Deliver Me From Evil by Mary Monroe

you,” I said, shaking a finger at him. “I was talking to Wade.”
    â€œWell, I’m talking to you. And while I’m doing it, I want to tell you that you got one hell of a mouth on you, girl. No wonder you couldn’t keep your husband happy,” Jason sneered, talking and chewing at the same time. A hard look crossed his face, and he stared at me with so much contempt, I felt a sharp pain shoot up my back.
    â€œI didn’t want you involved in this in the first place. And if it was up to me, you wouldn’t be here now,” I reminded. “This is my”—I paused and tapped my chest with my finger—“my game. If you don’t want to play it by my rules, you can take your fucking bear claws and get the hell up out of here. And, with your lovely record, I know I don’t have to worry about you blabbing about any of this.”
    Jason was still chewing, but the look on his face had softened. He blinked and swallowed hard. “We ain’t going to use them pictures unless we have to,” he muttered, looking at Wade.
    â€œJason, I’m in the room, and I’m the one talking now. I asked the question about the pictures, not Wade. You can address me,” I said, with a smirk. “After we get the money, you won’t ever have to see me again.”
    â€œWoman, I don’t know why you be tripping. We are all on the same side,” Jason said, speaking to me but still looking at Wade. Then he slurped from his coffee cup like a hog at a trough.
    â€œBoth of y’all need to chill out. We got business to take care of,” Wade said, shaking his fist in Jason’s face but looking at me. “Baby, you better stay in the room while we’re gone. I seen a pay phone about two blocks down the way.”
    â€œWhat are you going to say to my husband this time?” I asked, still glaring at the side of Jason’s face. I flinched when he let out a loud belch.
    â€œFirst, we need to find out where my man’s head is right about now. If things are going our way, I’ll tell him when and where to drop off the money.” Wade paused and gave me a thoughtful look. “Once we get our money, well, it’s over. You do what you got to do. I do what I got to do. Any questions?” He looked from me to Jason.
    â€œHell, yeah! I got a question! When do I get paid?” Jason asked in an anxious voice, moving toward the bed. Crumbs decorated his chin and lips. It was only then that I noticed that Jason looked cleaner and neater than he’d looked the day before. He wore a nice crisp plaid shirt and a pair of jeans that somebody had taken the time to iron. The creases in the legs were razor sharp. Whatever he was doing to the women in his life was working. Or, if he was as lucky as Wade, one of the women taking such good care of him was his mama.
    â€œCalm down, brother. You’ll get your money when old J.R. gives me my money,” Wade said firmly, giving Jason a hot look.
    â€œI think you mean my money,” I said, ignoring the ominous feeling that suddenly came over me. The feeling that I had was one thing, and that was bad enough. But the way that Wade looked at me gave me a chill that went all the way down to my bones.

CHAPTER 9
    I didn’t know how long Wade and Jason would be gone this time. And even though I was nervous and on edge, I was glad to be alone so that I could have some time to myself.
    I had no appetite. The way my stomach was feeling, I didn’t think I’d eat again until I knew for sure what Jesse Ray was going to do. My throat was dry, but by now the coffee that Jason had brought was too cold to drink. I emptied one of the cups and used it to get some water from the faucet in the bathroom. I was only able to swallow a few sips, and I almost threw it back up. The water was cloudy and tasted like metal.
    I tried to get some sleep as I crawled back into the bed and curled up under the covers, still