Choices of the Heart

by Daniels, Julia

“Enough about what?” Chloe sputtered.

  “Chloe,” Reese warned.

  “I mean it,” she continued. “Here’s what I know.” She strode forward, getting in Vito’s face. “Ronnie and Daisy were murdered, but we have no idea who did it. They have a son, who is safe back on our farm. They left behind property beyond my wildest dreams—”

  Vito slapped her across the face, and had Reese not caught her, she would have fallen on the gravel.

  “Shut the hell up! Yap yap yap. Damn it.” Vito shook his hand as if it had pained him to slap her.

  “Keep your hands off her, you bastard,” Reese shouted. “If you’ve got a problem, you deal with me.” He pulled Chloe against him and faced the hulking mobster.

  “We were told to give youse a warning.” Vito lit a cigarette, as nonchalant as could be. “Your people died ’cause they were yappers, too, just like your bitch. Forget what you might know—or what you think you know—and go back to the boonies where youse belong.”

  Vito stalked back to the car, climbed inside and slammed the door.

  Johnny paused. “Be in your best interest to get outta Chicago as soon as youse can. If we do this again, it won’t end so pleasant for you. Consider this your only and final warning.” He made a big production of tossing his cigar over the cliff, making a whistling noise and ending with, “bang.” Rubbing his hands together, he winked at Reese and then wedged his hefty body into the car.

  When the engine gurgled to life, Reese wondered if they actually planned to just drive away and leave them there. His question was quickly answered when they sped off in a haze of gravel and dust.

  “I’ve never been so scared in my whole life, Reese,” Chloe said as she wrapped her arms around him, tears streaming from her eyes.

  “Me, either.” Reese pulled back. “How’s your cheek, honey?”

  “Hurts.” She touched it tentatively. “It’s probably no worse than what my father used to do.” She kissed him. “Thanks for standing up for me.”

  “You’re my wife.” He pulled her into him. “What else could I do?”

  “I thought we were goners,” she admitted.

  “Me, too.”

  They turned back the direction they thought they’d come. So much for making it back before nightfall. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be any clouds, and the full moon would help light their way. It would be a long journey back downtown, but they were both used to hoofing it. Just still being alive was reason enough to celebrate.

  ~*~

  “Aren’t you gonna talk?” Chloe chided.

  They had walked for a good hour and were still a long way from the lights of the city, glowing in the distance. Her feet were throbbing, and although the wind had died down, it had also turned cooler.

  “You don’t want to know what I am thinking about.” The light of his match pierced the dark night. He lit a cigarette and tossed the used match on the ground.

  “I don’t want to hear it right now,” he warned her, referring, she supposed, to his smoking.

  “Why are you so angry with me?” It sounded like she was whining, and maybe she was. “I didn’t dump us out here.”

  “I’m not mad at you.” He exhaled a stream of smoke. “I’m just irritated in general.”

  “Are you worried?” Chloe figured that had to be it. He was scared, had admitted that but there was more on his mind.

  “Hell, yes, I’m worried. What if they change their minds and come back for us?”

  He stopped walking, and in the approaching darkness, she saw him put his balled hands on his hips. “What if they decide to come out to the farm and hurt Bobby—or you—or my parents?”

  “They won’t.” Chloe sounded more confident in her answer than she felt and started walking again.

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because they have plenty of hell to raise here,” Chloe answered, relieved when she heard him walking behind her. “Why would they waste their time on us?”

  “I reckon you’re right,” Reese agreed. “They made their point. While we’re here, we mean trouble to them. Even if we don’t plan to turn in what we learn.”

  “But what did we learn?” Chloe stopped walking once again. “We still don’t know who did in Daisy and Ronnie. Or why. I guess we could speculate, but that doesn’t really tell us anything.”

  Reese didn’t answer. He just kept walking, smoking his cigarette.

  “You’re gonna let it go, aren’t you?” Chloe grabbed his shoulder and turned him toward her so she could see his face. “You’re not gonna pursue these people?”

