Page 52 of Romancing the Rumrunner
Jameson leaned forward again. “Well, now. Thatisinteresting. If he were threatening her, it would be reasonable to assume that she and the Phoenix, if thereisa Phoenix, were encroaching on his territory. But a friendly visit…well that implies a nice, working relationship, doesn’t it? Or a relationship of some sort, anyway. Did you speak with her after you saw this?”
“Yes. She seemed shaken.”
Jameson waved that off. “That could be chalked up to you walking in minutes after Russo left. She must have been wondering if you’d seen him.”
Tony had thought the same thing, but he didn’t feel the need to let Jameson know that. He was cooperating, but he didn’t have to go overboard with it.
“What do you mean, if there is a Phoenix?”
Jameson looked at him like he was a complete dumkuff. “There have been rumors about the Phoenix for as long as the speakeasy has been open. But no one has ever seen the man. No one. Except Miss Harlan. Have you seen or heard any evidence at all to suggest that he exists?”
The answer was no. Jessie spent all day at her shop and nights in either his club or The Red Phoenix. That didn’t mean that the Phoenix wasn’t running things at The Red Phoenix while Jessie was with him, but what kind of man let his woman out of his sight for that long? Let her work at a rival speakeasy? And why hadn’t he ever been seen, even in his own club? Tony had heard of keeping a low profile, but this was crazy.
But the alternative was something that Tony had tried hard not to consider. Because if there was no Phoenix, that meant that Jessie was the one in charge. And that complicated his life to a degree he didn’t think he could recover from.
“That’s what I thought,” Jameson said, not needing to hear from Tony what they both already knew. “Anything else happen?”
Tony sighed. “They exchanged envelopes. Russo came in and Jessie hurried off and came back with one which she gave to him. They spoke for awhile and then Russo handed her an envelope.”
Jameson grimaced. “Well now, that’s fairly important information, Solomon. Might have been best to lead off with that. That settles it then. She’s on Willie’s payroll.”
“That doesn’t settle anything. We don’t even know what was in the envelope. For all we know, they were exchanging recipes.”
“Unlikely.”
“Maybe. But we’ve got no evidence of anything just yet. I’m the only witness that Russo was even there. It’d be his word against mine. And we’ve got no proof that he gave her anything.”
Tony didn’t mention that he had pictures of the whole transaction.
“Then you’ll just have to go get some proof, won’t you? We are too close to this to lose it now, Solomon. Whatever personal feelings you have about this, forget them. You’ve got a job to do.”
Tony stood and headed for the door.
“And Solomon.”
He stopped, only turning half around.
“I’ll expect you to come back with something soon. This has been dragging on long enough. Finish it.”
Tony left before he planted his fist in Jameson’s face.
…
Jessie sat at her desk, reading over the newspaper clipping for what was probably the hundredth time. She didn’t know what to do about it. On the one hand, she hated to judge anyone for his past. Everyone made mistakes. Some larger than others. But still, if she condemned everyone who had screwed up in the past, she’d never be able to trust anyone, including herself. On the other hand, Tony used to be a cop. With close ties to the Feds. It meant he knew Jameson, not because Jameson was harassing him but because they used to be on the same team. And very likely still were.
The most probable scenario was what she’d thought all along, one that she had shied away from because thinking it caused an ache in her chest that made it difficult to breathe. That Tony had been trying to get close to her in order to get information out of her. Only he didn’t want it for himself, but for his buddy Jameson. And the romance? All those lingering glances and kisses that made the seams on her stockings curl? What were they? Was it real? Did he care for her? Or desire her, at least? Or was it all part of his ploy?
She should be angry, furious. But instead she was filled with an infinite sadness that rolled over her in bitter waves, lapping at the happiness she’d thought for a moment she might find.
This is why she’d never let anyone get too close. If you let people in, they used you, then threw you away. She was better off alone. At least, if she was alone she wouldn’t feel this crushing sorrow that leeched into her heart and destroyed her from the inside out.
She shoved the clipping in a drawer and closed up her office, heading back into the tunnels beneath the shop’s cellar. Maybe it was time to end her singing career. Cut ties with Tony before they got any closer. Especially with Willie sniffing around and making not-so-veiled threats. She should end it all. Before Tony had a chance to hurt her worse than she was already hurting. The thought of not seeing him anymore made her heart ache. But better an ache now than shattered pieces later.
“Jessie?” Joe called to her from the storeroom.
She followed the sound of his voice and found him packing a few cases for the night ahead at The Red Phoenix.
“Not too much longer,” she said, running her hand down one of the empty shelves. There wasn’t much left in here. She had more than enough to keep the club running for several more years, squirreled away in other rooms. But her plan had always been to shut things down once this room was empty. Just long enough to pay off Willie and ensure her shop could stay on its feet. Judging by the looks of things, she had only enough booze in this room to keep the speakeasy running for another month or two. One more payment to Willie. And then she could close things down. It would be a relief.
