As the Liquor Flows Read online

  My fingers trembled as I reached down and fetched the money sitting on the vanity. Flipping though the bills, I counted nearly one thousand dollars.

  FOUR

  MY HEART POUNDED as my eyes traced each of the dollar bills in my hand.

  Max’s warning repeated in my head. One by one, every syllable of his serious tone confused me, and yet, scared me.

  “You don’t want to get involved with them.” However, wasn’t he? Wasn’t he one of Vincent’s men? Why work for someone only to warn others not to?

  What I once thought was nothing but a simple job, even with the uncertainty, had now transformed into an unexpected problem. Who was Vincent Giovanni and why should I fear him? I stared at the door, willing it for an answer I knew it wouldn’t give.

  My hands trembled around the money. Stay or go? Stay or go? I glanced at my reflection in the mirror.

  “There is a back door at the end of the hallway. Use it.”

  I shoved the money in my brassiere as I darted across the room, cracked the door open, and peered through the inch wide gap to check down the hallway. Although empty, voices, music, and laughter echoed from the other side of the walls.

  Hurried panic spurred my pace as my feet stumbled along the uneven wooden floor.

  “I don’t care what he says, Max. I didn’t like being told what to do with my own business.” Margaret’s voice boomed as the hidden door from the theater opened behind me.

  “Maggie, I’m only here to convey the message. You don’t need to give me your attitude. It’s not like the situation will change.”

  I glanced over my shoulder and froze. Max’s eyes locked with mine. His shoulders stiffened and he grabbed Margaret’s arm to distract her, giving me the chance to flee.

  “Let go of me or so help me it will be the last thing you do,” she warned.

  “Listen, I’ve got to go meet Vinny and Dom to collect some clams from some shmuck’s sister living down in skidrow who probably can’t pay. I really don’t need lip from you right now. Can I trust you will see to his demands?”

  Not waiting to hear Margaret’s answer, I shoved through the exit and ran from the building. Shame and embarrassment consumed me as I galloped down the sidewalk. Tears streamed down my cheeks and my lungs heaved from stress and worry.

  After darting down a few other streets, I finally stopped and pressed my back against a brick building for support.

  Breathe. Just breathe.

  I glanced around, and through the watery blur of my tears, I spied a grocery store across the street. Just the store I needed full of food that I had the means to buy.

  My fingers slipped under my dress and grasped the wad of money. I withdrew a few of the paper bills and flipped through them until I found one of the few five dollar bills in the bunch.

  This should be plenty.

  Nervousness swept through my body as I entered the store and the bell hung above the door chimed.

  The clerk behind the counter nodded and smiled, but a hint of distrust and worry flickered in his expression as I scooped up a shopping basket and cradled it in my arms.

  People normally against thievery now stole to survive, often looting through stores to steal loaves of bread or cans of beans.

  I slowly crept down each isle. The once fully-stocked shelves were nearly bare, leaving only a few choices, and yet, it was more food than I’d seen in months.

  I pressed my fingers into a few loaves of bread, testing for staleness. While several of the loaves were hard as bricks, a few left had touches of softness still in them. The smell of flour and wheat intoxicated me and I tossed a couple of loaves into my basket.

  No longer would empty cupboards haunt my hovel.

  I strolled down another isle and grabbed a couple of the last few cans of beans. They rolled from side to side and clanked together as I continued to collect several apples from a small bin.

  My mind spun with excitement and hesitation. Although I wanted to buy everything in the store, buying too much could attract unwanted attention as I walked home.

  “Did you find everything all right, Miss?” the gentleman behind the counter asked as I placed the basket on the counter.

  “Yes.” Without looking him in the eye, my voice was barely a whisper.

  He punched several buttons on the cash register as he placed each item in a brown paper sack.

  “Will that be all for you today?”

  “Um, I think so.”

  “Well, then, that will be twenty-five cents.” He pushed the bag across the counter as I unfolded the crumbled five dollar bill. It quivered in my grasp as I handed it to him.

