Angel

by Barbara Taylor Bradford

  Kevin was silent.

  Neil pressed, ‘I thought you were on a mission to get all the dirty bastards in the dirty drug business? This is your chance to strike at a really powerful and lethal purveyor of death, my friend. The Mob do it all, y’know, from smack to crack, you name it, they got it and they sell it. Millions of dollars’ worth of junk they put out on the streets of this city. Billions of dollars’ worth, in fact, if you count all the families, and the quantity they deal in a year.’

  ‘I’m in, Neil,’ Kevin said, making a decision.

  There was a small pause. He lifted his glass, took a swallow of his beer, added, almost as an afterthought, ‘And I’ll work undercover, since that’s what you want.’

  ‘I knew I could count on you.’ Neil sounded extremely relieved. He continued, ‘I’ll talk to Eddie LaSalle on Monday, and start the paperwork immediately. As I told you when I called the other day, Eddie gave me the go-ahead, said I could approach you, so he won’t be surprised to hear you’ve agreed to transfer.’

  ‘No, he won’t. I mentioned it myself, told him I was seeing you tonight.’

  Neil downed his beer and pushed back his chair. ‘How about something stronger to seal our deal?’ he suggested, rising and hovering behind his chair.

  ‘Thanks, Neil, but it’ll have to be one for the road. I’m running late for my date. And look, let me get it.’ As he spoke, Kevin half stood.

  Neil shook his head. ‘No way, kid, this is on me.’ A wide grin spread across his face. ‘A date with your uptown girl, I don’t doubt. And I guess you’ll want a single malt on the rocks?’

  ‘Correct both times.’

  A few seconds later they clinked glasses and toasted each other and wished each other great success in their venture together.

  There was a short silence.

  Neil lit a cigarette, drew on it, sat smoking, his expression contemplative.

  Kevin sipped his Scotch, watching the other detective carefully, wondering what he was thinking, what was coming next. Neil had always been full of surprises. He hoped this really was going to be the last drink. He was itching to get away, leave this crummy bar, cab it uptown, shed his cop’s skin, relax for the weekend, make like a normal human being for once. Life was hard, and his job was tough, more than tough, it was a ball-breaker. She was the one bit of sunlight and joy and happiness he had. He hated to keep her waiting, to be late like this, and he always endeavoured to be on time. She worried when he wasn’t, her heart in her mouth, thinking he’d bought it at the hands of the criminals he stalked.

  A few weeks ago she had talked about breaking it off with him, mostly because her fear for him was difficult to live with. He hadn’t said much in response to this announcement, but, surprising himself, inside he had felt a sudden surge of unfamiliar panic. He wasn’t sure what he would do if she left him, what he’d do without her…

  Neil broke the silence between them. He said, ‘Maybe you should put it out on the street that you’re taking off, goin’ on a trip, gonna be outta town, then do a genuine disappearing act from your neck of the woods. It’d be wiser, I think, Kev.’

  ‘You’re right. I’m not working on anything special. I just made a big bust, did it with Joe Harvey. Listen, I’ll tell Eddie I’d like a week off before I move over to your division. To be honest, Neil, I could use a break.’

  ‘Take it now. You’re gonna be awful busy with my unit. I told you, we’re hard pressed, we need you, and we’re sure as hell gonna make use of you, twenty-four hours a day, if necessary.’

  Kevin nodded his understanding. ‘And let’s just hope we can strike some real blows at the Rudolfos, cripple them once and for all. The Mafia have never been as exposed as they are right now. The Colombo family is in a shambles and falling apart, and the Gambinos are in big trouble. It looks like the Dapper Don’s number-two guy is going to be singing quite a few big hits at Gotti’s murder and racketeering trial.’

  Neil began to chuckle. ‘You got it, kid. John Gotti, wearing his two-thousand-dollar suits, is in deep doo-doo. Sammy “The Bull” Gravano is a star witness for the prosecution, and there’s never been one like him. Think about it, Kevin, a sacred brotherhood consecrated in blood and celebrated with wine has been broken by a little piece of tape—a police recording of a highly incriminating conversation between mobsters.’ His grin was huge. ‘Gotti’s gonna be in the can for years, and I do mean years. And years and years.’

