“It’s all right.”
He held up the gift box, giving it a tiny shake. “You weren’t wearing the necklace, so I thought I’d get it for you.”
“I forgot to put it on before I left.”
“And Vinny noticed.”
I smiled and grasped the box from his outstretched hand. “Yes, he did, but I don’t think he’s mad.”
“No, I’m sure he’s not.”
I opened the box and a circle of sparkling diamonds glistened in the dim light of the hallway. A perfect necklace of crystal-clear jewels the size of peas with a centered diamond the size of a peanut. Fortune in a box that now trembled in my hand.
“Oooh.” The sound proved more of a gasp from my lips than an actual word.
“Turn around,” Max whispered as he grasped the box from me. The intense coffee color in his eyes caught my breath, calming, and yet, unnerving my mind.
I slowly spun away from him and closed my eyes.
Pop.
The sound from the box slapping shut caused me to flinch, and I opened my eyes as his hands lowered in front of me, draping the necklace against my skin.
His fingers tickled the back of my neck while he fastened the clasp. His touch shocked through me and as he stood mere inches behind me, his hot breath breezed across my bare shoulders.
My heart fluttered while the necklace lay against my collarbone and the gold and diamonds, hanging with an unexpected heaviness.
Max moved around me. “They look stunning on you.”
“Thank you.”
“But then again, I suppose anything would. You’ve been quite the topic downstairs. Everyone wants to know who the mysterious young lady is that Vincent is parading around on his arm.” He paused and clicked his tongue against his lips. “Don’t say that I blame them. I’d want to know, too.”
“Mysterious? No one has ever thought of me as mysterious.”
“I do.”
“Well I have no idea why you would.”
“Is it not obvious to you?”
“What?”
“Not one woman has ever rebuffed Vinny’s affections. They fall to his feet. They desire him because of his clout or because of his money. They are excited when in his company. They love when other women envy them. They’re thrilled, they’re in love, and they gush. And you don’t do any of that.”
A soft laugh snorted through my nose. “Sounds like I’m foolish, instead of mysterious.”
“I’m trained to read people like books.” He heaved a deep sigh. “But with you . . . you’re just like no other book.”
Laughter echoed from downstairs, a subtle reminder of what waited for me to return. Dread punched a hole in my chest. The time already spent in a room of strangers felt like a wasted lifetime, the minutes took years to tick by.
I don’t want to go back downstairs.
“You should probably return downstairs. I’m sure Vinny is wondering where his date is.”
Max’s words twisted in my gut and stole my breath.
Foolishly, I’d only worried about what he’d call me when introducing me to his guests. I hadn’t thought of the rest of the night. Was tonight the beginning? Was tonight the perfect example of the expected form of repayment?
Would he expect me to . . . with him . . . in his bed . . . tonight?
I played a whore in every manner except for one tiny detail that I didn’t know how long I could evade: having to entertain Vincent in the four walls of his bedroom. Certainly, no man of power would allow a woman the comforts of his bank account for very long before he expected her to share herself with him.
I can’t be that naive.
“Evelyn? Hello? Are you all right?” Max asked. With one eyebrow raised, he waved his hand in front of my face to regain my attention.
“Please excuse me. I need to speak with Mr. Giovanni.”
Before Max could respond, I stormed down the hallway with long strides. Nervousness flowed through my veins as my thoughts wandered into images that churned my stomach.
My dress lying on the floor next to his tuxedo . . .
No, don’t do it, Evelyn.
I clutched my collarbone where his fingers had been.
No, I can’t think about it. Don’t think about it.
I trotted down the stairs, taking the steps two at a time as I scanned the room for Vincent. All around me, people laughed and conversed with one another.
Faces upon faces blocked my line of sight and blurred together in a haze toying with my mind. Each one spurred the anxious tickle burning in my chest as I weaved throughout the foyer and parlor before finally checking the dining room.
Vincent stood in the corner with a couple of men. Deep in conversation, envy glistened in the men’s eyes as they watched Vincent’s every move. Their shoulders hunched in submission and they nodded relentlessly to every word that uttered from his lips.
He glanced in my direction as I approached and his once greeting smile faded as though he knew the thoughts plaguing my mind, thoughts he probably wasn’t going to like.
“Miss Ford?”
“May I speak with you for a moment?”
He gave a slight nod and exhaled a deep breath, smiling to mask his confused curiosity.
“Please excuse me, gentlemen. A very beautiful woman has just asked for my undivided attention and, well, to be honest, I’m feeling very inclined to acquiesce her request.”
Both of the two men gave me sideways glances as one of them licked his lips and the other one winked at me. Seduction played in their eyes as though they believed I drew Vincent away from their company for some scandalous reason.
Of course, the mindless fools were nothing more than idiots, but who was I to burst the bubble of the stupid?
Vincent placed his hand on the small of my back and led me down the hallway into his office. He shut the door behind him, flicked the lock, and clasped his hands behind his back as he faced me. His eyes burned into mine. His head lowered.
