Harmony (37 page)

She nodded and let them lead her to the back. She glanced back over her shoulder. Grease Man was watching her closely.

***

Romano rolled up his sleeves. He walked the line of the dining room table and scanned the arsenal spread over the surface. Weapons of his choosing were brought in. He had enough ammo to get him through the battle, however, not enough men to win the war.

Ignacio entered and the four men gathered turned their gazes toward him. Gio had a family and had left hours ago. Those still gathered were like him, drifters, lost without a purpose. None of the men among them feared death. Each lived as if this day would be their last. Maybe in Sicily they’d have been gladiators in a different time. He reflected on a lot of nonsense lately. Many of his desires were lost on the future he’d forged for himself through fist and blood.

“
News?” he asked, snapping his mind clear of wistful wants and focusing again.

“
None.” Ignacio said, his voice grim. “Streets are quiet. They could ride on us at anytime. My guess is we’ll get a visit tonight.”

Romano chuckled. Mickey Collins was as predictable as he was a coward. The advantage would be to settle things in the light of day. The cabins were exclusive enough for it. But of course his nemesis had no tactical plan, and that was to his advantage.

Another truth burned his gut, one his pride and reputation withered under. He simply wasn’t enough of a priority for the men he used to command respect from. He drew out a chair and dropped in it. “Let them come.”

***

Four hours had passed. She sat behind a locked door for four long hours. Harmony kept the gun in her lap and her eyes trained on the only entrance in the room that felt more like a prison with each passing minute. Vinnie could be dead by now. They had the seven thousand dollars already. She’d been dumb enough to leave the money with them. The longer she waited the more she saw the flaws in her plan. She gave up her only leverage and showed her hand too soon. The situation was grave.

The door opened.

Harmony picked up the Johnny Ringo with a loaded chamber. She’d put a bullet in herself before she let any man rape her or worse. But first she planned to take out whoever came for her. The hold on the pistol tightened and her hand shook with nervous tension.

Grease Man walked in. When standing he was much taller and imposing. Lewis said they called him Grease because he was one of those black men who straightened his hair with axle grease. It was true, slicked back over his head it shined like hot tar. Grease was tall, like Vinnie, but a bit leaner. He dressed nicer than the Negroes in Henderson’s orchestra, with a fancy tailored grey suit and newly polished shoes. He wasn’t a man to be teased or tested. Grease had a serious reputation for having a short fuse.

He didn’t bother to close the door behind him and she felt a bit at ease for it. He had no weapon on him either. Harmony lowered the pistol. She still couldn’t calm her racing heart to breathe normally.

“
You got a lot of courage coming down here the way you did Jazz Singer. Queenie respects that. Lewis said you were tough.” Grease Man wagged a finger at her. “But he never said you were stupid.”

“
I’m not.”

Grease laughed. “We shall see.”

“
So Lewis talked to you about me?”

Grease pulled a chair over, and turned it around so he could straddle the seat. He studied her for a moment before he spoke. “He did. Talked about you quite a bit. Mostly about your singing. I heard a few others drop your name when you started down at The Cotton.”

She nodded, unsure if he waited on a response.

“
Like I said you got balls.”

“
Has Queenie… uh Madame St. Clair decided?”

He nodded.

She waited for her answer.

He stared.

“
And?” she pressed.

“
Here’s how it is. We don’t give a fuck about Vincenzio Romano. In fact if I had a say I’d tell Queenie to take the money you gave and the money you got stashed probably in that car you drove up in, and be done with it. Thing is Queenie’s smarter than that. And you knew that didn’t you?”

“
I only took a chance and guessed she could help.”

“
Right.” He paused a breath, licked his lips and lifted his gaze from her breasts. “Your deal couldn’t have come at a better time. Planning to open our own numbers bank, and ten thousand would make it happen. Queenie is pissed at the Sicilians, how they keep moving in and pushing us out. She wants in on this fight. She likes the idea of sending Luciano a message.”

“
So she
will
help me?”

“
We sent Syl to get more info. They’ll be riding on your man in an hour. Mickey Collins wants to put the bullet in him, himself.”

“
No!” she stood. “We have to leave now.”

Grease sneered.

“
I said we have to leave now!” she lifted the gun and leveled it at him. Grease Man’s sneer faded. He narrowed his gaze on her. Vinnie told her if she pulled a gun she’d have to use it. If Grease Man didn’t give her a reason soon not to, she intended to do just that.

“
When this is done Jazz Singer, where you planning to land?”

“
On my feet and out of Harlem. That’s where.” She held the gun on him with both hands. “I want to see Madame. Now.”

“
It’s not about what you want, haven’t you got that by now?” He stood, and she did too. The chair between them and the gun in her hands made her braver. He glanced down at the pistol then back up into her eyes. “Ever fire it?”

“
Wanna find out?” she asked.

He snickered. “Hot damn! Fine and feisty, just how God intended to make women. Until they get so bogged down with being a lady. That’s not you, is it Jazz Singer? I’ve heard what the girls at The Cotton do. After this is done you and I need to finish this conversation.”

“
It was over when you told me that Queenie would help him. Nothing else to discuss.”

“
Oh I don’t know Jazz Singer. Things are going to change in Harlem with Queenie and the boys in charge.” He reached and touched a lose lock on her shoulder and she remained very still, but she lowered the gun an inch. “Eventually you’ll need another favor, and I can’t wait to set the terms.”