  ‘The underworld is reeling from that defection—not to mention the prosecution.’

  ‘You don’t have to tell me! My unit’s been part of it all along. Look, Gravano’s co-operation is the highest-ranking Mafia defection ever, especially given the Gambinos’ stature as the largest of the Mafia families and Gravano’s position in it as Gotti’s right-hand guy.’ Neil shook his head as if in disbelief. ‘And it’s really been surprising to me that he broke the oath of omertà… the oath of silence is taken very seriously by all Mafiosi. But Gravano sure as hell did it, he ratted on his goombah, his best buddy. Surprising, eh?’

  Not waiting for any comment from Kevin, Neil hurried on, ‘After all, they started out together, Gravano and Gotti, were street soldiers together, just a coupla wiseguys packing heat who made it, unbelievably, to capi.’ Neil shrugged. ‘But Gravano wanted to save his hide, so he said to hell with the sacred brotherhood and omertà and my good old goombah Johnny boy, and he sang like a canary.’

  Kevin nodded. ‘And Gotti’s upcoming trial in Brooklyn is going to be some spectacle, mark my words.’ Kevin glanced at his watch. ‘Hell, Neil, it’s later than I realized! I’ve got to be going.’

  ‘Me too. My old lady’s waiting for me. Our first Saturday night out in months and I’m late. She’ll kill me.’

  They grabbed their coats and left the bar.

  EIGHT

  Out on the sidewalk, the two detectives stood talking for a moment or two, and then Neil took hold of Kevin’s arm. ‘Come on, kid, I’ll walk you down the block to Houston. You can grab a cab there. Your uptown girl won’t be mad at you, will she?’

  Kevin shook his head as he fell into step with Neil. ‘No, she’s used to me showing up hours late. She doesn’t like it, but she doesn’t take it out on me. Anyway, she’ll be pleased, no, relieved, when I tell her I’m moving to the Crime Intelligence Division.’

  Neil threw him an odd look. ‘But it’s still dangerous work.’

  ‘You know that, Neil. I know it. But she doesn’t. And neither does my sister Rosie. Lately, they’ve both been on my back, wanting me to make a change, so I’m damn sure they’ll be happy to hear that I have. Crime Intelligence Division does sound like a desk job, doesn’t it?’

  ‘It could mean anything… I guess.’

  Shivering, Kevin shrugged deeper into his overcoat, pushed his hands into his pockets. ‘Shit, it’s freezing tonight, and there’s never a cab around when you need one.’

  ‘That’s what they usually say about cops,’ Neil remarked, and let out a hollow laugh.

  ‘Why the hell did you have to pick a crummy bar all the way downtown? On the Bowery, for God’s sake!’

  ‘Because it’s as far removed from Little Colombia as I could get without goin’ to New Jersey,’ Neil explained, making reference to the Elmhurst section of Queens, where Kevin operated most of the time.

  ‘I can’t say I’m sorry to be saying goodbye to that neighbourhood,’ Kevin confided as they strode on down the street. ‘And thank God I’ll never have to darken the doors of Mesón Asturias again. I’ve grown to detest the place. And to think, thirty years ago that little cantina was a typical Irish neighbourhood bar, full of cheerful Micks downing boilermakers and telling tall tales about the ould sod. But the Irish fled long ago, moved over to Woodside like we did a few years before Mom died, and Roosevelt Avenue has become a little Colombia, and then some, when you really think about it. A jazzy strip where hundred-dollar bills are the normal currency and flashy suits and salsa clubs flourish.’

  ‘And where sho
otings are as common as they are in Cali, Medellín and Bogotá,’ Neil remarked, ‘as if you didn’t know that.’ He sighed under his breath. ‘It boggles the mind, Kev, New York is a city gone mad on guns and made even crazier by crack.’

  ‘You and me, Neil, we’re living in the belly of the beast. We see it all, and every day of the week… the homeless, the hungry, the desperate, as well as the demented, the junkies, the crazies, the criminals. And we know the score. The majority of folk don’t see it, or don’t want to see it, or turn a blind eye if they do. Tragic, but that’s the way it is, I’m afraid.’

