Speak Easy (18 page)

Raymond opened the car door, pushed me into the back seat, and told me to get down. He drove while I wept, bumping around in the back seat on pocked rural roads.
Please, God
, I begged silently.
Help me.
When the ride smoothed out, I picked up my head. We were on city streets now, and the first signs of dawn lit the sky. I recognized the garage where he parked—it was the same one Enzo took me to during the raid.
We’re going to Club 23.
The idea pumped some life into me—maybe Enzo was there. Raymond yanked me out of the car and stuck the pistol in my side again.

We went through the tunnel into the club, up several flights of stairs, and emerged in an unfamiliar hallway dimly lit with ornate brass wall sconces. A dark red carpet runner lay in the center of the polished wood floor, giving the appearance of a hotel. Were these private rooms or apartments? Was Enzo here somewhere? If I called out for him, would Raymond shoot me? Recalling the speed with which he shot Harry, I decided not to risk it.

Raymond took a jumble of keys from his coat pocket and fumbled with them. After two unsuccessful tries, he located the correct key and opened the door to a bedroom. Some light spilled in from the hallway, illuminating a large mahogany bed made up with white linens. A dresser was opposite the bed, an ornate lamp whose shade dripped with dark purple fringe stood next to a mirror in one corner, and white lace curtains stretched from floor to ceiling over the windows. A narrow door opened onto a tiny bathroom, which I eyed thankfully.

Raymond pushed me in. “Now you be good and quiet in here. If you do everything I say, we still got our deal.”

“Wait.” I held up my wrists. “Can you please cut this rope? I have to use the bathroom.”

“Oh. Yeah, I guess I could.” Pulling a knife from his muddy boot, he slashed the rope, and my arms were blissfully free.

“Thanks.” I felt like adding
you asshole
, but I bit my tongue.

He stuck the knife back in his boot and left, shutting the door behind him. The lock clicked. I went to the cheval mirror in the corner, wincing at the blackish purple bruise at my temple.
I wish I had some aspirin.
After I used the bathroom and washed up, I fell back across the foot of the bed. Closing my eyes, I waited for the tears to flow again, but they didn’t. In my head, a thousand little spiders spun webs of fear, anger, confusion, and pain. But I refused to give up. Tangled in there somewhere was a little thread of hope.

If only I could think clearly, make a plan. In a fog of mental and physical fatigue, I saw Enzo walking away from me in the alley again.
Don’t fall asleep. Stay awake. Stay awake.
But my heavy eyelids refused to open.
OK, I’ll just rest for a minute or two. I’ll think better if I’m refreshed.

Numb with exhaustion, I slept.

I awoke to someone touching my face.

Chapter Eighteen

I opened my eyes and rolled away when I realized it was Raymond’s sweaty palm on my cheek. “Getting your beauty sleep? That’s good. I like my girl to be fresh.”

“I’m not your girl.” I scrambled backward on the bed.

His face darkened. “Hey, we made a deal. So you don’t question me.”

I twisted my fingers together. “But—but you’re so handsome, Raymond. You could have any girl you wanted, I bet.” The words made my skin itch.

He nodded. “You’re right about that. I could. And that girl is you.” He slid off the bed and stood. “We got an important meeting today.”

“What meeting? With who?”

“With my father. So’s he can see what I’m doing.” He pouted. “I’m sick of being on the side all the time. I want my piece of the pie. Enzo’s been eatin’ my share all my life.”

“The greedy bastard,” I commiserated.

Raymond looked pleased. “Yeah.” He rocked back on his heels, opening his arms wide. “But now look—I’ll be way bigger than Enzo. I’m gettin’ the hijacked booze back, I arranged to get a percentage of Jack O’Mara’s rackets, and I got a hot little fancy, just like him.”

I wondered what he meant by that last bit, but I was too scared to ask. At this point, I’d agree to almost anything—as long as he didn’t try to touch me again.

