouldn't be right."

"If her old man gets a hint of what's up, you think for a hot minute miss freaky-deaky won't go screaming to her crystals and give you and me up? Get our asses shipped off to Bosnia where hunting down niggas is something to do in between killing each other."

"She's better than that, man."

"Are you in love with her? Cause love can make a motherfuckah slip, and slipping is not an option."

"Understood," he said, his eyes beaming straight into mine.

"A'right." I made to go but then stopped. I didn't want to ask, but I had to. "I realize Danny and his posse have the club covered, Nap. And I know you got to be cool with him, but I was wondering…" I couldn't make myself finish it.

Nap didn't say anything. He walked to the stone head, did his sequence touching, and got some scratch from behind the curtain. "Three is going to have to do, Zelmont. I've got to watch my expenses myself."

My hand was out. Under my breath I said, "'Preciate this, Nap. You know I'd do the same for you."

"We boys, right?" He slapped the hundreds in my palm.

"Yeah, man. Just folding money, you know?" I couldn't raise my head and went out into the parking lot. It must have started to rain or something even though the sun was out because my cheek was wet. The devil is beating his wife, Moms used to say when it showered with the sun shining. I got in the Explorer and drove over to the High Hat bar on Crenshaw.

"Naw, he ain't been here," the beefy girl in the tight red dress and green eye shadow growled at me. She went to wipe down the bar on the other end.

"Sonny Sticks in always around here," I said, following her.

"He ain't here now." She stopped moving her rag. "Ain't you supposed to be somebody?"

"The dude who's looking for the dude who owes me money, that's who I am." Like Zorro, I wrote my initial on a coaster. "Tell him I was here and that next time he better be too." I flipped the coaster toward her.

"Oh sure." She looked at it, then went over to speak to a older dude in a ratty turtleneck and plaid knit coat sitting on a corner stool. I drove around for a while, half looking for a couple of other Gs who owed me some dough. As the sun went down, I wound up in Watts, dropping by Kelrue Cumming's grandmother's house on 107th near Santa Ana. When he didn't want to be found, that's where he'd go. He'd have heard of me getting the ax again and would know I'd want another ring or two to tide me over.

"No, no, Mr. Zelmont," his granny said through a crack in the doorway of her shack, "Kelrue hasn't been around much, you see?"

"Can I leave him a note?" Did I sound innocent enough?

"I'm not so old I can't remember, Mr. Zelmont." Granny's voice cracked. Kelrue was probably crouching down in a back room.

Putting some weight on the door, I said, "This won't take but a minute."

"Please, we don't want no trouble. But I got me what they call a panic button inside the door here, Mr. Zelmont. The city council done gave' em out to us senior citizens in a safe streets program, yes sir."

Fuck. I could get the door open and knock her down before she could reach that button. If there was one. I pushed my weight against the door some more. "It'll be over before you know it, grandma. Kelrue has a contract he has to honor."

"Good Jesus."

I was almost inside when a pair of high beams suddenly flashed on, catching me in the glare. The car had driven up quick across the lawn. A door opened and slammed. I didn't need to be John Shaft to know who it was.

"Prone out on the lawn, Zelmont." Fahrar stood to one side of the car, the lights barely outlining his form. I was sure he had his gun pointed at me.

"This ain't none of your concern, cop."

"You gone simple? Do what I tell you and step away from the citizen."

Grandma made a face at me. "Serves you right for being so evil."

I could have popped her but that would give Fahrar an excuse to shoot me. ''Don't you and your fat grandson get too cozy, old lady I'm coming back.''