Niki's Challenge (20 page)

“
Good, they should be here
any minute.” Smoke nodded. “What do you plan to do about the
envelope? Why haven’t you opened it? Do you know what’s inside?”
His calm, matter of fact questioning eased her rising
tension.

“
No.” She pointed to his
partner. “Ross, I believe you said your name was.”

He nodded.

“
Ross saw it under the seat
and has some suspicions.” She looked around before whispering. “He
thinks it may be drugs and I don’t do drugs. I told—,” She inhaled
to fight her rising panic. “I asked him to get rid of it for me
before the police came.”

“
Why would he do that?
Don’t you think the cops would want to check the it out?” He
shrugged, looked at the envelope and then back at her. “It may not
be what you think.”

“
Yeah, right. Since when
did they start giving us a fair shot? Blacks always get taken to
jail first and questioned later,” she snapped losing patience with
his calm attitude. Her world was collapsing and he asked silly
questions.

The men looked at each
other.

Smoke crouched in front of her. She
hadn’t seen when he’d taken the envelope, but it lay on his palm.
“Cherise, I hope for your sake you’re not playing my friend or me.”
He opened the envelope and shook it gently. White powder spilled to
the lip of the packet.

She shrank back. “What is
it?”

Smoke dipped his pinky into the powder
and tasted it. “Salt.”

“
Salt?” Her voice shook.
“Thank goodness.” She breathed noisily as moisture filled her eyes.
“I’ve never been so scared in my life.” The sounds of a siren
blared in the background. She relaxed and lay backward. An engine
roar caught her attention. She peered around Ross, as a truck took
off down the road.

“
Where’s Smoke
going?”

The police pulled in behind her
damaged car.

Ross turned and stared. “It wasn’t
salt.”