Page 14 of Working for the Mob

“Miss Dunham, Genevieve and Lucy need a place to stay and a couple of jobs. Would you be able to help them out?” Art asked.

“Jobs? I thought we were getting boyfriends,” Lucy said, aghast. Thankfully, everyone ignored her.

Miss Dunham gave us an appraising look over the counter. She tapped her finger and looked each of us up and down.

“Mr. Hammons needs a farm hand, but I don’t suppose either of you would be fit to bale hay,” she said, and I said a prayer of thanks for my dainty figure. “How about you two come around Monday morning and I’ll have something for you? In the meantime, Mr. Necci, I believe that your 2181 Elm Street is available.”

“Is it?” Art said, thoughtfully.

“Yourtwenty-one-whatever Elm Street?” I asked him. “What does she meanyour?”

“He owns it,” Miss Dunham said.

My jaw dropped and I swear he looked pleased.

“No,” I said, emphatically. We can’t be any more in-debt to the mob than we already are. “Art … er. Mr. Necci. You have been helpful and unpleasant to us all morning. And we really do appreciate it. But I think that our relationship has run its course.”

I cleared my throat. “Miss Dunham, do you have anything else? Anywhere else we could stay?”

Miss Dunham raised an eyebrow. “Would you be okay in the loft of a barn? I’m sure I could find you a couple people who wouldn’t mind putting you girls up for a couple weeks.”

“Absolutely not,” Lucy said, and I sighed.

“You have nowhere else?”

Art, whose hands were shoved in his pockets, smirked from the door as if he found the whole situation hilarious.

“What if we can’t afford it?” I demanded, turning back to Miss Dunham. “How much is rent?”

“I’m sure you can work out rent with … um,” she nodded at Art by the door, “Mr. Necci.”

The implications of ‘work out rent’ with a member of a mob boss drove my imagination wild. He might have me driving a truck full of hooch in the middle of the night.

“You don’t have any other options?” I asked. At some point today, my luck had to turn around. It couldn’t be this terrible forever.

“I can send out the word you two are looking for a place. We might get something back within the next couple of weeks,” Miss Dunham said, and shrugged. “I can keep you posted.”

“Genny, I don’t think we have any other choice,” Lucy said, in a whisper loud enough for everyone to hear.

I knew she was right. But this wasbad. You don’t make a deal with the devil. Even if you end up happier on this earth, you’ll end up paying for it in the afterlife.

“Fine,” I said, and I bit my lips. The next time I saw Johnathan Wheeler, I would let him know that not only did another day take his title, but his day came nowhere close to this one. “Let’s go see …?”

“2181 Elm Street,” Miss Dunham said. At least she had the decency to look apologetic. “Just one minute.”

She escaped into a doorway at the back of the shop and returned twenty seconds later. “Just one key for you ladies, but hopefully you can work it out.”

“That’ll be great,” I said, and took the key from her.

“This is the type of town leaves its doors unlocked anyway,” she said, but I didn’t care. I’m from the city. I will make sure I keep our doors locked at all times.

And having your life savings stolen out from under your nose will do that to you.

“Are those the only clothes you girls got?” Miss Dunham asked, eyeing my wardrobe.

“No,” I lied. I didn’t need to air out all my dirty laundry. Or lack thereof.

“Yes,” Lucy said, and I groaned.

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