  His eyes widened. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have change for that much money.”

  “It’s all I have, so just keep it.”

  “Are you sure? I mean, that’s a lot of money.”

  “Yes, please, just keep it.”

  He took the money and pushed another button. With a soft ring of a bell, the cash drawer on the register opened and he slid the money inside. “Thank you and you have a nice afternoon.”

  “Thank you and you too.” I tucked the sack under my arm and as I left the store, I prayed that it wouldn’t bring any unwanted attention as I made my way home.

  Even hours later, the soup line remained just as long as before as men, women, and children all huddled together while they waited. Starved weakness consumed in the dark circles under their eyes. They shivered even in the heat of a spring afternoon and their clothes hung from their skinny bodies.

  Much to my relief, while a few glanced in my direction as I passed, most of them focused on getting a much needed food and ignored me completely.

  With my chin tucked down to my chest, I quickened my pace and a gentle breeze blew through my hair as I finally crossed the street into the park.

  Once buzzing with activity, the hovels now appeared deserted. No happy kids played outside. No mother’s beat the dust out of rugs or hung sopping wet clothes on dry lines. No groups of old men sat around playing cards, eating bowls of soup, or just chatting about the depressed state of affairs.

  Instead, an eerie silence blanketed Shanty Town, rattling through my bones with a quiet that reveled in the uneasy feeling swirling in my stomach.

  Something didn’t feel right. Something was going on.

  “Evelyn?” Benjamin dashed to my side. His lungs heaved, and after he reached me, he bent over to gain control of his breathing. “There are three men standing by your home.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “There are three men standing by your home. They came by a while ago and they won’t tell anyone what they want. They got a few people around here pretty scared.”

  My heart pounded.

  “Are they cops?”

  “I didn’t see any badges, but I could be wrong.”

  Frank.

  Had they arrested him for some crime or, worse, had they found his dead body?

  “Thank you, Benjamin.” I trotted off toward my hovel as the questions continued to fire off through my mind.

  “Wait, Evelyn.” He mimicked my pace as he hurried after me. “Are you just going to walk up to these men alone?”

  “What am I supposed to do? Ignore them? They could be here because of Frank.”

  “What’s going on with Frank?” He stopped walking for a few seconds, and then scurried after me once more.

  “He’s missing.”

  “What? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I don’t know why. I haven’t told anyone.”

  “We’ve got to go looking for him, get some guys together. Do you know where he headed the last time you saw him?”

  “No. He left that morning saying he planned to look for a job and then he never returned.”

  “When did he leave?”

  I bit my lip. Hesitation, denial, both stopped me from answering his question along with the disappointment in myself. I hadn’t filed a report with the police. I hadn’t told anyone that could help me sea
rch for him. I hadn’t done anything at all.

  What kind of a sister did that make me?

  A horrible one.

  “When did he leave?” Benjamin pressed again.

  I shrugged my shoulders and quickened my pace.

  “Evelyn?”

  As we rounded old man Perry’s hovel, the three men spun around to face me. I recognized each face instantly and my feet skidded to a stop. Butterflies fluttered wildly in my stomach as my cheeks flushed hot.

  “Why, Miss Ford?” Vincent tipped his fedora and straightened the sleeves of his blazer. “What are you doing here of all places?”

  Different in the light of the sun, his shoulders played sleeker on his slimmer and taller body. The dark brown eyes, I believed he gazed upon me with in the dimly lit theater, were actually deep blue and the shade darkened against his raven hair and caramel Italian skin.

  With Dom on Vincent’s right, Max stood to the left. His eyes widened, disbelief reflected behind the dark hue. He shoved his hands in his pockets, inhaling a deep breath as he lowered his gaze to hide his furrowed brow.

  Would I divulge what he had done? Would I admit that I fled the theater without a word because he told me to after handing me a wad of cash?