“I can’t wait to see their faces when they realize,” he went on. “I just hope they permeciate all the work it took.”

“Appreciate.”

He grimaced. “You better…’preciate it too, doll. I coulda hurt both you and your pop a hunnerd times already. But no.” He hooked his thumbs in his braces. “I been a gentleman about it.”

I was tempted to shove him to the floor and make a run for it. But I didn’t think I could take him down—he wasn’t as tall as Enzo, but he was a lot bulkier.

He waved a hand at me. “Now go clean yourself up. I gotta go get your pop and work out the details of our arrangement. I’ll be back later.” He turned to leave but halted abruptly, lurching back around and reaching for me. Before I could protest he grabbed me by the shoulders, pushed me backward on the bed, and smashed his face to mine. I could barely breathe against his smothering lips, and his chest was unbearably heavy. I did my best to squirm out from under him, twisting my face from side to side, but he had my arms pinned. Finally, he let go and backed off, and I wiped my mouth with my sleeve.

Raymond harrumphed. “You better get used to that. A man’s got a right to kiss his girl.” He adjusted the crotch of his pants.

I’m not your girl!
I wanted to scream. But Daddy wasn’t safe yet, so I pressed my lips together.

“That’s better.” He smoothed the front of his shirt and exited, closing the door behind him.

I wiped my mouth again. My head still hurt, but my mind was much clearer now that I’d gotten a little rest. I slid off the bed and went to the window.

The day was overcast but it looked like late morning, maybe early afternoon. The window opened a little, but not enough for me to get through and it was too high to jump anyway; the concrete below looked very unforgiving. The window faced the alley behind the building, and I didn’t see anyone to shout to.

A telephone—maybe there was a telephone in here somewhere! I searched every inch of the room but came up with nothing.
And who would you call anyway? The police?
I bit my lip. There was only one person who could help at this point, and that was Enzo. How could I find him? Scream? Bang on the door?

The door.
My eyes slid sideways to it. Raymond hadn’t been holding keys in his hands when he left. Slowly, a prayer on my lips, I moved toward the door, reached out, grasped the knob, and twisted.

Unlocked.

I gasped in happy surprise. Poking my head out, I saw no one, so I stepped into the hall and closed the door softly behind me. I slipped down the carpeted hall into the stairwell, where I paused to catch my breath and think for a moment.
Where could Enzo be?
I figured I had at least two hours while Raymond drove to that cabin and back, but still I moved quickly, my feet a blur as I descended three flights of stairs.

At the bottom, I listened for a moment before opening the door. Hearing nothing, I pushed it open and peeked out onto a narrow, low-ceilinged hallway with a beige-tiled floor and cinderblock walls. It didn’t look familiar. I tried to orient myself in the building but couldn’t, and my heart was beating so loud it was hard to think—or were those footsteps coming down the stairs behind me? With no time to deliberate, I chose to go left, scurrying down the passage and pushing open the heavy metal door at the end. I caught it before it could make noise slamming shut.

Turning around, I found myself in a large, dark space. As my vision adjusted, I realized where I was—the room behind the bar at Club 23.

This was familiar ground, at least. I ran through the swinging door and out from behind the bar. A moment later I heard the heavy metal door in the storage room slam.

Shit!

I dove to the floor and crawled under a table at one of the curved booths. Some lights came on, and someone began moving bottles behind the bar.
If I can move quietly enough, the clanking will cover my steps.
I removed my shoes—bare feet would be quietest. But where would I go? Any door I chose, I’d have to cross a stretch of open space where I’d be visible from the bar. After what seemed like an interminable length of time, I decided to go for it and hope the person’s back was turned. My legs were going numb underneath me.

I popped up from my knees to my feet, knocking the table with the top of my head. My hand flew to my crown and the bottle noise stopped.

“Hello?” a deep voice called. “Is somebody there?”

It was Enzo. I was sure of it.

