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“Well,” Alex went on bitterly. “Stanley found the little weasel before I could.”

“We’re going to have to move her,” Ryan said.

“Now,” Hiloha said. “Stanley isn’t going to wait around. That man is walking madness.” He flicked back his shoulder length black hair–gradually growing out since relinquishing the haircut he’d been forced to maintain while in the Army–and began to gather the cards that littered the bar between him and Ryan.

“She can’t be seen,” Alex said, fitting his cufflinks together with practiced fingers. Then he tugged his sleeves down so his shirt fit just so. God, he looked handsome.

“Put her in one of the crates and put her in the back of the truck,” Joey offered, lighting up another cigarette.

“On the one hand, a good idea,” Ryan said. He got to his feet. “On the other hand, cops have a habit of wanting to stop and search crates these days.”

“Do you have a better idea?” Joey said, raising his eyebrows at him and pressing his full lips together.

“Trying,” Ryan said.

“Roll her up in a rug and throw her in the back of the TT,” Alex said, pulling his jacket on.

“What if she suffocates?” Lindsay wrinkled his forehead.

“Shame,” Alex said, dryly.

“Where the fuck are you even taking her?” Hiloha asked, shoving the cards in his pocket. He took Ryan’s pack of Lucky Strikes off of the table and drew one out, striking a match against the edge of the bar.

“I don’t know, the candy shop,” Alex said, a sour expression coming onto his face.

“The candy shop?” Ryan shot back. “Really?”

“Well, ya’ll better decide, because we’re going to have guests showing up here in–” Joey plucked a beautiful pocket watch out of his waistcoat and popped the face open. “An hour.”

“The candy shop,” Alex said again, eyes burning with irritation as he glanced at Ryan. “We’ll lock her in the basement closet.”

“With the fucking rats?” Lindsay said, leaning hard against his cane and putting his free hand into a fist on his waist.

“I’ll send food down for them, too, so they don’t get too many ideas,” Alex said, smiling an evil cat’s smile.

“Alex,” Lindsay said, totally unamused.

“Alright, alright,” Ryan said, waving his hands in the air. “Joey’s right, people are going to start showing up here. We’ve got to move her now. Hilo, you and Joey get a couple of our boys in here for security tonight.”

“Do you think the place should even be open tonight?” Hiloha said, standing and pushing his stool back. He picked his revolver up off of the counter and slid it back into his shoulder holster.

“Yes,” Alex said. “I do. I’m not running my business around Walter Stanley’s plans. And while I do know he’s fucking insane, I don’t think he’s insane enough to walk in here and start shooting innocent bystanders.”

“Whatever you say, boss,” Joey said, slowly standing and stretching.

“But how are you transporting her?” Hiloha held his cigarette between his forefinger and his thumb, looking back and forth between Ryan, Alex, and Lindsay.

“Bring a car around to the back alley,” Alex said. “Station a lookout on either end. We’ll bring her up at gunpoint and put her in the back of the truck. Put a blindfold onher and bind her hands. The truck is covered anyway, so if we get stopped, we get stopped. But I have enough cash in my pocket that says any cop that stops us will be happy to let us be.”

“Considering that you chopped all of her hair off, she’s not as easy to recognize, anyway.” Ryan said. The sour tone in his voice was not lost on Lindsay.

“Is Brother mad I ruined my Dolly?” Alex asked in a mocking, diminutive voice.

“Don’t fucking call me that,” Ryan said through clenched teeth.

The room fell silent, with a tension so thick and palpable in the air that Lindsay could practically feel it touching his face.

“Uh oh,” Joey said under his breath. “Mom and Dad are fighting.”

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