Free Out a Order by Evie Rhodes

believe in much of anything these days.
    Besides, he much preferred dealing with things he could see. Even if they showed up in the form of gats and Uzis. Breaking out of his reverie he gazed at Mama, shut his eyes, and then opened them to find there was no change.
    The whites of Mama’s eyes was all he could see. Her eyes were rolled up in the back of her head.
    Spittle was forming in the corner of her mouth. Papa hobbled over to her as fast as his eighty-two years would allow. Gently he touched her arm. He knew that fast movements might lock her in the trance for longer than he wanted.
    â€œWhat’s wrong, Mama?” he repeated, trying to penetrate her psyche.
    Mama blinked. Her eyes rolled back to their proper place. She looked at Papa as though she couldn’t see him, but could only feel that he was there. “They done shot Milkbone. He’s dead.”
    Mama knew all the players.
    She had fed and clothed enough of these kids over time when their no-good sorry mamas had preferred getting high to feeding and clothing their kids. She had seen enough of them trading their food stamps for drugs, letting their kids go hungry.
    Papa waited. He knew there was more. He felt it in his bones. In fact his left knee was throbbing. That never happened unless something more than what was on the surface was going on.
    â€œAisha Jackson, that precious little darling, was in her window, Papa. She done saw the whole thing. Why was she in her window?”
    Papa didn’t know how to answer so he remained quiet, like the still waters he had been reared in. He was a quiet man by nature, one who observed more than he spoke.
    â€œIt’s here, Papa. That’s why all this killing’s going on. Our people don’t understand their spirits is being traded.”
    Papa put an arm around her shoulder. Slowly but surely he guided her away from the window over to the couch. Mama looked at Papa. She swallowed hard before saying, “It done took Aisha’s speech. That girl’s in trouble. We’ve got to get it back.”
    Papa definitely didn’t like the sound of this one. It reminded him of the swamps of Louisiana many a year ago. Sometimes when the realms or spirits as they are known to some people were fixing to act up this was the kind of stuff you heard. Problem was, these people in the North didn’t know nothing about that.
    And he knew today’s kids were wide-open vessels to the magic of darkness. They didn’t have nothing to fight with. Finally Papa couldn’t hold his peace. He spoke. “Mama, what’s that you saw?”
    â€œIt.”
    Papa sighed. “What’d it say?”
    Mama stared at him as though he’d done lost his mind. A shiver raced up her back. “It said rockabye, baby, Papa.”
    Papa froze.
    Before Mama could utter another word, he reached for his gilt-paged Bible.

Chapter 15
    R ico paced his basement while Temaine sucked on his licorice. There was a knock on the door. Rico pulled his gun from his shoulder holster.
    Kesha appeared in the doorway. “Michael Claybay, T-Bone’s brother, is here. He wants to see you. He says it’s important.”
    Rico holstered the gun. “Send him down.”
    A moment later Michael walked in. He glanced nervously at Temaine. “I got some information for you. It’s gonna cost you two G’s.”
    Rico reached into his pocket. He flicked the bills into Michael’s hand without asking any questions.
    Michael stared greedily at the bills, before snatching them out of Rico’s hand. “Shannon Davenport is gonna take you out. He’s got it in his mind that you’re responsible for his daughter’s death.” Michael’s jaw twitched.
    â€œIs that right?” Rico glanced at Temaine.
    Michael’s voice was fast and clipped. “It is.”
    Rico nodded. “And how do you know this?”
    â€œHe told me.”
    â€œAnd what did you tell