Read Online Black Smoke by Robin Leigh Miller - Free Book Online

the damn bullet ricocheted off his car and came right back at me. Little did I know that right behind me, on his knees, was one of his own men pointing a gun directly at the back my lovely black head. Now, didn’t that bullet come straight back and nail him right between the eyes.” Ricochet let out a loud ha ha laugh and shook his head. “Guess it was my lucky day.”
    Sam couldn’t help but smile, she knew luck had nothing to do with it. His own guide had saved his life that day. And someday, he’d realize it. “Did you get your target?” she asked.
    “Sure did. I managed to fire another round when I saw what was happening. Been called Ricochet ever since.”
    “How about you Boomer, how’d you get your name?” She asked.
    Boomer smiled, his face lighting up that she asked. “I like explosives. Even when I was a kid I ran around with firecrackers, strapping them to plastic rockets and cars and blowing them up. It was only natural that I got into it in the Army. My parents started calling me Boomer when I was a kid, it just stuck.”
    Sam didn’t know whether to be charmed or scared. If he had taken a different path in life, she could possibly be hunting him instead of working with him. She sent a silent prayer of thanks to his guide that he’d chosen his path wisely.
    When Sam looked over at Kong, he was looking right at her. He had no intention of telling how he got his nickname, she could read it in his face. So she turned to Ricochet and asked him.
    Ricochet snickered, “In our early days in special ops we had this tradition of going out and getting shit-faced after we returned from a ‘job’. One night we were all at a bar, loaded, when a bunch of groupies came strolling in.”
    “That’s enough Ricochet,” Kong grumbled.
    Ricochet wasn’t deterred, he continued. “Our boy here took a shine to one. Spent the next hour getting her liquored up. Next thing we know the two of em are headed out the door. Guess they couldn’t wait to get to a hotel cuz the next thing we hear is her screaming at the top of her lungs, ‘King Kong, King Kong.’ The rest of us nearly peed our pants laughing.”
    Kong threw a rolled-up piece of paper at him then called him a nasty name. Ricochet took it in his stride. “He don’t like that story.”
    “Tell me,” Sam asked. “Does that refer to your stature, or the size of your package?”
    Boomer and Ricochet busted out laughing, Sam joined in. She could picture a younger version of the lieutenant getting it on with a dim-witted woman screaming at the top of her lungs. From the strained look on Kong’s face, he was trying very hard not to laugh with them.
    “I haven’t been able to shake the name or the story ever since. Thanks to the mouth here,” Kong said throwing another piece of paper at Ricochet. Kong was relieved that Sam was laughing about the story. He was afraid she’d think less of him than she already did.
    They all continued to laugh for a few more minutes, then everyone went quiet again. They still had a long trip ahead of them and this silence was going to drive Sam nuts. She searched her mind for topics to pass the time, but she really didn’t know much about them so she couldn’t come up with anything.
    Ask about their families.
    Some people don’t like to talk about their families , she replied inside her head.
    Sometimes people need to share.
    Sam rolled her eyes. Okay, she thought, she’d give it a shot. “Do you have any family Ricochet?”
    “Oh yes I do, I do. My moms and my sister. My moms raised me and my sister by herself. She worked two jobs six days a week. On Sundays she spent the day with us, took us to the park and when she could afford it, to the movies,” he told her proudly.
    “She sounds like a remarkable woman,” Sam said smiling.
    “You bet your life. We didn’t have much but we had each other. Moms made sure my grades stayed high. She wanted more for me than living in the projects like we was. When I finally