by Selena Black
He slipped his hand inside his pocket to bring out his wallet and a piece of paper. Candice’s gaze was fixed on him as he made a show of counting out the money then slipped it inside the paper and held it out. She eyed him cautiously as she edged closer.
“Why do you trust me to pass on a message?” she asked. “What makes you think I won’t just take the one thousand and run?”
Mark let out a humorless laugh and shook his head.
“I gave your fake name and the information that you’re a hooker to someone this morning and here I am barely twelve hours later sitting in a room with you,” Mark told her. “The man asked if I wanted to know your real name and I’m guessing that he knows your address, your friends and the names of your family. In fact, I’d be willing to bet he fucking knows more about your life than you do. If I want to find you again after I walk out of here, I’m guessing that it will be even easier next time.”
“Are you threatening me?” she asked.
“As far as I understand it, you were more than willing to drug my drink and set me up for blackmail,” Mark said. “That doesn’t exactly endear you to me and if you want the honest truth, I don’t give a fuck about you and will be happy if I never see you again after tonight. If you pass on the message, I’ll make sure you get the rest of the money. If you run, I can find you. Take from that what you want.”
He saw the calculating expression on her face and guessed she was weighing up the pros and cons of what he just said. When she eventually moved close enough to snatch what he was holding out to her, he was sure she was going to do what he wanted. She counted out the money then slipped it under her bra before opening the piece of paper and reading it. Her eyes opened wide.
“This is never going to …”
Mark put up his hand to stop her words.
“If what I wrote on that paper is right then it will work,” he said as he got to his feet. “Is it right?”
“Yes,” she replied. “You’re really going to pay this much.”
“I want there to be an incentive that can’t be refused,” he told her. “All you need to do is pass the message on and it needs to be done by tomorrow morning. If you do that you have my word that I’ll keep my end of the bargain.”
She just stared at him and said nothing as he walked to the door. He gave one glance back at her to see if she said anything. When she didn’t he left the room and made his way downstairs. The surprise showed on the face of the woman sitting behind the desk in the lobby at his relatively quick return.
“Was your friend right?” she asked.
Mark simply aimed a quick smile in her direction. He saw her shake her head as he stepped over to the door of the brothel and walked out of the place into the darkness beyond.
Chapter 12
Gloria half expected Jack to be waiting as she approached her apartment building, but there was no sign of him when she got to the door and she wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. She’d spent the last two nights sleeping at Mark’s place and wished she was going there again when she locked the door of the bookstore at five o’clock. That wasn’t possible since she needed to be at her own apartment when her ex-boyfriend showed his face, which he was sure to do that evening.
Telling Jack to go and take a running jump still didn’t strike her as a particularly sensible course of action. Mark was insistent on it; however, although that was all he would tell her. There was definitely something going on that he wasn’t revealing and that brought out her nerves. She’d questioned him about it that morning before leaving for work, but was told the less she knew about things the better it would be for her. All she needed to do was inform her ex that his attempts at blackmail wouldn’t get him a dime and if he threatened to go to Karen, just tell him to go right ahead and do it.
It was what she was thinking about when she walked through the door of her apartment. She hung up her bag and coat on the stand in the hallway then walked in the kitchen to make some hot chocolate. Her growing taste for it was more than likely to do with the pregnancy and she was just glad she didn’t get the craving for something weirder. She switched on the kettle and saw that her hands were trembling as she ripped open a sachet to pour the contents in a cup.
“Just stay calm,” she encouraged herself.
When the kettle boiled, she poured hot water in her cup and stirred the hot chocolate as she walked to the table to sit down. A glance at the clock on the wall showed it was fifteen minutes before six.
“Hurry up,” she muttered before taking a drink.
The sweet taste was nice and she closed her eyes to enjoy it. The hands on the clock were showing six when her cup was empty and she was on her feet straight away to make herself some more hot chocolate. The knock on the door came just as she was ripping the sachet open and the loud sound made her jump. She cursed when some of the brown powder spilled out to drop on the counter, but she wasn’t about to clean up. Her palms became clammy and she wiped them on the side of her dress as she walked towards the kitchen door. The surge of adrenaline was strong to make her hurry at first, but her pace gradually slowed as she approached the front door. The loud knocking sounded again before she got there.
“Who’s there?” she shouted.
“Who do you fucking think is here?” the response came back.
She recognized the voice and there was no doubt it was Jack. Reaching out to the security chain, she unhooked it then opened the door to the sight of her ex-boyfriend’s smug expression.
