They sat in Johnny's Suburban for a bit and listened to Black Sunshine by White Zombie. After the song Johnny switched off the sterio system and spoke. "Maria, I don't know what you have done in your past. I know it has to be something really bad, but that doesn't matter right now. What matters now is what ou are going to do. That and I think we both have real issues with just running from a fight."
"So far my life has been little more than pain, death and suffering. Most of my skills are related to how I have killed nearly fifty people over the past eight years. Right now I'm trying to break away from my past and start a new life." Maria admits. "I know of if not know personally every major drug smuggler from here to South America. Some of them would agree with my actions and some of them would simply kill me. I just want out of the life. I mean money is cool and all but there are alot of things that just can't be bought."
Johnny pulled his smartphone out of his coat. "So if i were to take your photo and run it through a biometric ID program followed by a law enforcement database what would it tell me about you?"
With the explosion of cell phone and digital camera technology finding all about someone became rather easy. With the right software just about anyone could find out about anyone else. Law enforcement kept it's own private databases about known and suspected criminals. Such databases used special software to access in an attempt to keep criminals from finding out what law enforcement knew. Unfortunatly, such databases are targets of criminal hackers and other people who really should not have the information in such databases.
"File unreadable." Maria replies honestly. "Or something along those lines. I had a friend trash my file durring a Chinese government hacker attack. IF anyone does bother to really dig into why my file isn't readable they should blame it on the Chinese not go looking for someone who usually helps them. I've had it checked by a couple of cops on Cartel payroll. Officially I don't exist, and I hope to keep it that way."
"So what are you going to do until your past rears it's ugly head?" Johnny asks.
"See what it's like to live a somewhat honest life and maybe find a boyfriend who doesn't beat or rape me." Maria replies.
"And here I am just making myself scarce while Pete has a photoshoot with my sister."
"Sister?" Maria questions."Photoshoot? What is she some sort of Model?"
"Yes she's a model under the professional name of 'LaShawna Tejana'." Johnny says. "About three years back Pete, myself and some friends of ours wanted some money to pay for College and a couple of the girls came up with the idea for an adult webpage. The basic idea is that it's of Tejana girls by Tejana girls. So far it's paid for their college expenses for them and My Sister needed some extra cash and She asked Pete and the Girls if she could join."
"Johnny, your sister is a pornstar?" Maria says.
"Not a pornstar, She is an adult model." Johnny Corrects Maria. " There is nudity, but there is no sex involved durring the shooting. With Esme and Sofia doing their shoots as well...I'll have to change the guest room sheets in the morning."
***
Maria sat on a chair and took a drink from a bottle of Coca Cola. She shook her head and pondered the people around her. They seem so normal, not what i was expecting of a group of people who take naked pictures of girls. None of them come acrost as slutty or on drugs and they all seem so relaxed and happy to be here. I don't get it.
Tamara "Lashawna Tejana" Bishop walked over to the small girl that Johnny brought home with him. She seemed very cute but there was something off about the girl. She locked eyes with Maria and figured out what was wrong. That girl is dangerous. You can see it in her eyes she's been through alot already.
"Nice place." Maria says trying to make smalltalk with Johnny's sister. "Looks expensive."
"I wouldn't know." Tamara answers. "Johnny put up the down payment for the place so in effect it's his. We just help him pay the bills for now. Peter is planning on buying it from Johnny."
"Cool." Maria replies. "Would you mind a personal question?"
"Shoot."
"How does a white guy end up with a black older sister?"
"The short version of the story is that we both have the same father." Tamara answers. "Brother Bishop, the man of god, The man to uplift your spirit to heven...not to mention the skirts of quite a few teenage skirts. All told there's about a dozen of us out there, that we know of."
"So your dad sinned six days out of the week and preached church on the seventh." Maria replies. "Sort of thing that makes one loose their faith in everything."
"It looks like you know from experiance then." Tamara comments.
Maria doesn't answer but takes off her shirt and exposes her scars. Scars on the back of her forearms where she was thrown through a glass coffetable, two bulletholes below her left breast, and the scars that Juan had put on her back with a whip. Marks that documented the vile life that she had lived. The sight of them stopped all conversation in the room.
"Damn girl that's some hardcore shit right there." Pete finally comments. "Some of those scars look really old."
"They are, there from a lifetime ago." Maria answers him. "I've left my old life and I'm starting a new one. These scars I'm eventually having removed and I'm thinking of getting a tattoo."
Johnny walks over to the stereo and keys up Fear Factory's ressurection. "Yeah Maria has been a really bad girl. She's trying to change her life for the better. It's not like any of us can strive for more than to better ourselves."
Maria walked over and Hugged Johnny. "Thanks."
"I haven't shown you the office yet." Johnny says and leads her to a set of doors next to the wetbar. Inside was a desk set against a wall. the other three walls were almost totally covered in bookcases filled with books on a variety of subjects. In the center of the bookcases was a maniquen in a glass case. The Maniquine was dressed and equipped as a World War Two Waffen SS officer. "That is my great gransfather's field uniform and equipment. He was a Nazi, and initially he disaproved of his pure Arian daughter marrying an Untermench like my Mescalero Apache grandfather. He was a racist for most of his life. I met him as a todler and he must have seen something he liked in me as he left me the books and his Millitary gear. Towards the end he changed his views and tried to make amends for a lifetime of being a very horrible person to anyone who wasn't Arian."
"So are you expecting this to have an influance on me?" Maria asks.
"No, As your friend it's not my place to tell you how to live your life." Johnny admits. "It's my place to give you a friendly ear to speak too, a shoulder to lean on, advice and consoltation when you need it. A true friend would never try to control your life. We would strongly advise you to stop if you were drinking too much or letting drugs control you. But ultimatly your life is yours to live as you see fit."
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