He turned and walked out. “Leaving soon. We’ll come for you when it’s done.”

“
I’m going!”

Grease stopped. “Come again?”

“
I’m going. I can take care of myself.”

His brows arched in surprise. Then he smiled again shaking his head. “Of course you can.”

Sundown –

As soon as darkness spread through the hills and the forest surrounding his land he heard the roar of the first engine. Vinnie glanced up to the other men. Quick and silent each grabbed their weapons and dispersed.

He grabbed his Thompson with a loaded 20 shot magazine and headed for the front of the house. The only choice left to him would be to hold them off from the front and waste as many as they could before breaking out of the back and luring the rest of Mickey’s gang into the woods. It was a solid plan. Anywhere else on his property left them too vulnerable. He was grateful for the dark, his eyes adjusted to it well. They kept the lights off. When he approached the window he immediately realized things for him would never go as planned.

Not only had Mickey himself come along for the showdown, he brought a total of ten cars loaded with men. To make matters worse they circled the cabin, men posting up on the sides and to the back. Romano and his men would be boxed in.

“
Out here now Romano!” Mickey Collins yelled. “Maybe I’ll put a bullet in ya and send you to your queer brother early!”

Romano froze. He thought his favor had fallen because of his affair with Harmony. He was almost sure that Antonio’s sins weren’t known. But of course his brother’s revenge would reach from the grave, and now he understood the reason so many of his men walked away. He had to wonder about the four that remained. The death sentence they would be sentenced to tonight didn’t seem worth the sacrifice.

Pushing all thoughts of doubt from his mind he squinted and tried to focus on the scene unfolding outside of the window. Large orbs of lights from the cars glared back. He could see shadows exit the vehicles but couldn’t gain a good viewpoint. And it dawned on him, he had chosen his position wrong. He should have gone upstairs and picked the motherfuckers off one by one.

Before he could turn and break for the stairs. One of his boys inside the house got trigger-happy. He fired off a shot that set off a firestorm of gun blasts. Romano dropped to the floor. At first he thought he was hit. His left arm burned so badly he believed it had been blown off from his shoulder. But he soon realized that wasn’t the case. Every window around him imploded and a shard of glass had impaled itself in his back left bicep. He lifted and turned his arm to yank it out and winced in pain. Blood ran down his arm into his hand. More blood than he expected. But he gripped the Thompson and raised it, a bit feeble in his aim, and shot off his first rounds. He intended to drive the fuckers back the best way he could.

Harmony had been forced to travel behind the men assigned to help her. It gave her less of a sense of control tailing them and not leading the way. She wanted them to drive faster, needed them to hurry, but they travelled at a pace far too slow. She chewed on her bottom lip and thought the rest of her plan through. If they arrived too late, things would turn nasty quick. If they arrived too early then Vinnie would be furious with her for interfering. And these men had no intention of leaving without the additional three thousand she promised as payment. She lied and told them the money was at the cabin. If they believed otherwise they probably would have taken the bounty and done away with her.

However, her biggest problem remained. She’d fired the rifle and her new pistol until she became fairly handy with a weapon under Vinnie’s instruction, but now she’d have to actually consider firing at something other than a rusted can. She’d have to kill a man or two, even three. Harmony gripped the steering wheel tighter. She’d never hurt another soul in her life. Other than her striking Vinnie and drawing a knife on him she’d never had violence near her. Lewis was always gentle and caring. His fits of anger would send him out the door before he lost control. Now she’d grown harder, colder, and she wasn’t sure of who she’d become.

All because of love?

Harmony shook her head sadly. Destiny and the winding path she travelled toward it was set. She could no more turn back the last several weeks of her downslide if she wanted to. And the truth was she didn’t want to.

Vinnie coughed up the stench of sulfur clogging his throat and tossed his useless machine gun. He grabbed two Colts and ran for the back of the cabin. The gunfight had gone on far longer than he anticipated. He heard the howls of at least two of his men somewhere in the house. He knew he’d taken out six of Mickey Collins’s men, but had no idea how many more circled. If he didn’t make a move they’d be on him soon, and he’d probably be out of ammo. Either way he refused to go down on his knees. So he kicked out the back door and started firing.

The first bullet caught a gun-wielding man by surprise and blew off the side of his face. Vinnie seized the window of opportunity and spread his arms firing from every side, dropping men trying to fire back. Damn it all to hell but there were too many of them. He kept firing. He charged down the steps of the back porch too fast. If he had taken the time to assess the numbers he’d have seen the one behind him. The gunshot whizzed past the right side of his face and clipped his ear. The pain exploded through his skull and he was temporarily thrown deaf. He collapsed.

The man stomping down the steps of the porch behind him aimed for the kill shot. Vinnie braced for death, welcoming the event.

“
Don’t!” he heard another yell. “It’s Romano. Jacob go get the boss. Tell him we got him.”

He wasn’t sure if the men thought he was dead. He lay face down. Twice in the night he’d escaped serious injury. Would this be a third?

“
Get his weapon!”

“
Boss the others are dead!” A man confirmed. Vinnie winced, the pain to the side of his face and arm so intense he felt as if his skin was melting from the bone. He inhaled dirt and nearly choked on the damp soil.