“Ask your pop for the money. He owes you, I’d say.”
“Easier said than done. I have no idea what his business will be like from now on. If Angel insists on a high cut, he won’t be making as much, especially if he’s got to cut the River Gang in too. Are they still intent on transporting all loads across the river for a fee?”
“Yeah. But I still don’t get why your dad met with Angel today.”
“That’s because I haven’t told you the final piece of the story.” I took a deep breath. “Angel released Daddy and me in exchange for making a business deal that sort of makes him a partner in the bootlegging operation.”
Joey sat straight up. “What do you mean, released you?”
“Well, after you left for Chicago with the stolen load, Enzo’s younger brother Raymond and his buddy Harry lured me to the boathouse with the ransom money, stole it, and took me to a cabin in the woods, where they’d also taken Daddy.”
“What!” Shock rippled through the word. “What the hell for?”
“In their greedy little minds it made sense—they thought they’d use the ransom money to start running dope or something, and Raymond wanted to prove to his father he was a big-time player, like his brother.” I took another swallow, grateful for the numbing buzz of the whisky. “But it backfired because Harry kept calling Raymond stupid, so Raymond shot him and dragged his body into the woods. Then Daddy and I convinced him we’d go into business with him to show his father and brother how important he was.”
“Jesus Christ, are you kidding me?” Joey’s mouth hung open, and he ran a hand through his thick, unruly brown hair.
“Nope. But once he brought me back to town, I managed to escape and get to Enzo.”
Joey’s eyelids lowered. “Let me guess. He’s the fucking hero.”
“Not exactly.” I ignored his sarcasm. “Angel was furious with Raymond f
or interfering, and he was already mad at Enzo about the hijacked booze.”
“Good.” Joey picked up his glass for a gulp.
“So I got Angel to release us both by assuring him Daddy would work for him, or at least pay him the percentage he’d wanted in the first place.”
“Fucking brilliant.”
I stiffened. “I did what I had to, Joey. I was scared.”
He closed his eyes, leaned back on his elbows, and tipped his chin up, exhaling toward the sky. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left you alone here.”
Right then I made the decision not to tell him that Raymond had wanted me as part of the deal, or how he’d attacked me at the club last night—not only would he feel more guilt, but I’d have to tell him that it was Enzo who broke into the room and fought off his brother before I clubbed him with a heavy lamp. And then later, in Enzo’s room…
I shoved the memory of sex with Enzo from my mind. “It’s not your fault, Joey. You did everything you could to help me get that ransom money. I’m so grateful to you, and Daddy is too. We have our freedom, at least; the rest is just a business deal.”
Joey didn’t open his eyes right away. I wrapped my arms around my knees, and we sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to a scratchy piano waltz coming from the phonograph downstairs, before he spoke. “You need to go back to school. Get out of this business. It’s not for you.”
Tipping sideways a little, I elbowed him. “Look who’s talking. Haven’t we had this conversation before? I believe it was you who said, ‘The movies make you want things. I’m gonna get ‘em.’”
He shook his head. “We’re different, Tiny. You’ve got the brains to make something of yourself without being in danger all the time.”
“So do you! I was thinking about it earlier, during supper. You could take over here, or use the money you get from the opium to open up your own restaurant or something. You’re talented, Joey. You don’t need to spend your life breaking laws or skulls to make a buck.”
He sat up and rubbed a hand on the back of his neck. “We’re not talking about me. It’s you who got the good marks in school. I screwed around too much, didn’t care enough. If I could go back, I’d do a lot of things differently.”
“You mean school?”
“I mean a lot of things.”
What I would do differently if I could go back and change something in my life? For the most part, I’d done well in school and stayed out of trouble. Taking care of the house and watching over my sisters took up a lot of time, and I’d worked for Daddy a lot the last few years too. There may have been a boy or two I wish I hadn’t kissed, but I had no major regrets so far—unless Enzo turned out to be a big mistake. Which is entirely possible.
Joey looked over at me. “So why don’t you get a different job? Make the tuition money on your own?”
I groaned. “I think I’ll have to.”