“I don’t get it,” Evelyn said as she watched Rosie and I dress for Club 23 in their bedroom. “Why does she get to go with you and I don’t?”
The hurt on her face wrenched my heart, but I refused to put Evelyn in danger. Rosie could handle herself. “I’m only giving her a ride there, Evvy. I have to drop something off for my father again, and I don’t intend to stay. Can you fasten this?” I was wearing an old black dress of Rosie’s, which had a small tear at the side seam and was too big for me, but still better than being seen again in the blue. She let me wear the headband again too. If I ever had money to spend on myself again, I’d buy my own.
“I’ve never seen you wear black,” said Rosie, darkening her caramel lashes to soot. “It looks good on you.”
Evelyn helped me with the tiny snaps at the side of the dress but continued to grumble. “I’ve hardly even seen you this week.”
I hugged her. “I want to get in and out of there quickly,” I said. Alive, I left out. “And the men I have to deal with are not the sort of men you want to meet. It’s too dangerous.”
“I might like dangerous men.”
“Oh, please,” put in Rosie from the mirror. Her rouge matched her satin dress—the shortest dress I’d ever seen off a movie screen. “You don’t drink much, you don’t smoke at all, and you don’t know how to dance. What would you do there?”
“I’m a better dancer than Tiny, and she’s going.”
“Tiny’s got connections.” I detected the note of admiration in Rosie’s voice. “When you get some of those, you can go too.” She gave Evelyn a patronizing little pat on the head. If I was Evelyn, I’d have kicked her.
“Next time, I promise.” I squeezed her shoulder. “You are a better dancer than me, and we’ll go to a club together soon, OK? Maybe Joey will take us.”
She brightened a little at his name. “All right.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Leaving a disappointed Evelyn at the door, Rosie and I climbed into my Ford. “I do wish we had a better mode of transportation.” She wrinkled her pert little nose. “This jalopy really isn’t my style.”
“Want to walk?” I asked tersely. “I can give you directions, but you’re on your own for the password.”
“I’m only joking. Don’t have a kitten.” Rosie patted my shoulder.
My fingers tightened around the steering wheel.
“You mentioned Joey. He coming tonight?” Rosie batted her spidery lashes at me.
“No.”
“Too bad. I like those big brown eyes. But there will be plenty of other eyes there.”
Mine slid sideways. “All on you in that dress.”
She shimmied her shoulders. “That’s the way I like it.”
I took the same route Joey had driven Saturday night and parked along the quiet downtown side street. My password worked again, and we were sent through the winding basement hallway that ended at the club’s main room, where Rosie stood slack-jawed for a full ten seconds. Finally she whistled, slung an arm around me, and spoke loudly over the raucous music. “I take back everything I’ve ever said about ya, Frances. You’re the cat’s meow.” She dug a cigarette out of her purse and eyed a table full of young men near the dance floor. Glancing over her shoulder as she headed for them, she said, “See ya.”
Left alone, I gulped back my nerves and looked around the room. I didn’t see Enzo or Angel, and I didn’t want them to spot me until I had all the money. It was nine-thirty, which meant I had to kill half an hour before Joey arrived. Keeping my eyes low, I went to the far end of the bar and stood with my back to the crowd, hoping to be invisible.
No such luck.
“What’ja do, bring your homework?” Pimple-faced Harry parked himself on my left and gestured at the envelope I clutched to my side.
“Get lost.” I kept my eyes down.
“Why do all the pretty ones gotta be so unfriendly, Raymond?”
I stiffened at the name of Angel’s other son, the one who’d dragged me through the garage.
“Dunno, Harry.” Raymond’s voice came from my right. “But this one’s pretty all right. And she’s got nice little round tits too. I copped a feel of ‘em when I was holding her down.”
I looked at him sharply, considering a knee to the groin. “You did not.”