let him live, then I want more than peace with the son of a bitch. I want him to subject himself to my authority.”
“This might help bring that about,” Vizzini said.
“What do you think, Nick?” Tangeleno asked Morello.
Morello shook his head. “I would say yes, if we knew we could get the ones who actually killed our men. But to just randomly kill three of his men? What if they are innocent?”
“None of his men are innocent. All right, Sal, kill three of them, then go meet with De Luca and see if he is ready to listen to reason.”
Vizzini chuckled. He knew what “listen to reason” meant. When dealing with Tangeleno, those were often the last words a person heard.
“Don Tangeleno, let me go talk to De Luca first,” Morello said. “I still think we can work it out.”
“You can go talk to him after Vizzini takes care of his business,” Tangeleno said.
Hawke looked up from the piano keyboard as Vizzini came down the stairs. As usual, Vizzini spoke to no one, nor did he come into the parlor for a drink as many did. Instead he walked straight for the door, opened it, and stepped outside.
A few moments later Evangeline came down the stairs, staying against the wall. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she kept in the shadows as she went into the kitchen.
When Hawke finished his number, he got up and went into the kitchen, where he poured himself a cup of coffee. Evangeline was sitting back in the corner, wiping away tears as she talked quietly with Doney. They were in the middle of a conversation, so involved that neither of them noticed Hawke when he came in.
“Honey, I know he be a big man in the Family and all, but that don’t give him the right to hurt you,” Doney was saying.
“You don’t understand,” Evangeline said.
“I understands, all right. You think he marry you. Maybe I just be a maid, but I got enough sense to know that a man like Vizzini ain’ goin’ marry no Cajun girl. ’Specially no Cajun girl that be a whore, besides.”
“Doney! What a thing to say!” Evangeline said.
Doney reached out to put her hand on Evangeline’s. “Honey, I don’ mean nothin’ bad by what I said. I just want you to know the truth, so’s Vizzini don’t hurt you no more.”
Hawke took a sip of his coffee and studied Evangeline over the rim for a second or two.
“If he treats you like that, why do you have anything to do with him?” Hawke asked.
Evangeline looked up in surprise. She didn’t realize that Hawke was in the kitchen and had overheard her conversation with Doney.
“You don’t understand,” Evangeline said. “He doesn’t mean to hurt me, he just gets a little carried away sometimes.”
“Would you like me to have a little talk with him?” Hawke asked.
“No no,” Evangeline said animatedly. “I mean, it’s sweet of you, but….”
“What you are saying is, you don’t think he would listen to me?”
“No, I…I didn’t mean that, exactly. But you are just a piano player and…uh,” Evangeline started, then she stopped. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean any offense.”
“No offense taken,” Hawke said. He finished his coffee, then put it on the table. “I’d better get back to work,” he said.
“Hey, piano player, where you been?” one of the visitors called when Hawke returned. “How ’bout playing some music so as to get some of these women in the mood?”
“Hell, Gus,” one of the other men said. “If you can’t get a whore in the mood with two dollars, there ain’t no music goin’ to do it for you.”
The parlor erupted in laughter.
Chapter 9
A PIECE OF BREAD LAY ON THE DOCKS, WET AND sodden. A rat, its beady eyes alert for danger, darted out of a warehouse, grabbed the piece of bread, then darted back inside.
In another warehouse Sal Vizzini waited with two other men. He had come here, directly from the whorehouse. It had been good, but the bitch had asked him again: When was he going to marry her? He wished now that he had
“This might help bring that about,” Vizzini said.
“What do you think, Nick?” Tangeleno asked Morello.
Morello shook his head. “I would say yes, if we knew we could get the ones who actually killed our men. But to just randomly kill three of his men? What if they are innocent?”
“None of his men are innocent. All right, Sal, kill three of them, then go meet with De Luca and see if he is ready to listen to reason.”
Vizzini chuckled. He knew what “listen to reason” meant. When dealing with Tangeleno, those were often the last words a person heard.
“Don Tangeleno, let me go talk to De Luca first,” Morello said. “I still think we can work it out.”
“You can go talk to him after Vizzini takes care of his business,” Tangeleno said.
Hawke looked up from the piano keyboard as Vizzini came down the stairs. As usual, Vizzini spoke to no one, nor did he come into the parlor for a drink as many did. Instead he walked straight for the door, opened it, and stepped outside.
A few moments later Evangeline came down the stairs, staying against the wall. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she kept in the shadows as she went into the kitchen.
When Hawke finished his number, he got up and went into the kitchen, where he poured himself a cup of coffee. Evangeline was sitting back in the corner, wiping away tears as she talked quietly with Doney. They were in the middle of a conversation, so involved that neither of them noticed Hawke when he came in.
“Honey, I know he be a big man in the Family and all, but that don’t give him the right to hurt you,” Doney was saying.
“You don’t understand,” Evangeline said.
“I understands, all right. You think he marry you. Maybe I just be a maid, but I got enough sense to know that a man like Vizzini ain’ goin’ marry no Cajun girl. ’Specially no Cajun girl that be a whore, besides.”
“Doney! What a thing to say!” Evangeline said.
Doney reached out to put her hand on Evangeline’s. “Honey, I don’ mean nothin’ bad by what I said. I just want you to know the truth, so’s Vizzini don’t hurt you no more.”
Hawke took a sip of his coffee and studied Evangeline over the rim for a second or two.
“If he treats you like that, why do you have anything to do with him?” Hawke asked.
Evangeline looked up in surprise. She didn’t realize that Hawke was in the kitchen and had overheard her conversation with Doney.
“You don’t understand,” Evangeline said. “He doesn’t mean to hurt me, he just gets a little carried away sometimes.”
“Would you like me to have a little talk with him?” Hawke asked.
“No no,” Evangeline said animatedly. “I mean, it’s sweet of you, but….”
“What you are saying is, you don’t think he would listen to me?”
“No, I…I didn’t mean that, exactly. But you are just a piano player and…uh,” Evangeline started, then she stopped. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean any offense.”
“No offense taken,” Hawke said. He finished his coffee, then put it on the table. “I’d better get back to work,” he said.
“Hey, piano player, where you been?” one of the visitors called when Hawke returned. “How ’bout playing some music so as to get some of these women in the mood?”
“Hell, Gus,” one of the other men said. “If you can’t get a whore in the mood with two dollars, there ain’t no music goin’ to do it for you.”
The parlor erupted in laughter.
Chapter 9
A PIECE OF BREAD LAY ON THE DOCKS, WET AND sodden. A rat, its beady eyes alert for danger, darted out of a warehouse, grabbed the piece of bread, then darted back inside.
In another warehouse Sal Vizzini waited with two other men. He had come here, directly from the whorehouse. It had been good, but the bitch had asked him again: When was he going to marry her? He wished now that he had
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