“Mr. Giovanni—”
“Please Miss Ford; you may call me Vincent if you like.”
“I’d rather not.” The instant the words left my lips I wished I could take them back. “My apologies, that didn’t come out as I wanted it to. I only meant if you are my boss, I’d rather address you properly as such.”
“Your boss?”
I began to pace, but in the dim light of one single oil lamp on the desk, I collided with one of the chairs after just a few steps.
“Ouch.”
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, fine. I’m sorry.” Awkwardly, I regained my balance, ignoring the pain in my thigh.
“So what is it that you wish to discuss?”
“When you mentioned an agreement for me to help my brother, I believe you mentioned that, perhaps, I could do his job.”
He unclasped his hands and folded his arms across his chest, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. He said not a word, offering no argument or agreement.
“I don’t want to sound ungrateful,” I continued. “However, I thought my responsibility was to repay Frank’s debts and I didn’t think the job would be . . . well, I didn’t think it would consist of my attendance to parties as though we are a . . . a dating couple.”
“Ah, I see.” Vincent strode toward me, circling around me like a predator stalking their prey. His steps slow, calculating and intimidating as his heals clicked on the hardwood floor of the small room.
“So, you wish to do Frank’s job if it will repay what he owes, do you?”
“Yes, I do.”
“And what if I say that enjoying my company as you have would repay what he owes?”
No, please, no.
I opened my mouth to utter a retort, but bit my lip. Unfortunately, I didn’t have even one to word to say. How could I win an argument if I didn’t have a convincing reason?
He tapped his lips with his index fingers and heaved a deep sigh. “However, I suppose if you wish to carry on with Frank’s du
ties, than I shall at least give you a chance to try.”
“Thank you.”
“With one condition, of course.”
I closed my eyes. Ah, yes, there is the stipulation.
“Tomorrow night you will make a delivery with Catalano. Succeed and not only will you repay part of the debt, but you may continue the job if you like.”
He stopped in front of me and leaned in until his lips were inches from mine.
“However, if you fail, I will rescind my offer and you will repay the debt in the manner which I deem acceptable.” He paused. “Do we have a deal?”
“Yes.”
TWELVE
DARKNESS ENGULFED THE world outside. Cool midnight air chilled through my jacket as I sat on the leather seat of the Rolls Royce.
“We best hurry tonight. Another storm is coming in and I don’t want to unload in the rain.” Max stuck the key in the ignition. Within minutes, the engine roared to life and rumbled as we drove away from the mansion.
Minute by minute, I bounced around in the back seat as we passed dark building after dark building. Abandoned looking, the city around us slept. No one sauntered along the sidewalks. No one drove down the roads with us.
My heart thumped with each passing second, petrified of the unknown, the pounding sound nearly deafened my ears.
“You all right back there?” Max gazed at me through the rearview mirror.
Unable to speak, I nodded.
“Are you rethinking your choice to ask Vinny for this job, yet?”
Yes. “No.”
My stomach lurched with sickness as I cradled my forehead in one of my hands.
How am I supposed to do this?
Before I could even think of an answer my own question, Max turned into a parking area filled with dozens of delivery trucks. He drove around the side of a huge brick warehouse with several barn-like doors in the front. Light flickered in between the wood frames and the hard brick.
Mysterious and sinister, the structure’s soul prickled through my skin as though it admitted to the crimes committed inside its walls.
Max continued around to the back, hidden from the street, and parked along a tall fence. Tension tightened through his shoulders as he glanced in the rearview mirror and exhaled a deep sigh.
“It’s probably best if you don’t say much.”
“Why?”
“It’s just better if you let me do the talking.”
He leaned over the seat, opened the glove box, and withdrew a pistol from inside. Steel gray, the gun showed age, obviously, from a hard life. Its grip was worn and tattered, and the barrel battered. He checked the bullets inside then shoved the gun into the holster under his jacket.
“Are we in danger here?” I asked, dreading the answer.
“You’re safe with me.”
With a wink, he grabbed the driver door handle and slipped out of the automobile.
Although I watched him stride around to my door, I flinched as it opened and my hand trembled in his as I stepped out onto the ground of the parking area.
“Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I wish I had your confidence.”
Soft light from a street lamp shined down, lighting our way toward the building. The chilly air inched down my neck and my steamed breath clouded my face as I followed Max around to a small door on the side of the building, his long gate nearly too fast for my short strides.
After rapping on the wood several times, he rested his hands on his hips and tapped one foot.
“Come on. Come on. Where are they?”
Seconds ticketed by as we waited in silence. No one came. No one opened the door.
“Honestly, they have one job. One stupid job and they can’t even do it.” He growled, his patience waning as he pounded on the door again. The loud thumps echoed until the door finally jerked open, squeaking on the rusted hinges. “It’s about time,” he barked, shoving through the cracked opening.
Two men greeted us on the other side. As young as me, or perhaps younger, their eyes widened.
“Who’s the dame?” one of them asked. He flicked his cigarette on the ground and pointed his finger at me. An evil glare darkened his brown eyes as he raised one eyebrow.