  “How can I give up? Ronnie was my brother. How can you walk away without knowing? Daisy was your big sister.” His tone was accusatory. “Would she just walk away without helping you?”

  “Um…yes, and if you remember, she did. She ran off to Chicago and left me to get beaten by my father.” Chloe swallowed hard, struggling to put the past in the past. “That’s old history, though.”

  “You read Ronnie’s letter. He wouldn’t let her stay in touch with you.”

  “Right,” she agreed. “And I think we now really know why. I don’t think it will help anything to dig deeper into this.” She sat on a large rock on the side of the road, rubbed her right foot and then shifted to her left. “We were warned, Reese. Next time, we’ll be dead.”

  “Maybe.” He looked away from her, off to where the lights were twinkling in the distance.

  “How would your mom feel then? Which would she rather have? The answer to her son’s murder or both sons dead? And what about Bobby?” she said. “Who would be there to love him?”

  He continued to walk down the road away from her.

  “I don’t want to die, Reese Albert Lloyd,” she yelled at his back. “I want to go home like the hoodlums suggested we do. That’s where our future is. The past is dead.”

  She raced up behind him, even though her feet rebelled. She grabbed him and forced him to face her. She could make out his features in the scant, soft moonlight.

  “Reese! Tell me what you plan to do,” she demanded.

  “Someone’s coming.” He looked over her shoulder.

  She heard the gravel crunching and then turned to see the glow of headlights just beyone where they’d started walking.

  “Let me do the talking.” Reese placed an arm at her waist.

  An auto pulled to a stop next to where they stood on the side of the road.

  “Need a lift?” A woman hung out the passenger window, offering them a ride.

  “Are you headed downtown?” Chloe asked.

  “I can.” The woman nodded. “Hop in.”

  Reece glanced at Chloe, who shrugged. They had limited choices at this point.

  He opened the back door for Chloe, and she climbed in. He joined her and thanked the woman. They remained silent as she pulled away.

  “Where you from?” the driver asked after she lit herself a cigarette.

  “Nebraska,” Reese answered.

  “How the hell did you two find yourself way out here?”

  “We got lost.” He glanced at Chloe, a warning look in his eye. “Had some car trouble,” he lied.

  “Well, sure glad I came along.” She laughed. “You’d have quite a walk ahead of you.” She glanced in the backseat. “You two married?”

  “Yes,” Chloe answered. Was the woman interested in Reese, or was she just curious? The gal was older than Chloe but not by much.

  “You looking for something to do tonight?” She blew out a whiff of smoke.

  “Maybe,” Reese answered. “What do you have in mind?”

  “Since you’re from the boonies, I don’t guess you ever been to a speakeasy. If you’re looking for a good time tonight, I got one for you.”

  Chloe thought they’d had about all the excitement she could take for the evening, but she was so pleased to be in an automobile rather than walking, she’d do about whatever the woman suggested.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The lady, who they ca
me to know as Audrey Wallerby, was a singer, scheduled to perform that night on the stage at the speakeasy she’d mentioned to them. Audrey parked outside the joint and told Reese and Chloe that she would leave word with the bouncer, giving them a free pass inside, anytime they wanted to come that evening.

  Chloe watched the woman walk into the illegal tavern, admiring her poise and stature. The lady was taller than Chloe, but she looked emaciated, much like the in vogue style. She wore a filmy, glittery gown made of silver. The hem was decorated with beads that jiggled as she walked away from them, smoke trailing over her shoulder.

  “I know you would like to go there, Chloe, but I don’t think it’s such a good idea,” Reese said as they walked the short distance to their hotel.

  Everything was centrally located, it seemed, the downtown being the hub of all the happenings. Their hotel was in the heart of it all. Chloe looked at all the people passing by, fascinated by their change in clothing from dull, daily drabs to evening fancies. The fabrics and colors, the very textures and styles were incredible. Despite all the danger, she found herself thoroughly smitten with Chicago, knew she would never experience a city such as this ever again.

