Enzo stiffened. “What is he to you?”
“A friend.”
Silence. “I won’t have to hurt him if he cooperates. And I won’t have to marry Gina if I get the cash for the drugs.”
It was so dark, I couldn’t read his eyes. I wanted everything he was offering. And I didn’t want him to marry Gina. What had he said to me this morning? You and I are going to have to trust each other a little bit.
I took a breath. “It’s in the boathouse.”
A smile crept onto his lips, slow and sinister. “Shall we take a ride?”
I struggled to sit up. “No!”
He shifted me onto the seat beside him and started the car.
Panicked, I put my hands on his arm and tugged. “Please, Enzo. Just wait, all right?” It occurred to me that I wasn’t entirely positive the drugs were still in the boathouse. Even if they had been there earlier today, Joey might have moved them after dropping me off. I hung on as he swung the car around and headed back onto Jefferson. “Listen, I wasn’t supposed to tell you anything yet, and now I’ll be in trouble.”
Enzo laughed. “Trouble is your middle name, darling.”
Frowning, I scooted away from him and stared out the window. Enzo rarely used any terms of endearment with me, and somehow this one lacked a certain affection I was hoping to develop between us. Why the hell couldn’t I meet a normal fellow like Evelyn had? One who took me to the movies or a dance on a Saturday night?
Enzo turned off Jefferson onto the boathouse drive, and I had to reach out and steady myself again as the Packard bumped and shimmied over the tree-rutted and potholed dirt. Low hanging branches scraped against the windows, and Enzo swore softly. “Fucking trees better not ruin this paint job. I just got this car.”
I felt like spitting on the new upholstery, and I might have if I weren’t so scared.
When we emerged into the clearing where the abandoned boathouse stood, a shiver ran through me. This is where I’d been abducted just a few nights ago by Raymond and Harry, and I didn’t much feel like reliving that memory. Beyond the dilapidated old structure, Lake St. Clair loomed, black and silent. I wrapped my bare arms around myself, feeling exposed and vulnerable in my nightgown. “I’ll wait here.”
Enzo looked over at me but didn’t reply. After pulling his braces back onto his shoulders, he got out of the car and opened the door to the back. I thought he might be looking for his coat but instead he reached down and retrieved a pistol from beneath the seat. My mouth hung open as he checked it for bullets.
“What the hell is that for?” I whispered. “There’s nobody here!”
“Then there won’t be any trouble.” His tone was cool and confident—of course it was— but he glanced over both shoulders as he walked past the giant weeping willow to the boathouse door. The waning moon offered little light, so I didn’t see how he managed to pick the lock, but within seconds his white shirt disappeared into the shadows of the building.
I swallowed hard, murmuring a quick prayer that the drugs were there, that Enzo wouldn’t want to take them tonight
, and that Joey would forgive me for this.
Before I even got the chance to say Amen, the gun went off.
Chapter Four
I opened the car door and took off running for the boathouse before I thought it through. “Enzo!” I yelled as I crossed the threshold into the cool, dark space. Stopping just inside the door, I was relieved to see him standing there, unharmed. His back was to me, and both his hands were in the air near his shoulders. Neither hand held the pistol.
“Tiny, go back outside please.”
I barely heard the words over the galloping of my heart, which felt like someone’s fist trying to punch through my ribs. I looked around, confused. The voice was deep and familiar, but it wasn’t Enzo’s. Inching forward, I scanned the shadows and saw Joey standing next to a large trunk, pointing a gun at Enzo. “Joey?”
“I said, go back outside.” He kept his eyes and his weapon on Enzo.
“No! What are you doing?” I tried walking toward him, but immediately someone threw a thick arm around me from behind and pinned my back to his chest—not hard enough to hurt me, but enough to prevent me from moving forward. I tugged at the wrist, to no avail. “Hey!”
“Take her out, Angelo.” Joey’s voice was colder than I’d ever heard it, which must have been why I hadn’t recognized it right away.
“Hold on, just wait a second.” I struggled to free myself from Angelo’s hairy left arm. Like Enzo and Joey, he wore no coat and his cuffs were rolled. His right arm extended toward Enzo, gun aimed. “What is this?”
“It’s a meeting,” said Angelo. “Thanks for setting it up.”
“What do you mean, setting it up? I didn’t do this!” I panicked, imagining Enzo would think I’d sent him into a trap.