  Neil stopped in his tracks, swung to Kevin, grabbed his arm. In the lamplight, the older cop’s face was suddenly stark. ‘A fifteen-minute drive from Manhattan over the Queensborough Bridge and you’re in South America, to all intents and purposes. And you’re taking your life in your hands, mingling with drug barons, pushers, users and every kind of sleaze ball there is. I’m sure as hell glad you’re moving over to my unit, kid, real glad.’

  ‘So am I… Let’s face it, I’ve probably just added a few extra years to my life.’

  Neil nodded, went on, ‘And then there’s Bushwick, a hellhole of the damned, if ever I’ve seen one… a shanty town filled with coke and crack heads, and heroin addicts pumping shit into their veins. Broken-down specimens of humanity who’ll mug, rob and kill you just to get a fix. It’s sickening.’

  ‘Only too true, compadre, only too true,’ Kevin said quietly, taking Neil by the elbow, forcing him to walk on towards Houston Street.

  ‘And this is America,’ Neil said in a bereft voice, ‘the richest and most powerful country in the world. It’s more than sickening, it’s horrific. Diabolical. Whatever happened to America the beautiful? And the American dream?’

  Kevin did not respond. There was nothing he could add. Neil had just said it all.

  ***

  Kevin let himself into her apartment with his own key.

  He stood in the hallway, waiting for her to make an appearance, the way she usually did when he came in. But tonight she did not.

  He hung his overcoat in the hall closet, slipped out of his shoulder holster and gun and carefully draped them over a coat hanger in the closet. It was bad enough that she knew he lived in a world of violence, without her seeing blatant evidence of it. Anyway, he preferred to keep his two worlds separate. Then, still puzzled, he cocked his ear, listening, wondering if something was wrong.

  It was quiet. Nothing stirred. But as he crossed the small entrance hall, walking through into the apartment, he heard the faint sound of the radio playing in the kitchen, and he knew she was home.

  He poked his head into the living room; the lights blazed, but the fire was dying in the grate. It looked to him as if it had been neglected for some time.

  Kevin went down the corridor, making for the bedroom. The door stood ajar. Pushing it open, he went inside. The bedside lamps had been dimmed and in the soft, muted light he saw that she was curled up on the bed, dozing; or perhaps she was sleeping soundly, he wasn’t sure.

  Reaching the bed, he noticed the pile of manila folders fanned out next to her on the eiderdown, some of them spilling their contents. Obviously she had been working, had grown drowsy, and had fallen asleep waiting for him to arrive.

  Bending over her, he whispered her name, not wanting to startle or frighten her, and touched her face lightly with one hand.

  Instantly, her eyes flew open. Relief and happiness flooded her face at the sight of him. ‘Kevin,’ she breathed softly. ‘Oh, God, I’m sorry, I must have dozed off.’

  ‘No problem, honey,’ he said, kneeling down next to the bed in order to bring his face closer, and to the same level as hers. ‘I’m the one who should apologize for being late. I got caught up with Neil O’Connor longer than I’d planned. You remember Neil, you met him last year. Anyway, he needed to talk to me, and tonight was the only time he could make it. It was urgent.’

  ‘It’s all right, Kevin, really.’

  He gave her a direct look, and explained, ‘Neil has asked me to transfer over to his division. I’ve agreed.’

  Startled by this announcement, she blinked several times, half frowned. ‘Which division is that?’

  ‘The Crime Intelligence Division.’

  ‘Is it a desk job?’

  ‘Part of the time,’ he lied, wanting to make her feel better, more secure about his safety.

  ‘And the rest of the time?’ she probed, her vividly intelligent eyes now focusing on him with sudden intensity.

  ‘I will have to be out on the street, of course. But this new job is much less dangerous than the one I’ve been doing. Honestly it is.’ Kevin paused, flashed a winning smile, then improvised quickly, ‘And listen, I’ll have more time off, much more.’

  ‘I’m glad it’s a safer job,’ she said. Reaching out she touched his cheek, a smile striking her mouth as she did.

  He loved her smile. It was sweet, innocent, like a small child’s smile, and it illuminated her face, filled it with radiance. Taking hold of her shoulders, he drew her closer to him, brought his lips to hers and kissed her gently.