  “Why are you here?” My arm tightened around the grocery sack.

  “You aren’t, by chance, related to Frank Ford, are you?” Dom asked.

  Before I could answer, Benjamin spoke up. “How do you know Frank?”

  Vincent glanced at Max before they began marching toward us. While Vincent and Dom stopped just feet from us, Max continued and grabbed Benjamin by the arms, twisting around him like a python twisted around its prey.

  “Let go of me.” Benjamin fought for his freedom and failed.

  “What are you doing?” I lunged for the two of them, but Dom caught me by my shoulder.

  “I will not tolerate any interruption, Miss Ford,” Vincent barked. “Now, are you related to Frank Ford?”

  “Yes, yes, Frank’s my brother. Now, please, let him go.” I jerked my shoulder free from Dom’s grip. “Please, let him go. He doesn’t mean any harm.”

  Vincent inhaled a deep breath and outstretched his arm, motioning for us to step inside my hovel. “I think it’s about time you and I have another chat.”

  “Evelyn, don’t go in there,” Benjamin shouted.

  “It’s all right, Benjamin, I know these men.”

  His eyes widened and for the first time since Max grabbed him, he stopped struggling. “You what?”

  “I know them. Please, just go home. Mr. Giovanni, will you please just let him go home?”

  Vincent glanced at Max, and with the unspoken command, the hired man set his prisoner free. A low grumble vibrated through his chest as he stepped away.

  Unfortunately, Benjamin didn’t choose to follow my order for him to leave. Instead, he foolishly swung his arm backwards.

  Max braced his shoulders as he brushed his jacket away from his hip, exposing the gray pistol in a holster.

  “Benjamin,” I shouted and he froze. “Go home. I will be all right. I know them.”

  “But how?”

  “That’s none of your business, boy, now get.” The firm authoritative deepness in Max’s voice far outmatched my own and for the first time, Benjamin followed the command and backed away.

  I yanked open the door to the hovel. The cool draft of the room chilled my skin as I set the sack of food on the floor in the corner.

  Breathe. Just breathe. Everything is going to be all right.

  I faced the three men as Max shut the door behind them.

  “How do you know Frank?” My tone was bold and reckless, but I didn’t care. “And where is he?”

  Vincent smiled as he ignored my questions and studied the hovel. “This is quite the home you have here, Miss Ford, however, I don’t really think it suits you.”

  “How do you know Frank?” I asked again.

  “Does Maggie know you are here or did you leave without telling her?”

  I glanced at Max and then back to Vincent. “I just left. The job didn’t suit me.”

  “I can’t imagine Mag’s reaction when she found out that this dame just walked out.” Dom laughed. No more than seventeen or eighteen, the short, stout boy stood next to Max, whose eyes burned into the ground.

  “And how did you pay for the groceries?” Vincent ignored the boy, too, and motioned toward the sack in the corner.

  I glanced toward Max again as he gave a subtle shake to his head. Would I snitch on him? Would I divulge what he’d done?

  I couldn’t deny the thought crossed my mind, but why play the stool pigeon when his intentions seemed honest and coming from a place of concern?

  “After I ran from the theater, a woman gave me a dollar.”

  “A woman gave you a dollar? She just strolled up to you and gave you a dollar?”

  “I don’t know why she did. Perhaps she felt sorry for me.”

  “Well, then, I suppose it was quite fortunate you ran into her.”

  “So, how do you know Frank?” I asked a third time.

  Vincent strolled around the hovel. He swept his fingers over one of the makeshift shelves and rubbed the dust between his fingertips.

  “Frank agreed to do some work for me a few days before he wound up in the big house.”

  “He’s in jail?”

  “Yes, and unfortunately for him, he owes me a lot of money for his mistake.”

  “How much does he owe you?” My heart sank to the pit of my stomach. I feared the answer, and yet, I had to ask the question.

  “More than a dollar.”