  “Oh, come on,” she cajoled, pulling on his arm. “We are leaving the tomorrow. Can’t we just live a little?”

  “We came pretty close to death tonight. That’s about all the living I wanna do for quite a while.”

  “Doesn’t that make you want to celebrate all the more? We could have died, but we didn’t.”

  They walked on in silence. Maybe this marriage thing was going to be harder than she imagined. He was an old stick-in-mud, a stubborn mule of a man who wasn’t going to let her enjoy their time here. She stopped and pressed her nose against a lit dress store window. A beautiful lavender crepe suit and matching hat was showcased next to a chartreuse, floor-length, beaded gown.

  “Chloe, let’s be going.”

  “Oh, just a minute, already,” she snapped.

  The daydream burst, just like a soap bubble floating in the air. She’d been wrong to think he would let her be free to do as she wished. She pulled away from the window and took one last look before walking away. There’d be nowhere to wear those get-ups in Broken Bow.

  She walked right past him, wondered if he would catch up or stay a few paces behind her. Anger filtered through her, and she gritted her teeth, not wanting to hash it out with Reese on the heavily populated city street.

  She heard his shoes click up right behind her, and soon, he grabbed her elbow and pulled her firmly to his side.

  “We’re not safe in this city. Surely you realize that?” His voice sounded like a growl right next to her ear. “The last place we should be is in an illegal liquor joint frequented by the men we are trying to avoid.”

  “But can’t we just go to look and then leave? Just to say that we did it?”

  He didn’t answer, didn’t look at her, just guided her up the street at a pace greater than she’d normally walk. Her feet were killing her, and in all reality, it would be smarter to stay at the hotel and hide, to come out only to see to business the next day. But she couldn’t help wishing…

  More couples passed them, happy, laughing, off to dances, moving pictures and maybe even the speakeasies. Chloe allowed self-pity to take over her and no longer noticed the pretty women and dashing men on the street. Instead, she thought about Bobby and the quiet life she would be returning to in Broken Bow. And then she got depressed. What had she done?

  “Finally! Here we are,” Reese announced as soon as the hotel came into view.

  “Spare change, lady?”

  Chloe looked hard to find the person who belonged to the quiet voice she heard. A girl, no older than perhaps six, stepped from the shadows of the alleyway between the hotel and a neighboring building. She was covered in dirt and had stringy, greasy-looking hair. Her dress was tattered and seemed too large for her slender frame.

  “Reese,” Chloe called to him, and he stopped walking.

  The child met her halfway and curtsied. “Got any money, lady?”

  “What are you doing out so late?” Chloe bent over and asked the girl quietly.

  “I think it’s obvious,” Reese said. He pulled out his wallet and handed the girl some money. “You best be getting on home, little one. The streets aren’t safe.”

  “Do you have a home to go to?” Chloe asked her and pushed aside the stringy hair. Beautiful, clear blue eyes looked back at her. Eyes so sad and desperate Chloe felt like crying herself.

  The girl nodded and ran off. Chloe stood back up, speechless, her arms hanging straight out as if to grab the urchin.

  “What kind of mother would allow her daughter to go out this late at night to beg for money?” she whispered.

  “She may be an orphan.” Reece put his hand on the back of her waist and turned her to face him. “I’d reckon there are plenty of them on the streets of Chicago. Plenty who look just like her with no real home. Barely just living.”

  She stared at him, wondered when he’d become so knowledgeable about the homeless on the streets. “Truly? Children?”

  “I read about it in the Omaha paper sometimes.” He’d read her mind. “There’s a problem there too, it seems. People come in on the trains and just stay without having a job or any skills. They look for work and until they find something, they loiter on the streets.” He shook his head. “It sounds like a sad dilemma for many folks. Especially the immigrants who don’t speak English yet or have family here waiting on them.”

