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“Okay, Lou, okay,” he agreed, his face still scrunched up like a furious toddler’s.
“Great. Now, there’s one last thing we gotta talk about man to man. You know she has a coke problem, right?”
His face fell a little, and his voice turned defensive. “Lots of guys in the Midnight Riders do it, Lou – ”
I threw up my hands like it was a stickup. “Hey man, I’m not judgin’. I’ve been known to do a little toot now and again. I just want to make sure you’re cool with it, that’s all.”
He hemmed and hawed. “I mean, I wish she didn’t… but… you know… she’s a stripper. It’s a tough job…”
More like it’s tough to be a cokehead without any coke, which is why she strips in the first place, dumbass.
I didn’t tell him that, though. Instead, I laid the bullshit on reeeaal thick. “You hit the nail on the head, my man. Lots of stress. And she’s a hot chick – hot chicks like to party. No big deal.”
“Yeah, no big deal,” he said, though he didn’t sound entirely convinced.
“In fact, when you got somebody who’s addicted like that, it can be real dangerous if they get off the sauce too quick, you know?”
He looked confused. “Sauce?”
Jesus. “Cocaine, Benjy. If she goes off cocaine too fast, she could die.”
“Oh.” Now he looked worried. “Really?”
“Really. Which is why I need you to give her these.”
I pulled a couple of tiny baggies filled with white powder out of my jacket and slid them across the desk.
Peanut had gotten ‘em for me a couple hours earlier. Supposedly only stepped on once or twice with baking soda, so it was fairly premium shit for Richards.
Benjy stared at the baggies. “You… you think that’s a good idea, Lou?”
“I think it’s a very good idea, Benjy. This is basically like medicine for her. You don’t want her to die, do you?”
“No – no, I don’t!”
“Don’t tell Jack about it, then, because he and I don’t see exactly eye-to-eye on this… but I’m more worried about Venus’s health than he is.”
“Ali,” Benjy said.
“What?”
“Her name is Ali.”
“…right. Oh, and don’t tell her I gave these to you, either. Tell her it came from one of the other girls. Who likes to do blow with Ve– uh, Ali?”
“Jasmine, sometimes. And Cherry and – ”
“Tell her you stole it offa Jasmine. You saw it and you took it out of her bag.”
“But I didn’t!”
“I know you didn’t – just tell her that.”
He looked butt-hurt again. “I don’t like lyin’, Lou.”
“You didn’t mind lyin’ to her the other night when you crossed your fingers and then came and told me, did you?” I said accusingly.
He dropped his eyes to the floor, guilty as hell. “I was worried about her.”