  Immediately, her arms went around his neck, and she returned his gentle kiss with such ardour it inflamed him. He put both his arms around her, held her closer to him, kissing her more passionately, letting his tongue linger against hers. They kissed this way for a long time, devouring each other’s mouths until they were breathless.

  It was Kevin who finally drew away. He loosened the top of her peach-satin robe and brought his face down to her breasts. She was wearing a matching peach-satin nightgown with thin shoelace straps, and he had no problem slipping his hand into the lace-trimmed bodice. When a breast sprang free from the nightgown, he took the small magenta-coloured nipple in his mouth and kissed it until she began to moan softly.

  Kevin paused in order to untie the robe completely, then he ran his hands down the length of her body, bent over her again and continued to caress and kiss each breast in turn. Eventually he raised his head and looked down at her. Her eyes were closed; her lips slightly parted, she was breathing rapidly. He saw how excited she was becoming.

  The expression on her face, one of abandonment mingled with ecstasy, turned him on, as did the feel of the satin nightgown under his hands. Lifting this, he smoothed one hand along her thigh until his fingers came to rest on the silky mound between her legs. As he moved his fingers against the hidden flesh, she parted her legs slightly, and he felt the sudden moistness, the heat flowing out of her.

  ‘Oh Kevin,’ she murmured, and opened her eyes.

  He raised a dark brow. ‘What is it?’

  ‘Don’t stop.’

  ‘I won’t,’ he promised, and bending his head again, he sought the core of her with his mouth, lavishing her with kisses as he slid his fingers inside her. He knew her body well after a year of making love with her, knew she was on the verge, ready to climax, and he wanted her to do so. But exactly when he thought this was going to happen, when he expected her to erupt with pleasure, she unexpectedly sat up.

  Grasping hold of his shoulders, she whispered hoarsely, ‘Please, Kevin, get undressed and come to bed. I want to feel you inside me.’

  ‘But I want to give you pleasure this way first.’

  ‘I know, and I want you to, and I want to do the same for you, but please, get undressed. Please.’

  Pushing himself to his feet and tossing his jacket onto a chair, he stepped out of his shoes, unzipped his trousers and stripped.

  Meanwhile, she gathered the bunch of manila folders, threw them off the bed and removed her satin robe.

  Kevin was across the room in two strides.

  Stretching out on the bed next to her, he took her in his arms, murmuring her name, nuzzling her neck. But after a moment or two he rolled over to his side, groped in the drawer of the bedside table for a condom. Damn things. He hated them. On the other hand, he was well aware of AIDS and what was going on out there. After Sunny had left his life, ther
e had been other women from time to time, although no serious involvement. He was absolutely positive he was all right, but it was best to be careful, to take precautions for her sake. Kevin swallowed a sigh. This was a dangerous age they lived in. Sex and death walked side by side these days.

  She stroked his back as he fumbled with the packet, then began to kiss him between his shoulder blades, whispering his name over and over, telling him how excited she was, how much she wanted him. Her words were erotic, tantalizing, and his erection grew harder, and suddenly he had no problem dealing with the rubber sheath.

  Turning to her, he kissed her on the mouth. Once again, after a few passionate kisses, he let his lips trail down over her exposed breasts. Her nipples were erect, growing tauter under his mouth, sending a thrill through him. He ran his hands down over her lithe, satin-clad body. The fabric was sensual, just as she was, her body heat increasing as he lowered his head to kiss her stomach and thighs through the thin material.

  Impatiently, he pulled at the nightgown, and she sat up, helped him to take it off. Her eyes, impaling his, were full of emotion, her desire naked on her face. She lay down again, and he savoured her beautiful body with his eyes, admiring the tautness of the pale ivory skin, smooth and sleek like the satin nightgown he had just taken off.

  He knew she wanted his hands on her, and so he let his fingers explore that tender and secret part of her, at first moving them gently on the fleshy core, gradually increasing the pressure until she was trembling under his touch. Crouching over her, Kevin brought his mouth down to her thighs, began to kiss her, slipped his fingers into her. Within seconds she stiffened; a deep spasm ran through her and she climaxed, a moan trickling out of her throat, her body throbbing with intense pleasure.

  ‘Kevin,’ she said at last, her voice so low he could hardly hear it. ‘Oh, Kevin, darling.’