Crawling out from under the table, I brought my feet underneath me. “Enzo!” I called, darting toward him on bare toes.

He whipped around and had his gun drawn so quickly I gasped and put my hands up.

“Tiny?” He dropped his arm and looked at me in shock. “Do you realize I could have shot you? Jesus.” He put his gun back inside his gray coat and came toward me. “What the hell are you doing in here? And what happened to you?” He put his hand on my chin and tilted my head, examining the bruise on my temple. I pushed his arm away.

“I’m
here
because your brother had me kidnapped.”

“What?” Enzo’s forehead wrinkled in confusion.

“I got a note written by my father telling me to bring the ransom money to the boathouse at midnight last night or he was dead. When I got there, Harry jumped me, clocked me on the head, and took the money. Then he tossed me in a boat and we went downriver, but we ended up at some cabin in the woods, where—by the way—he has my father stashed too.”

“
Raymond
has your father? Impossible.”

“Are you listening to me?” I stuck my hands on my hips. “He
was
just planning on stealing the money and buying some dope to sell. But then he shot and killed Harry for calling him stupid one too many times and decided to rethink his plan.”

Enzo looked away, dumbfounded. “Why would Raymond do all this?”

I threw my hands in the air. “Because he wants to prove himself to your father! He’s jealous of you and wants what you have. I lied and told him I knew how he could get the stolen rum shipment back so he would agree to let my father go. He said yes to the deal once Daddy threw in a percentage of his business and I said he could have
me
too.”

“You said
what
?” Enzo looked at me in shock.

Heat rushed my face. “I said whatever I had to! Oh—and
he’s
the one that stole the necklace and sent it to me.”

Enzo touched his forehead between his brows and closed his eyes. “Jesus Christ. Where is he now?”

“He’s driving back to the cabin to pick up my father, I think. He took off after pawing at me a little while ago.”

“He
pawed
you?” He picked up his head, anger darkening his face.

“Yes. In the room upstairs where he stashed me early this morning.” I shivered.

Enzo put his hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eye, his handsome jaw set. “I won’t let him hurt you. I promise. Now—”

“You take your fucking hands off my girl!” shouted Raymond, coming out from behind the bar and pointing a sawed-off shotgun at us.

Enzo shielded me with his body. “Put that down! Have you lost your goddamn mind?”

Raymond fired into a chandelier and I screamed. Crystal and glass fragments rained down from above, clattering onto the tables and floor.

Enzo’s hand reached into his coat, but Raymond quickly trained the gun on him. “Not gonna happen that way, brother. I’m done letting you take everything. That girl and her pop’s operation are mine now. And
I’m
getting the rum shipment back. So you can just stick to your own rackets and your own girl for once.” He moved toward us and grabbed my arm, pulling me from behind Enzo and then shielding his own body with mine as he backed up. “Call Pop. Get him down here.”

“Let her go first.”

“Do it!” screamed Raymond.

“Raymond, calm down,” said Enzo quietly. “Don’t be stupid.”

I cringed at the word.

“I’m not stupid!” Raymond gripped my arm even harder. “And I’m sick of everyone treating me like I am. If you call me names again, I’ll kill you right here.”

“No!” I met Enzo’s eyes and silently begged him to play Raymond’s game.

Enzo looked at us a moment longer and went behind the bar to make the call. Raymond’s breath was hot on my neck. “This ain’t the way I wanted it, doll. You shouldn’ta run off.”

“I’m sorry,” I whimpered. “I was just scared. Please don’t shoot anyone.”

In a moment, Enzo appeared again. “He’s on his way down. Now let her go, Raymond. You made your point.” He put one hand in the air and with the other, reached into his coat and removed his gun, which he laid on the bar.

“Fine.” Raymond released me and I could breathe again. “You sit there,” he ordered, pushing me onto a nearby chair. Enzo met my eyes and nodded slightly, as if to reassure me, but my bones were rattling in my skin. After a minute, the door behind the bar opened again, and Angel strode through, followed by two guards. He looked furious.

