Red Ink Rendezvous~ LaToya & Geronimo: Red Ink Rendezvous

By Butterfly Brooks

THIS BOOK IS A STANDALONE from The Red Ink Rendezvous Collection.

Her ardor awakened The Wolf in him, but he sensed she was hungrier than The Wolf, wanting a comfort that only an indigenous soul could provide.

Geronimo The Wolf Blackfoot is a stellar detective, native of Seminole City, thoroughbred Black Indian, son of The Mamas and Papas of his tribe. He uses skills fashioned by his elders to keep Seminole City and surrounding areas safe. The crime rates are low, thanks to his reputation as The Wolf. He hunts with the fine tuned instincts of canis lupus, his senses keen and wise.

Tragedy brings him to the ultimate hunt, a persistent pursuit of LaToya Mitchell, whose feminine passion burns a hole right into the center of his soul. He must have her. But LaToya is married, separated from her husband, and trying to frame a new life amidst the confusion of relationship transitions. Geronimo's pursuit leaves her dizzy with delight as he brings her a compassionate comfort dipped in the sensuous salve of his ancestral knowledge, wisdom, and teachings, teachings that tantalize them into a tantric tango made especially for two.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Platinum Quill Publications
• Release date: Mar 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223428947

Butterfly Brooks

I write stories with My husband/My Qo~pilot in this Qosmic Qonspiracy Thaddeus Kane. He is The Spinner. I am The Weaver. We are The GenreBenders. I weave tales with Love, Light, Passion, Pain, Triumph, and Magic! I wrote my first story and my first poem at age seven and I was hooked! I am daughter, woman, wife, lover, mamma, writer, author, dilettante Black music historian, Spirit Woman guide, star reader gypsy, student, Lianesss, Butterfly, and emoticon addict, currently not enrolled in a 12 step program. I love poetry, parks, overcast days, autumn sunshine, yoga, sunsets, my Loving Ones, good movies, and good books. Subscribe to my website: ButterflyBrooks.com for the divine best of gift books, giveaways, sneak peeks, and online literary events. Swirl with Us: #ButterflyBrooks #BFlyB #ThaddeusKane #PlatinumQuill #GiftBooksGalore #TheWeaver #TheSpinner #TheGenreBenders #Pen2Pen #PensEquallyYoked

Book preview

STOP! STOP! STOP!

All Red Ink Rendezvous and Romances are STANDALONES.

BUT ALAS!

For Red Ink Rendezvous~ LaToya & Geronimo, consider reading The Red Ink Saga FIRST, available everywhere books are sold.

LaToya & Geronimo’s story has MAJOR Red Ink Saga SPOILERS!

And so...

Welcome to Seminole City... an urban oasis filled with Masculine Magic, Feminine Fire, & Sunflowers. Lots & lots of Sunflowers.

Copyright 2023 Platinum Quill Publications

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Any unauthorized reprint or use of the material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage without express permission by the publisher. This is an original work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental. 

About the Author

Butterfly Brooks is an author, SpiritWoman, Flyin Lianesss, Love Warrior.

Dedication

This work is dedicated to all of those that are learning Love’s lessons.

Cover Design

Jess Purmeswar, SkyChild Graphic Studios

Acknowledgements

Eternal love and gratitude to all of those that love, support, and encourage creative fire. All of my mothers, fathers, children, family, and friends, especially Dora Louise, Verta Elizabeth, and Brenda Faye~ You are My Great Cosmic Mammas. I Love you, forever, for always. And Vernon Thaddeus, Arthur Eugene, and Golden Lee~ You are My Forever Warriors.

Tera Kirksey, Helen D. Clark-Speedy, Reese Bullard, Sharon Armalin, Shavonna Futrell and all the Butterflies in The Kaleidoscope~ I Love you! Divine gratitude to the best artist, creative visionary, fairy of graphic design, the Galactically Gifted One, Jess The Supreme Best Purmeswar~ you are such a beautiful, powerful, extraordinary soul!

Thaddeus Kane, My Qo~Pilot in this Qosmic Qonspiracy, Our Love is the source from which all Our MaQic flows. I am ever grateful to The Most High Divine for You, for Me, for Us. I adore, revere, admire and Love you eternally!

Chapter One

About Thyme

Ahhh...whyyy? God, why? LaToya Mitchell bawled in a baritone, like a wounded animal howling at the moon, waiting for death to come. Her estranged husband Jamal, an average height brawny built brother consoled her with a loving arm around her jerking shoulders. She sat at a table, and he stood next to her, rubbing her back. They had been separated for a while but remained good friends. The G. W. Carver Arboretum ballroom looked like a FEMA camp as medics treated minor cuts, bruises, and sprains that attendees of the annual Platinum Quill Award Gala suffered from the chaotic aftermath of the shooting. She and Jamal had no physical injury, but emotionally, LaToya needed an ICU.

I just can't believe it. I just can't.

The entire Seminole City Police Department was on deck to handle the tragedy. They had taped off a perimeter around Kendali Grace’s body and designated an area for medical treatment and another area for interrogation. The chief of police, Everett Dempsey, quickly assigned his absolute best detective, Geronimo The Wolf Blackfoot, to take the lead. Folks were dismissed from the arboretum, slowly but surely. Of course, most people left the arboretum during the initial melee, fleeing for their lives. Barely two hundred folks of a 600-person attendance remained by the time the police arrived. Detective Blackfoot questioned LaToya.

I didn't see anything. Just her body drop. I heard people say they saw a man running out the side door. Some said out the main ballroom door. Wearing a tux. Ha! That's everybody here. A Black man in a tux. Shit.