  I stepped backwards until my backside hit the wall behind me. The hovel shook with my weight and dust particles floated down through the air, glistening on any light they could find.

  The money in my brassiere scratched against my chest. Money that I couldn’t explain or account for if I just handed it over to him.

  “Well, I have no money to give you.”

  “I didn’t think you did.” Vincent clasped his hands behind his back and began to walk around once more. “However, perhaps, we could come up with some other arrangement for you.”

  “And what is that?”

  “Vinny, may I make a suggestion.” Max stepped forward.

  “By all means, Catalano.”

  “Perhaps she could work for you. Have her do a few jobs. I mean, look at her, who would suspect her? I know I’d overlook her.”

  “She couldn’t stay here, though,” Dom piped up. His inability to stand still left him bouncing on his toes and swaying from side to side. “It’s too much of a risk.”

  “Get her an apartment in the city.”

  Vincent remained silent while the two men blathered back and forth, speaking as though my life played in their hands, and they made decisions for me as a parent would a young child.

  My pulse thumped in my ears, a mind-numbing, deafening sound. Fear mixed with anger in an odd dance. Max’s words repeated in my head one last time.

  You don’t want to get involved with them.

  However, wasn’t that just what he just suggested I do? To get involved with Vincent’s business?

  “I’m not going anywhere with any of you.”

  “Well, then I guess your brother is a dead man,” Dom laughed.

  I lunged for Vincent. My fingers wrapped around the lapels of his blazer. “No, please, no. Please, I’ll do anything, anything you want me to, just please don’t hurt Frank.”

  My world cracked around me, threatening to break into a thousand pieces. I stared at Vincent as I waited for him to disagree with his hired hand. Tears welled in my eyes, threatening to stream down my cheeks.

  “Oh, come on, Vinny.” Max stretched out his arm toward me. “Do you really want to do this to her? Or treat her this way?”

  “Forgiveness is weakness.” Dom mockingly snorted through his nose.

  “She is a lady and she’s doesn’t deserve this.” Max’s words growled thro
ugh his gritted teeth.

  “Weakness.”

  “Silence, you two.” Vincent’s eyes narrowed as his hands grabbed mine and removed them from his blazer. He flicked his wrist toward the two other men. “Leave us.”

  While Dom obeyed immediately, Max hesitated. “Vinny, are you sure you want to do this to her?”

  “I said leave us.”

  Max rubbed the back of his neck so hard the skin of his fingers turned white. Anxiousness seemed to crawl through his body and he paused a moment before finally consenting to his bosses demand.

  Vincent paced around me once more, and with his hands clasped together, he tapped his index fingers against his lips.

  “Miss Ford, I don’t want to hurt Frank any more than you want him hurt; however, he owes me a lot of money, and if word spread around that I allowed someone to stiff me . . .” He stopped in front of me and raised one eyebrow as though to emphasize his point. “You can see how that could pose a problem for me.”

  “Yes, I suppose I can.”

  “How about you and I come to a different arrangement?”

  “What do you have in mind, exactly?”

  His slipped his arm around my shoulders and squeezed me tight. A hinted notion that I would not like the thoughts running through his mind stole my breath and left a gaping hole in my confidence. I froze. My body stiffened, like a concrete statue in his arms.

  He leaned in to my ear, his voice barely a whisper. “All I ask is that you work off your brother’s debt and that you do so while remaining in my home.”

  I tried to wiggle from his grip, but he only tightened his hold upon me, forcing me to surrender.

  “And what work will I be required to do?”

  “Let’s just say that your top responsibility will be to enjoy the life I have to offer you. The finest clothes, beautiful jewels, delicious gourmet meals, and a warm, huge mansion all to yourself with servants catering to your every whim.”

  I continued to squirm until I finally broke free from his arm and I retreated away from him a few steps. “So to save my brother I have to become your whore?”

  “No.” He shook his head and raised his hands in the air. “No, such is not my expectation at all, nor would I ever treat you like one.”