“Well, isn’t this nice,” he said.
He moved forward before Gloria said anything and forced his way past her.
“I didn’t invite you in,” she complained.
“I thought you would want this discussion to be held in complete privacy,” he said and laughed.
The confidence came through in his voice and manner and it was obvious that he expected to hear something to his liking when the conversation got underway. He made his way towards the kitchen before the front door was even closed and Gloria tightened her lips together in a grimace as she swung it shut and followed after him. When she entered the room, she saw him sitting at the kitchen table and a smirk spread across his face.
“No point in wasting time on small talk,” he said. “How much is the offer?”
“Nothing,” Gloria replied.
Jack’s smug expression drained away in an instant and his eyes narrowed.
“I don’t think I heard you quite right,” he said.
“You heard fine,” Gloria told him. “I went to see Mark right after our last meeting and he told me that he’s not prepared to give you one dime.”
“You told him what I know?’ he asked.
“I told him everything,” Gloria answered. “He’s aware that you know about our relationship and that I’m pregnant. I explained that you wanted money or you would go to his wife and tell her everything. His response was unequivocal.” She spat out the last three words slowly. “You …, get …, nothing.”
“Fuck,” Jack blurted out and slapped his hand down on the table. “I’m not joking about this. Unless he pays up, I’ll go through with my threat.”
“He’s not joking either,” Gloria told him. “As far as I can tell he’s calling your bluff, so the ball’s in your court.”
“Fuck,” Jack exclaimed again.
He got to his feet and paced anxiously back and forth.
“It’s over Jack,” Gloria told him. “Just give it up.”
“No it isn’t,” he shouted. “I’m in charge of this situation and it’s over when I say it is.”
“It doesn’t look like you’re in control of jack shit,” Gloria went on. “Every one of the plans you tried while we were together ended in failure. What makes you think this one will be any different?”
“Shut the fuck up,” he cursed.
“Oh, just get out,” she told him. “You tried and you fucked up again. It’s the story of your life.”
She could see the angry expression hardening
on his face.
“This isn’t fucking over,” he hissed in a furious voice as he stalked to the kitchen door. “You and your fucking boyfriend are going to be sorry because this isn’t over by a long shot.”
Gloria let out a long sigh when he disappeared from sight, but the tension didn’t drain away until she heard the sound of the front door crashing shut. She quickly made her way along to it and hooked the security chain in place. The encounter was over quicker than she expected it to be, but she wasn’t sorry about that. Her nerves were shredded and she couldn’t stop trembling as she got her phone out of her bag. She brought Mark’s number up on the screen to call him.
“Well, I told him what you wanted me to,” she said.
“And …?” he replied.
“What do you think?” she told him. “He was mightily fucked off about it and said we would be sorry because it wasn’t over.”
“It soon will be,” Mark replied.
“What do you mean?” Gloria asked.
“Just trust me,” he said. “I’ll get in touch when things are settled.”
“But ….”
Gloria’s words came to an end when she realized the line was dead. She pulled the phone from her ear and looked at it.
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” she muttered under her breath as she considered Mark’s last comment and ended up shaking her head.
There was nothing more she could do and as she walked to the kitchen, her thoughts went over the meeting with Jack. She hoped it would be the last she ever saw of him, but she suspected he didn’t see it the same way.
His fists were clenched tightly when he walked out the building and he stopped to take a deep breath to try and gain some composure. It didn’t really work and his anger grew stronger as he looked up at the window of Gloria’s apartment.
“Bitch,” he cursed.
The encounter didn’t go like he planned and it was obvious his dream of riches over the last couple of days wasn’t going to come to him as easily as he thought it would. He tried to calm himself to consider his next move, but he was still fuming as he started walking along the sidewalk. His gaze remained on the ground as the evening gloom descended and it was only at the last second that he realized someone was coming up behind him. He let out a yelp as a strong hand grabbed his collar and dragged him in to a deserted side street. The breath was knocked from him as he was shoved against a wall and anger became fear in a second when he lifted his gaze.
“Well, well,” Alain said. “If it isn’t the very man I’ve been looking for.”
“I was just ….”
The hard slap cracked across his cheek and snapped his head to the side. The flare of pain brought his words to an end.
“What’s it been?” Alain went on. “Four weeks …, five, since we last met? Where have you been hiding Jack?”
“I haven’t been hiding,” he replied. ‘I was just ….”
He brought his hands up to cover his face as he anticipated being hit again.