“
Raimondo, che diavolo hai combinato?
Enzo says you removed Jack O’Mara and abducted his daughter?”

Raymond’s chin jutted as he gestured at me with the gun. “She was in cahoots with Scarfone. I’m using her to get the booze back.”

“That’s funny, since you’re the one who told him about it in the first place,” Enzo snapped.

“I did not! You don’t know nothin’ about it!” Raymond jabbed me in the shoulder. “She knows where it is. She’s gonna help me get it back. And I made a deal with her pop for a percent of his operation.”

Angel’s anger simmered beneath the surface, his face ruddy but his tone calm. “Raymond, you acted without thinking and without talking to me. What have I told you about that?”

“I figured you’d be glad I was taking matters into my own hands.”

“Do I look glad?”

Raymond, looking less sure of himself, shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “No. But I can get the shipment back. She said—”

“Of course she did.” Angel glanced at me. “I’m sure she said any number of things to convince you to let her go.”

“But I
didn’t
let her go.” Raymond perked up. “I still got her pop too. And the ransom money.”

“Congratulations,” spat Enzo. “You did one fucking thing right.”

“That’s enough from you,” Angel said, holding his palm up to Enzo and then glaring at him. “You made mistakes too.” He turned back to Raymond. “You said you made a deal for a percentage of Jack O’Mara’s operation?”

“Yeah.” Raymond rocked forward on his toes and jabbed my shoulder again. “She said fifty percent. Half.” He nodded at me, as if I was supposed to back him up.

“Is this true, Miss O’Mara?” Angel asked.

My throat was so dry I could barely speak. “I—I’m sure my father will make a deal with you once he’s released.”

“That ain’t what you said before!” Raymond exploded. “She said we’d be partners! And her pop wouldn’t cross me because she’s gonna be my fancy!”

“You’re out of your fuckin’ mind,” seethed Enzo, his teeth bared.

“You shut up!” Raymond marched over to his brother, and it stunned me how alike they looked in their fury, face to face that way. “And you stay away from her! You got your own fancy. Now I’m getting everything I want!”

I couldn’t stand it anymore. “What’s a fancy?”

“He means fiancée.” Enzo stared Raymond down, fists balled.

“I know what I mean!” Raymond yelled. But his voice came at me through a tunnel as his words registered.
Enzo has a fiancée?
The whole time I’d known him, he’d been engaged to that squeaky little girl? The club spun around me.

When I focused again, Angel was speaking. “Where is he, Raymond?”

“The cabin outside Pontiac. The one with the still out back.”

Enzo looked at me then, and I injected my stare with pure venom. He shook his head, as if to say I didn’t understand. But I understood. He was a bastard, just like the rest of them, only better looking. I set my face in stone and looked away. I wasn’t sure why it shocked me so much, but it did.

Angel motioned to his guards. “Bring Jack O’Mara back to the city. I have a prior engagement tonight, but I’ll speak with him tomorrow.” He turned to Raymond. “He’d better still be there. And the money too.”

Raymond colored again. “It’s there.”

“Good. Until we’re sure, we’ll just keep his daughter safe and sound here. Now will someone take her to a nice room and let her relax? See that she has everything she needs to be comfortable.” He came toward me and I shrank back.

“No need to be frightened,
cara
. We’re going to work together now.” He leaned over and kissed each cheek. His lips were cold.

#

I refused to look at Enzo as he followed his father out of the club. After I retrieved my shoes, a guard led me to a room much like the one I’d been in before—still no phone and no way to get out the window. I sat on the bed, my head pounding. After a short time, a maid brought a tray of roasted chicken and vegetables. She set it on the dresser and left without speaking, and I stared at the food for a few minutes. It looked and smelled so delicious, it wore down my determination not to accept any favors from the DiFiores. I ate every bite. And licked the plate.