  He took her elbow and guided her up the stairs into the posh hotel. What an enormous contrast to the life of the little girl. Chloe almost felt guilty staying there, knowing that someone else was dirty and hungry. Knowing, too, that money from illegal mob activity was paying their way at the hotel.

  The uniformed doorman stepped aside as Reese and Chloe entered. He tipped his hat and wished them a fine evening. She continued to admire the fancy décor. She’d never seen such fine carpets and portraits that dotted the walls on the path toward the grand, curved staircase that led to their room on the second floor.

  She held the shiny wood banister as they climbed the spiral staircase. They turned left when they hit the landing. How would she persuade him to go out tonight? To enjoy the last vestiges of freedom she may experience? This was their honeymoon, after all…

  ~*~

  Chloe got her way. Reese gave in and decided it was in the best interest of their future together that he at least compromise, try to see things her way. Or at least let her think he was compromising. They took a short nap, exhausted from the long walk and the stress of the mobsters. Each took a bath, changed into their evening finery and headed out again.

  “My, my, my but my wife is looking fine tonight.”

  “Just tonight?” she teased and squeezed his arm. “Thank you for the getup, Reese.” Chloe snuggled closer to him as they walked to the jazz musical. “I cannot believe you surprised me with this.”

  She wore the dress she’d tried on at the boutique earlier in the day on their way to the attorney’s office. Reese had had the attorney arrange for it to be sent to the hotel for her as a surprise.

  It was a wedding gift, he told her. But it was far more in his mind. It was a sort of peace offering, a way to start over, as a married couple. A way to bury the past.

  He supposed this little adventure was the same thing. He had to show her he wasn’t going to be manipulated, but at the same time, he could compromise and they would be happy together.

  “You look quite handsome tonight, too,” she whispered with a smile.

  “Don’t I always?” he quipped. He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to his side.

  “Cocky, are you?” She chuckled. “The nap sure helped your attitude. And yes”—she glanced up at him—“to me, you always look quite fine.”

  He caught her lips with his for a quick peck. Maybe this was the best way to get along with her. To joke and tease. He took life too serious
ly, he supposed. Tonight, he would just enjoy his wife and watch her enjoy life. “You did a fine job covering up that cheek. I can’t even see a mark.”

  They reached the back door of the multi-floored brick building and knocked three times, just as Audrey had instructed. A piece of the door, no more than four inches by four, slid away, and two beady eyes peeked out.

  “Yeah, whaddya want?”

  Music filtered through the small slit. Reese leaned forward, trying to see what was happening, what he was getting himself into. “Audrey asked us to come.”

  “Audrey who?” Mr. Beady Eyes asked.

  “Audrey Wallerby,” Chloe answered. She flashed the bouncer a flirty smile.

  “Oh, you them folks from Nebraski, eh?” He closed the slit back up. Metal clinked on the other side of the door and suddenly, it flew open.

  The bouncer, Mr. Beady Eyes, was huge, and when he smiled, there were several black spots where his teeth had once been. Apparently, it was better to be on the guy’s good side. Of course, being a bouncer, his job was to make sure people did what he wanted.

  Reese guided Chloe inside and stopped short, stunned and amazed by the amount of people inside the illegal tavern. It was dark, lit by candles on the center of each of the several dozen round tables. Low lights from the stage and bar glowed with an eerie blue haze from the cigarette smoke.

  Reese took Chloe’s hand as they snaked through the throng of hot bodies and settled on standing room only spots to the side of the bar. He pulled her into him, just as a drunken man stumbled past, almost running her over.

  “Thank you.” She laughed. “He about tackled me.” She turned in his arms and smiled. “Thank you for coming. I know you didn’t want to. I’m sure I’ll be able to make it up to you somehow.”

  She toyed with his tie, and Reese knew exactly what she meant. He smiled, looking forward to collecting on her promise. It was almost possible to set aside what happened to them on the road earlier. The day had been filled with so many things, he didn’t even know what to start thinking about, but he knew that once his head hit the pillow for the night, nothing and no one would be able to get him awake.