“Didn’t I tell you I better not have to come looking for you?” Alain said. “Weren’t you listening when I said that? Did you think I was joking?”
“But ….” Jack let out.
“But fucking nothing,” Alain snarled aggressively and dragged him further away from the main street. “Don’t you remember our last conversation?”
“Yes, I’ve ….”
“I seem to recall making it clear that you better set something up after you fucked up our first plan,” Alain went on. “I also remember saying that you better come and see me when it was arranged …, but here we are again, with me having to hunt you down.”
The firm kick to the side of his knee sent Jack crashing to the ground and he feared the worst as Alain loomed menacingly over him.
“Wait,” he shouted. “It took me this long to get something set up.”
“Bullshit,” Alain shouted.
“It’s true,” Jack went on and lifted his arms to cover his head. “Gloria is pregnant and Mark Godfrey is the father. I just found out.”
He got some respite as Alain stepped away and spoke.
“You’re fucking making up stories to avoid a beating.”
“It’s true,” Jack went on hurriedly. “I threatened that her rich boyfriend better make me an offer of some decent cash if he didn’t want me to reveal the secret to the wife he is divorcing.”
“And …?” Alain asked.
Jack gulped although there was no choice but to admit that things didn’t go as planned.
“I …, I just went to see Gloria,” he said. “They told me I was getting nothing.”
He looked up at the sound of the harsh laugh and winced as Alain’s palm cuffed across the side of his head.
“You really are a complete waste of space, aren’t you?”
“It’s not over,” Jack replied. “We can go through with the threat and tell his wife. If we get her involved them maybe Mark Godfrey won’t be so fucking cocky as to say no to us.”
He saw Alain lift a hand and covered his head with his arm as he closed his eyes. The violence he expected didn’t happen and he eventually looked up.
“Do you know where she lives?” Alain asked.
“Yes,” Jack replied. “Her name is Karen Wilson. She was a singer on the jazz scene a few years ago, but apparently gave it up when she snared herself a rich husband. By all accounts she was a bit of a gold digger, so I guess she settled in to a life of luxury and isn’t keen to give it up now she’s getting divorced.”
“Do you know her?” Alain asked.
“No,” Jack replied. “I don’t remember her ever singing at the Reynaud Jazz Club.”
“Is she bitter enough that she would help us?” Alain went on.
“I don’t know for sure,” Jack answered. “But supposedly it’s an acrimonious divorce, so I’m guessing the information that her husband has got a new girlfriend pregnant will be valuable to her. It might help her get the settlement she wants if she threatens to reveal it.”
“It might get us the money we want too,” Alain said.
Jack scrambled to his feet.
“I know the address,” he said.
“Then what are you waiting for then?” Alain told him.
They walked out of the side street and managed to hail a taxi quickly. Jack leaned forward to give the address then looked out of the window. He’d never intended to get Alain involved at all in the second plan to blackmail Mark Godfrey. His hope was that the threat to reveal the secret would get him enough money to leave New Orleans and start a new life somewhere far enough away that he wouldn’t be found.
That opportunity was gone, but there was still a chance that things would work out for him. He silently cursed the fact that Alain found him, but returning to his old haunts always left open the possibility that it might happen. There was nothing he could do about it now and he just continued to stare out of the window as the journey progressed in silence. It eventually came to an end outside a smart apartment building and Jack paid the fare before getting out of the cab.
“This is it?” Alain asked.
“She lives in apartment 6C,” Jack replied.
The shove on his shoulder propelled him forward and he walked in the direction of the front entrance of the building. He was slightly intimidated when he walked inside and saw the concierge at the desk staring at him. Alain nudged him forward and they stepped up to the desk.
“We’re here to see Karen Wilson in apartment 6C,” Jack said.
A suspicious expression crossed the man’s face as he studied them.
“Is she expecting you?” he asked.
Jack shook his head.
“No,” he replied. “We just need to talk to her for a few minutes about something private.”
The man continued to stare as he picked up the phone on the desk.
“Who shall I say is here?” he asked.
“Jack Chambers.”
The man dialed the number for 6C.
“Hi. Miss Wilson,” he started when the call was answered. “There is someone down here to see you. He says his name is Jack Chambers.” He listened for a second then pulled the phone from his ear and put his hand over the mouthpiece. “She’s asking what you want to see her about.”
Jack glanced at Alain then returned his gaze to the concierge.
“It’s a private message about her husband,” he said.
The man relayed the message then listened again before putting the phone down.
