Page 25 of Romancing the Rumrunner
Jessie smiled. “I know you would be, Joe. But you aren’t the only one whose livelihood is on the line. What about Charlie? And Maude? Jobs seem to be getting scarcer by the day.”
Jessie knew that Charlie hadn’t been able to find anything permanent that would keep bread on his table and his bills paid until Jessie had hired him. Maude, too, had been at the end of her rope when Jessie had offered her the job singing at The Red Phoenix. If The Red Phoenix were to close, what would Maude do? Oh, she’d have no problem getting hired at another speakeasy, but most of them were run by Capone’s or Willie’s men. Not exactly a great working environment for a single lady. At least Maude was safe at The Red Phoenix.
So, as tired as Jessie was, as frazzled as she was keeping The Red Phoenix open and having to deal with cops and prohi agents—andsinging at The Corkscrew—she just couldn’t close the speakeasy yet. Too many people were depending on her for their living, either through the speakeasy or the butcher shop. She had to ride it out a little longer until she had all her debts paid off and enough stockpiled to keep things running should business slow down again.
“You take on too much, Jessie.” Joe patted her arm. “You don’t have to do it all alone, you know.”
Jessie smiled and covered his hand with her own. With her dad gone, Joe had stepped into the father role. Aside from Maude, he was the only one Jessie trusted. It was nice to have someone to share that burden with, though even Joe didn’t know everything about the speakeasy. Where the main stash of gin was, for instance, or the location of the private door Jessie used. Jessie tried to operate on a need-to-know basis, just in case any of her people were picked up by the Feds or one of her rivals. They couldn’t reveal secrets they didn’t know.
And as much as Jessie would love the help, she wanted to keep Joe and Maude as ignorant as possible. The less they knew, the less involved they were, the safer they were.
“I know, Joe. And I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the offer. I promise if it gets to be too much, I’ll consider it.”
“Uh, huh,” Joe mumbled, pinning her with an exasperated look that said he knew she needed help and was just being too stubborn to ask for it.
Jessie smiled. She loved the old guy. “Actually, now that you mention it, I was thinking of having you help out a bit more. And Charlie too, if he can.”
“Of course. You need Charlie to take more hours in the shop?”
“If he could, just for a few weeks, and I’ll need you to run things here for a few extra nights a week.”
Joe’s brow crinkled. “We’re happy to help, of course. It’s about time you let us take on more.” He folded his arms and stared at her. “You mind if I ask why you’re letting us help all of a sudden?”
“You worry too much, Joe,” she said, standing and giving him a hug.
“Not enough, I’d say. Someone needs to worry about you now and then.”
“Here,” she said, smiling and handing him several folders. “The receipts for the past month and the time sheets for the staff. If you could go over my figures, make sure everything is correct, I’ll get the cash so you can divvy up the payroll.”
Joe nodded and took the files out to the bar area where he could spread everything out.
As soon as the door closed behind him, Jessie slid down in her chair a bit, until her head rested on the back of the chair, and let her eyes close. The stress weighing on her shoulders eased a little. Joe would run things at The Red Phoenix. The shop would be in the capable hands of Charlie. He was only nineteen, not too much younger than she was, though at times he seemed like an over-eager puppy. To be fair, that was mostly when Maude was in the shop. Jessie couldn’t blame him. Maude was divine. Other than that, Charlie had a good level head on his shoulders. Jessie could trust him.
In any case, right now, she could spare a few minutes to relax.
Someone knocked on her door and Jessie stood up and laughed. Looked like quiet time was over.
…
Tony slammed the envelope down on his desk and took a deep breath. It wouldn’t do to go breaking everything in his office. That would only cost him more money. Money he wouldn’t have unless he could pinch the damn Phoenix and get his career going again. He’d been having fun living on the Feds’ dime, but that clambake wasn’t going to last for long, especially if he couldn’t deliver what they were looking for and soon. The initial month they’d given had come and gone. It had taken much longer to get things set up and get him established at The Corkscrew than they’d anticipated. His timeframe had been extended, but the Feds would run out of patience eventually.
And right now, the only thing he had going for him was that Jessie was working at The Corkscrew. Maybe that meant she wasn’t as close to the Phoenix as they’d thought. Or that they’d had a falling out. Then again, she could be working both sides. Or maybe it meant nothing at all.
Ton sighed and slumped into his chair, rubbing his hands over his face before sliding down so he could rest his head on the back of his chair. He stared at a water spot on the ceiling and for the millionth time, he cursed himself for letting his life fall so completely apart.
Two years ago, he’d been a highly respected detective on the fast track to career glory. He’d brought in more criminals and closed more cases than anyone else on the force. He’d not only been the best at his job, he’d loved it too. Not something every man could say. He’d had it good. A nice apartment, a closet full of good suits, and a beautiful dame on his arm.
Lucille. Now, just her name made him cringe. He’d been a goner for her, one of those guys other guys mocked. He’d have done anything for her. And had. Which was why when she had come to him with a tip on where he could find Willie the Weasel’s newest bootlegging operation, he hadn’t questioned it. All she had to do was blink up at him with her big brown eyes and say, “Trust me,” and he had turned into a total sap. She was his girl.
Or so he had thought.
Turned out she had really been Willie’s girl, and that tip she’d given him was baloney, a smoke screen to keep the cops busy while Willie set up his new operation somewhere else. When Tony had realized he’d been double-crossed, he hadn’t believed it, at first. Hadn’t believed that Lucille had set him up like that. His captain told him to bring her in, but he couldn’t do it. Couldn’t put her in cuffs and drag her into the precinct like some crook.
He’d been sure she’d been coerced somehow, threatened. Thought if he could get her alone, talk to her, he could find out the truth.
The truth had been that she was a lying, no good floozy that he should have run from the second he’d clapped eyes on her. But he hadn’t wanted to believe that either. He had gone charging in after her, against his captain’s orders, still not believing she’d done him wrong until the gun had rung out and one of Willie’s guys had put a bullet through his partner’s head.
He had lost everything because of her. His job, the respect of his colleagues, his self-respect. His partner.