“She’s with me.”
“But who is she?” the second one cut in, not accepting Max’s simple and vague snub toward his friend. He adjusted the cap on his head and popped each knuckled in both of his hands. An antsy concern caused him to bounce on his toes, his heeled boots clicked against the floor.
“It doesn’t matter, Bones.”
“It does to us.”
“Then I suggest you call Vinny and ask him.”
“Well, maybe we will.”
“Go ahead. However, you might want to reconsider.” Max brushed at one of the lapels of his blazer, exposing his holstered gun. A deep, raw, aggressive growl rumbled through his chest, more intimidating and powerful than I’d seen in Vincent. “Unless of course you twits want to die young.”
Both men glanced at each other. Their once broad shoulders deflated as they cowered from Max and shook their heads.
“Now, where’s the shipment, Bones?” Max asked.
“We already loaded it. It’s waitin’ in the truck.”
Max motioned me to follow him outside through one set of the barn-like doors. He stuck close to me this time, his pace slower with one hand resting on his hip near his gun and the other whispering against the small of my back.
Awkward silence, aside from our shoes thumping on the floor, clawed at the anxiety pulsing through my blood.
Just breathe, Evelyn. Remember to breathe.
“You know where you’re going with the delivery?” Bones asked.
“Keys,” Max demanded through his clenched teeth, ignoring the young man’s question.
Obeying the order, Bones outstretched his trembling hand. The metal rattled for a moment before Max snatched them.
“We’ll be back within the hour. Now shut the door before anyone notices it’s open.”
Max grabbed my hand and shoved his shoulder into Bones as he passed him, bumping the poor young man so hard, he stumbled off balance and nearly fell to his knees.
After recovering his step, the two men ran off, dashing with haste as they complained to one another about Max’s callousness.
“Just ignore those idiots. They are nothing but mindless lackeys that are trying to work their way up in the business by any possible means.”
“Which you don’t like?”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Just a little.” I laughed.
“It’s not that I don’t like hard work. It’s just men like them, who are willing to do anything to get noticed, can be trouble.”
“Why?”
“They don’t think before they act. They just do and say whatever in that moment. Sometimes it’s better to watch, learn, and wait to advance in a more calculated way.”
“You sound as though you are speaking from experience.”
“Perhaps I am.” With a wink, Max opened the driver door of the truck and motioned me to climb inside the cab.
My foot stepped up onto the matted floorboards and my rump slid across the brown leather seat. Ripped in a few places, my dress caught on the material as an old smell of cedar, mixed with a mustiness of dirt and grime tickled my nose. The truck had seen better days.
Max climbed in after me. His body pressed close next to mine as the truck wobbled from side to side, shifting from his weight and movement.
“Sorry, there isn’t a back seat for you. Hazard of the job, I suppose.”
“I don’t mind.”
With a smirk on his lips, he turned the key. The engine cranked and cranked before the truck finally started and he drove out of the parking area.
As the tires veered through the city streets, our bodies bounced and bumped together. Each pothole brought both embarrassment and awkwardness, and yet, I loved every one of them.
With every touch, I’d catch a smile on his face and my heart fluttered. Heat warmed through my skin, flushing hot, and surely several shades of red.
Minutes ticked by, five then ten then fifteen.
We drove for the unknown, passing business and apartment buildings until finally we turned down a darkened alleyway and stopped next to the door barely visible from the street lamps in the distance.
I held my breath and waited for Max to move.
He didn’t.
Instead, he remained seated with his hands on the steering wheel, scanning around us through every window.
“Aren’t we going to get out?”
“Not yet. We need to wait for them.”
“So we just sit here?”
“We just sit here.” With a deep sigh, he leaned back against the seat.
I wrapped my arms around my waist. A cold chill spread through the inside of the truck, made worse by the quiver of fear deep in my mind.
“So,” he said. “I meant to tell you earlier, I have information about Frank. His trial is set for next month.”
“Does he have a lawyer?”
“He has an appointed attorney, but the evidence against him is, well, damaging. The DA thinks he has a pretty good chance at getting Frank locked up for a long time.”
“Is there anything we can do?”
Max shook his head. “They have witnesses who saw everything, remember? What judge is ever going to believe the criminal over the two cops who caught him in the act?”
I pressed the palm of my hand into my forehead. Anxiety crawled up my skin.
“What if he bargained for a plea deal?”
“What do you mean?”
“A deal with the DA for certain information . . .” The words I desperately wanted to say to finish my thought sat on the tip of my tongue.
“You can’t possibly mean for him to inform the DA that he worked for Vincent Giovanni, do you?”
My eyes darted to the dashboard of the truck as I shrugged my shoulders.
“Frank snitching on Vinny would not only sign his death certificate, but yours as well. Do you want your brother shanked in the big house by dawn?”
“Of course, I don’t.”
“You really need to learn who you are dealing with before you go suggesting or thinking you can just make your own rules.”
As the Liquor Flows Page 11
