Speak Easy (Speak Easy 1)

I shot her an evil eye, and crossed my arms. Something about the scene was throwing me off-kilter, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was.

“Can I pour the batter on?” Mary Grace pleaded, hopping off the table. She grabbed the ladle from a drawer.

“Sure. Come here.” Joey let her stand in front of him and put his hands over hers, one on the ladle and one on the edge of the bowl. “Now, scoop some…and carefully bring it over to the skillet…then dump it in.” He guided her arms and she managed to do it without dripping any batter on the floor or counter. I watched his hands over hers and felt a ridiculous tug of envy, but I also felt a ripple of warmth. It was good to see my sisters laughing, unaware of the trouble brewing outside their door.

“I need to get dressed,” I said, backing out of the room. Ascending the stairs slowly, I put a hand over my stomach and wondered why it felt so unsettled. The girls were safe, they didn’t know anything was amiss with Daddy, and I was halfway to making the ransom. I’d gotten the information Sam wanted, and Joey had said he’d negotiate with Sam. Maybe he’d even let me buy some of the stolen rum. I dropped my hand, my

shoulders straightening up. Yes, that’s it. Authentic rum was a rarity around here—our regular customers might not need more whisky yet, but perhaps they’d be willing to buy something more exotic.

Relieved for the moment, I decided I’d take a bath and wash my hair before dressing. I locked the bathroom door and turned on the water, letting it run over my hand as it warmed up. Tonight I’d go back to the club and deliver the six hundred to Enzo. I was thinking about buying a new dress to wear when a jolt of good sense struck me.

You’re supposed to stay away from him, remember? It shouldn’t matter what you look like—you’re going to give him the money and get out.

I put the stopper in the drain and let the tub fill. Dropping my robe and nightgown to the floor, I climbed in and stretched out in the warm water. I could still hear the music from downstairs, and Joey’s off-key baritone carried too. Humming along, I ran my hands over my stomach and small breasts. They’d taken forever to grow beyond walnut-size but they were a little bigger now, maybe half-an-orange-sized. I squeezed them gently, and when my nipples beaded I circled my palms over them lightly. I’m going to hell for this. But I closed my eyes and imagined the hands were someone else’s.

#

By the time I was dressed, my hair neat and dry, the girls had finished eating and the dishes were done. “I don’t believe it,” I said, pouring myself a cup of coffee. “I didn’t even hear any yelling down here.”

“They never complained once.” Joey had taken off the apron and was seated in a chair at the table, tilting its legs back. “Just did them without being asked, then disappeared out the back door.”

“Where’d they go?”

He looked blank and let the chair’s front legs hit the floor. “Oops—I didn’t ask.”

“It’s all right. They can’t get far.” I took a seat next to him.

“Are you hungry?” He slid a plate of pancakes and sausage across the checkered tablecloth.

“Mmm, thanks.” I picked up the maple syrup and poured some on. “How’s your head this morning?”

“It’s OK.”

“What did Sam say last night?” I asked, cutting into the pancakes.

“He won’t bother you this week.”

“Good.” I swallowed a syrupy bite, savoring its sweetness. “What about the rum?”

He brought his cup to his lips and took a long swallow before answering. “We wait at the tracks for the shipment and steal it. Or maybe hijack them on the road back. Sam hasn’t decided yet.”

Laying down the fork, I pushed the plate away from me. “Should I expect you back here at two in the morning again? Perhaps with a bullet in your chest?”

“Don’t worry about it. You gonna give that money to the cake-eater tonight?”

“I suppose so.”

“Don’t go to the club alone.” He drank again. “I wish we knew where they were keeping your pop. You think he’s there in the building somewhere?”

“Enzo said he wasn’t.”

Joey rolled his eyes. “And we all know Enzo’s on the level.”

My face got hot. “I’m just telling you what he said.”

“Well, as far as I’m concerned, that guy’s word is worth less than a load of pig shit. I told you not to trust him.”

“I don’t trust anybody!”