Yes. That seems to be the consistent story. Don't worry, Ms. Mitchell. We will do our best. We have every man on this case.

Oh, I am sure you will do your best because I will certainly do mine.

We will handle this, Ms. Mitchell. You have to trust us.

LaToya stood. She braced herself with her bare feet steady on the cold marble floor. Her shoes disappeared amidst the pandemonium as she had run to the stage and crouched next to Kendali’s fiancé, Dre, mourning her last breath. Yeah. And you have to trust. That's my sister's dead body layin’ up there. And I will do everything, and I mean everything, within my power to find the killer.

Ms. Mitchell-

LaToya gave the detective her shut your mouth palm to his face. Detective, please. I heard you. I don't have anything else to say. She turned to Jamal. Just take me home.

Her ardor awakened The Wolf in Geronimo. No disrespect to her companion, but he sensed LaToya was hungrier than the wolf, craving a comfort that only his indigenous soul could provide.

Kendali Grace, bestselling author and number one pen princess at Dominion Publishing, the premier publisher of Black fiction books, was murdered in plain sight of 600 Platinum Quill Award ceremony attendees. The Platinum Quill Expo, including its awards ceremony, was held every year in Seminole City celebrating all things Black literature. Kendali received Platinum Quill's top honor, Author Of The Year for her The Vixen Notebook series, a memoir of her days as a hip hop music video star. She barely opened her mouth for her acceptance speech when a bullet pierced her heart, exploding in her chest and catapulting her to the etherside. LaToya Tea Thyme Mitchell was Kendali's sister from another mister, best friends since meeting in the urban music industry, LaToya serving as an audio-visual creative director and Kendali shining as video vixen supreme.

The murder shook the Black book business to its literary core, especially the folks at Dominion and extra especially its CEO Hiram Rivers. Over the next several days following the tragedy, he and LaToya took turns interfering in Geronimo’s investigation of Kendali's assassination. The Wolf spent many days and nights at his computer scrolling Zing social media platform, discovering much information to assist with solving Kendali’s murder. Kendali’s page was still live along with plenty of dead people’s Zing profiles. Many Zingers found the maintenance of Zing accounts for the deceased eerie, but Geronimo imagined the practice as homage- a new age, techno ancestral altar. He gathered the most intel from LaToya's Zing group, Tea Thyme, a group focused on Black fiction books, literary discussions, book events, and Black fiction book news. Of course, her group was slightly biased toward Kendali's catalog. LaToya posted incessantly about her findings and her opinions about Kendali’s murder.

After a weekend of studying his notes and browsing social media, Geronimo concluded that a chat with LaToya was in order. Common Grounds, Seminole City’s favorite coffee house, had a delicious selection of teas and Geronimo was sipping their secret blend when LaToya walked in.

Hey, Detective Blackfoot.

Yes. Ms. Mitchell. He stood, bowed, and cradled her hand in genteel fashion. She amazed him with her gleaming cacao skin, auburn locks, and leggy, lean figure. She was pure mocha sunshine.

Please. Just call me Tea. Or Toya.

Okay, Toya. I am thankful you agreed to meet me.

Of course, Detective.

And call me Geronimo. He waved his arm over the booth seat. Toya sat and organized her work bag and purse next to her. Geronimo took his seat and scanned his notes while she set up her tablet. I need to finish a few posts and answer a few emails, if you don’t mind, Detective.

I do not, Toya.

Okay, she beamed, her smile brightening her pretty face. I need to order something.

I will get it for you. What would you like?

Turkey sausage and egg croissant. No cheese. Caramel latte.

I gotcha.

Thanks.

Geronimo strolled to the main counter to fulfill her request. Toya ticked away on her machine, posting on Zing.

Zing: Tea Thyme Group 

LaToya Tea Mitchell (post): I need y’all to keep your eyes peeled. Make sure you repost this rotten muthafucka Max Gray’s picture, geek of the week fucka. Call and keep pressure on the local police. Call all those record companies and make them shake those trees loose. That fuckin’ Tasir Samaan, crazy ass nigga. Arms don’t move when he walks. Wes Gilliam and those fuckin’ Eisenberg brothers at Big Mike Records. Those are the tops. But they got some more at Fortune Records and Magic Disc Records. You can always inbox me information or contact Detective Geronimo Blackfoot at the Seminole City Central District Office. Or call the tip line 500.800.TIPS. RIH Sweet Angel Sister.

Reactions: 8,756    Comments: 5,692    Shares: 10,003

Calvin: 

Mike Mike The Second: We on it! Baby girl will not die in vain.

Pamela Hunter: I still feel so sad. But I am going to do my part. Keeping my eyes peeled

Letitia Stokes: look my cousins know these record company fucks. They have told me stories. I will see what they know

Ryan Carter: I know where Max lives. I rode by there. Looks abandoned.

LaToya Tea Mitchell: @Ryan Carter Yes I posted about this. The post is pinned at the top! I told everyone to leave his house alone! We don't want to corrupt possible evidence that could lead to an arrest. We just need to share information, possible suspects, tips...and we always use the words alleged and allegedly and I suspect. Or we suspect. My inbox is always open for clarity and more info.

Ryan Carter: Okay. Gotcha sis 

Tracy Jones: Yeah. My sister said she used to see all kinds of craziness when she was a video model. And she named a lot of names. I am going to tell her to call the tip line

Olivia Grant: I am still wondering about Bree. Didn't she go to Africa? 

LaToya Tea Mitchell: (@ Olivia Grant) Good people!  I put at the top of the group and the cover photo Bree IS NOT A