Jones nodded. It was a thought that hadn’t entered his mind. “You’re right. That’s a pretty big issue, one that I can’t answer. What’s number two? Maybe I can help you with that.”
“That one’s even more confusing. Where the hell is Levon?”
CHAPTER 24
BECAUSE
of his size and the weapon he carried, Levon Greene showed no fear as he walked through Louis Armstrong Park. Like most American cities, New Orleans had a policy against large, gun-toting black men walking in its city parks after midnight. But Greene knew he was in no danger of being stopped since most cops were at Sam’s Tattoos, trying to solve that shooting.
As he emerged from the darkness of the tree-lined sidewalks, Greene tucked his pistol in the waistband of his Dockers, concealing it completely under his shirt. Despite the early-morning hour, up-tempo funk leaked from Don na’s Bar and Grill, a famous jazz club off of St. Ann Street. A group of well-dressed men and women waited to show the bouncer their IDs. Greene didn’t have the patience to linger in line, so he shook the hand of the starstruck guard and slipped inside without delay.
Celebrity had some privileges.
Since the sniper had prevented him from using the bathroom at Sam’s, Greene quickly made his way to the rear of the club while trying to conceal his identity from as many people as he could. He simply didn’t have time to sign autographs for anyone at the moment. There were more pressing matters on his mind-and his lower colon-to deal with. After making his way into the restroom, Greene found himself angered by his phone, which started to ring the moment he turned the lock on his stall door.
“Who’s this?” he demanded.
“This is D.J.,” Jones said, relieved. “Are you all right?”
The call was completely unexpected, like hearing the voice of a ghost, and it took Greene a moment to catch his breath. “Am
I
all right? I think the better question is, are
you
all right? I thought you were dead for sure! I can’t believe you’re alive! Did Jon make it, too?”
“He’s fine. He’s sitting next to me.”
“I’ll be a son of a bitch,” Greene muttered. From the number of bullets fired, he assumed nobody in the front of the shop could’ve survived. And if someone had, he figured they’d be bleeding all over intensive care by now. “How about Sam? Did he make it?”
“I’m afraid not. The first shot took him out clean. He didn’t have a chance.”
“What about the next one hundred shots? What the hell did they hit?”
“Everything but us,” Jones admitted. “I guess our military training helped us escape.”
“Training? What kind of training teaches you to dodge bullets? Are you guys fucking ninjas?”
“I swear I never fucked a ninja in my life.” Jones chuckled, hoping that Greene understood his joke. “The truth is, luck played a bigger role in our safety than I’m willing to admit.”
“Man, how lucky can two guys get?”
“Speaking of lucky, how did you get out of there? I could’ve sworn we left you in Sam’s bathroom. When we went to save you, you weren’t in there. How did you pull that one off?”
Greene smiled as he thought about his easy escape, but it was a secret that he wasn’t ready to share. He wanted Payne and Jones to ponder the mystery for a little while longer. “I’ll tell you in a little bit, okay? But I’m in a public restroom as we speak, and I don’t know if there are people in the other stalls listening.”
“What did you do? Flush yourself to another part of the city?”
Greene laughed. “No, nothing like that, but you’ll have to wait a few more minutes for the details. Where are you guys now?”
Jones asked Payne for details. “We’re somewhere in the French Quarter. Jon thinks it’s called Conti Street.”
“That’s pretty close to me.” Greene gave Jones directions to Donna’s Bar and Grill and told him that he’d be waiting outside when they got there. “But first,” he insisted, “I’ve got some urgent business to attend to, and I’m not willing to do it while we’re on the phone.”
THE
Mustang stopped in front of the crowded club and pulled away with its new passenger. As the car picked up speed, Greene greeted Payne and Jones, warmly shaking their hands. “Military? You guys never told me you were in the military. What branch were you in?”
Payne answered first. “I went to the Naval Academy. After that I got selected by the government to work on a special forces unit.”
“That’s where I met him,” Jones added. “I was assigned to the same team as Jon, even though I was from the Air Force. And we’ve been side by side ever since.”
“I’ll be damned,” Greene muttered. “I’m sitting here with two Rambos. No wonder you guys were able to escape the tattoo parlor. I’m surprised you didn’t kill the shooter in the process. What, are you guys rusty or something?”
“Actually, we wanted to get the bastard but weren’t able to because of you.”
Greene looked at Payne, confused. “Because of me? What did I do?”
“It’s what you didn’t do. You didn’t get us guns that worked.”
“They didn’t work? What do you mean they didn’t work?”
Jones jumped into the fray. “Just like he said. We pulled our triggers several times, and nothing came out. Like a guy with a vasectomy.”
Payne grinned at the analogy. “Tell me more about your gun dealer. Has anything like this ever happened before?”
“No,” Greene assured them. “He’s got a first-class rep on the streets.”
“Maybe so, but his faulty products almost got us killed.” Payne slowed to a stop at a red light and turned toward Greene. “I’d love a chance to meet this guy. You know, to see if I get a good feeling about him. Do you think you could set something up?”
Greene glanced at Payne and shrugged. “I could, but it won’t do you any good. You guys already met him, and you trusted him just fine.”
“Terrell Murray?” Payne asked. “The owner of the Fishing Hole?”
Greene nodded. “The one and only.”
“Why didn’t you mention that before we talked to him?” Jones demanded.
“Terrell is very hush-hush about his activities. Sure, he owns and operates some skin clubs, but those things are legal and can’t get him into trouble. What he refuses to do, though, is flaunt the things that could get him busted. If he sells something illegal, he deals with a restricted list of clientele, and if they betray him, he cuts them off immediately. That’s why I purchased the weapons by myself and why I didn’t mention his name earlier. Can you understand that?”
“Sure,” Payne admitted. “That makes plenty of sense to me. So, why tell us now? If Terrell is so secretive, why risk his confidence by mentioning his name?”
“Sometimes you gotta betray one trust to gain another.”
Payne and Jones pondered the comment, nodding their heads in admiration. For an ex-jock, Greene possessed a pretty good understanding of human nature.
“And besides,” he continued, “when we go to get your refund, I want you to do the talking. I’d feel safer if you pissed him off instead of me.”
CHAPTER 25
AS
they drove to the Fishing Hole, Jones patiently waited for Greene to answer the question that he’d asked earlier, but it was apparent that Greene had completely forgotten about it-or was trying to avoid it. “Levon, since you’re out of the john now, can you please tell me how you managed to escape from Sam’s? That’s been bugging me for the past hour.”