Speak Easy (Speak Easy 1)

You kissed him, remember?

“That is not the goddamn point!” I yelled to no one.

I shoved my own culpability to the back of my mind and drove to Bridget’s. To my relief, Joey’s car was parked behind the store. Breathless, I rushed in the back door and found him unpacking boxes in the stock room. “Thank God you’re here.”

Joey lifted his brow. “Did I hear that right?”

“This is serious.” I took the carton of Armour’s Oats he was holding and threw it back into the box. “Come with me.” Dragging him by the arm into the alley, I shut the back door and threw my hands in the air. “They screwed me!”

“Who?”

“The DiFiores! At least, I assume that’s who it is.” I told him what had happened at Al Murphy’s house.

Joey crossed his arms. “How’d they know your pop supplied Murphy?”

My neck got hot. “I mighta let that slip when I was with Enzo the other night.”

He pressed his lips together. “So now what?”

“Now I hang myself, Joey! I don’t know what to do.” I slapped a hand to my sticky forehead. The air was hot and heavy, and I figured it would probably storm tonight, making a run across the lake much more difficult, if not impossible. I kicked the brick wall, which hurt my foot, and then slumped back against it.

“All right now, just relax. Let me think.”

“If I don’t get five grand by tomorrow night…”

“I said, let me think.” Joey looked down the alley for a moment. “I gotta make some calls.”

“Wait.” I grabbed his bicep. “No gang stuff.”

He held up his hands. “No promises, Tiny. You want your dad back, you might have to trade some favors.” He pointed at the store. “You go in there and help Bridget. I’ll call you here later.”

I hopped from one foot to the other. “When? It’s almost three, and if I don’t unload those eight cases of whisky today…” I hated how panicky and small my voice sounded, but all my confidence in myself was shot.

“I got it. Now go in there and make yourself useful.” Finally he attempted a grin. “Although I know that’s hard for you.”

#

Joey finally called the store around six, just as Bridget and I were closing up. When the telephone rang, I

was sweeping near the front door, but I dropped the broom and vaulted over the counter to grab it. “Hello?”

“It’s me.”

“Yes?”

“I got it worked out. Meet me tonight, ten o’clock, at the boathouse.”

I turned away from Bridget’s quizzical stare. “And?”

“And bring the keys for the hearses. Any of them that run.”

#

After supper, Mary Grace went outside to play, but I pulled Molly aside before she could follow. “I need to talk to you.”

She took her arm from my grasp. “Well, I’m meeting someone, so hurry up.”

“I have to make a late run tonight.” I’d decided to be up front with her. In case anything happened, someone should know where I went.