79 Park Avenue (12 page)

"I'm waiting," Ross answered. "The waiter said he'd check an' let me know."

Marja was bewildered. "Let you know what?" she asked. "I thought we came to dance."

Ross looked at her. It was almost as if she were a stranger. He didn't seem to see her at all. "Explain it, Mike," he said, waving his hand.

Mike felt an anger inside him. Same old Ross. Leave the dirty work for others. "Explain it yourself," he said.

Ross looked at them, his eyes suddenly clearing. "What's the matter with you two?" he asked.

They didn't answer.

He looked at Marja. "I came to get into the game that Joker spoke to me about, that's all."

Marja got to her feet. "Then what the hell did you ask me to go dancing for?" she asked. "Why didn't you say so in the first place?" She turned away.

Ross grabbed her arm. "I wanted you with me for luck," he said with a smile. "I got a hunch youVe good for me."

She looked down at him. "What about Mike?" she questioned shrewdly, "Yuh bring him along to watch out for me?"

"Sure," Ross said, still smiling. "Think I'm gonna take any chances with all these wolves around? At least Mike's my friend. I know I can depend on him,"

Mike looked at her, then across the table at him. A slow smile came over his lips. "I wouldn't be too sure of that, Ross," he said.

Ross's eyes grew cold. "What d'yuh mean?"

Mike didn't take his eyes from Marja's face. "Like yuh said, Ross. She's terrific."

A slow smile came to Marja's face and she sat down. "Okay, boys," she said, laughter deep in her voice, "fight over me."

They all burst into a raucous, happy laugh.

The slight beads of perspiration stood out clearly on Ross's forehead as he reached for the dice. He turned to Marja and held them toward her. "Blow on 'em for luck, baby."

Marja pursed her lips and blew into his cupped palm. "Get hot," she said, looking down at the shrinking pile of money in front of Ross. He hadn't been doing well. She figured he must have lost almost forty dollars.

"Blow harder," he said in a tight, tense voice, pushing his clenched palms closer to her Ups.

She took a deep breath and blew into his hands. She could see his fingers working smoothly over the dice. They opened for a second and her breath caught in her throat. She looked into his face, her eyes wide.

1

For a fraction of a second his eyes were cold, then he smiled. He knew that she had seen. "Thanks, baby," he said, turning back to the table.

She stood very still, her eyes going around the table. It seemed improbable that nobody else had seen. Then she understood. Ross had been clever. The others had been watching her.

Ross's voice was harsh. "C'mon dice, now!" The cubes spun twinkling over the green cloth and bounced off the backboard. They tumbled over and over and came to a stop. A natural. Ross pulled the money toward him and scooped the dice with his other hand. He began to shake the cubes.

He looked down the table. "Fm hot," he chortled. "Get your dough down before the fever goes."

He began to cover the bets as she stepped back from the table toward Mike, who was leaning against the wall, watching them. He smiled as she came up. "You did good that time."

Her face was expressionless. He hadn't seen Ross switch dice either. "I've had enough. I want to go," she said.

His voice was surprised. "But Ross isn't finished yet,"

"I don't care," she insisted. "I want to go."

"I'll tell Ross," he said.

Her hand stopped him. "No," she said. "Leave him be." She looked at the table. Ross had just thrown another seven. There was an excited, happy look on his face. "He got what he came here for."

Mike stared into her face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothin'," she repeated. "I just wanna go."

"Okay." He took her arm. "We're goin', Ross," he called.

Ross waved his hand at them. It was doubtful that he

even understood what Mike had said. He was shaking the dice again.

The orchestra was playing as they walked through the dance hall. "Dance?" Mike asked.

She shook her head and kept walking. A man blocked the exit in front of her. "Hello, baby."

Without looking up, she started around him. He stepped in front of her. "Runnin' out on your boy friend?" he asked.

She looked up into Joker Martin's face. Her eyes were cold. "I'm tired an' I'm leavin'," she said.

The smile disappeared from Martin's hps. He looked at Mike. Mike shrugged his shoulders. Martin stepped out of the doorway. She started past him, but he stuck out a hand and stopped her.

She looked at him.

There was a strange glint in his eyes as he looked down at her. "I don't know what's eatin' yuh, kid," he said. "But when yuh get over it, I got a job waitin' here at the Golden Glow for yuh."

For the first time her expression changed. "Thanks, Mr. Martin," she said. "I might come back an' take you up on it." She turned and started down the stairway.

Chapter 13

SHE Stopped in front of her home and turned to Mike. "Thanks for bringin' me home," she said.

Mike smiled. "My pleasure."

"I didn't mean to break up your evening," she saiA

He didn't answer.

She started up the stoop. His voice stopped her. "When 'm I going to see you again?'*

"I don't know," she said, hesitating.

He came up to the step below her. "Why?" he asked. "Because you're Ross's girl?"

Her eyes met his. "I'm not Ross's girl," she said. "I told you that before."

"Then when will I see you?'* he repeated.

She shook her head. "I really don't know. School will be over next week an' I gotta get a job. It's hard to say."

A twinge of jealousy irked him. "But you'll make time to see Ross," he said sarcastically. "He's got a buck to spend."

Her temper flared. "I'm not gonna see him either. He

can take his dough an' shove it. An' you can tell him I said so."

He was surprised. It showed in his voice. "Why me? You can tell him yourself."

Her eyes stared coldly down at him. "You know danm well why. You both took me there, you both knew what Ross was goin' to do."

"You knew it, too," he said angrily. "You knew he was going to shoot craps, not play tiddlywinks. So what're yuh sore about?"

"Yeah," she answered sarcastically. "I knew he was goin' to gamble after he told me, but I didn't think he was goin' to switch dice. I don't go for that."

"Switch dice?" he asked, puzzled.

"Yeah," she answered. "When I blew on 'em. He knew they'd be watchin' me. I don't like bein' made the patsy."

He let out a breath. Now he knew why she had suddenly decided to leave. "Yuh may not believe it, but I didn't know about that either."

She stared at him skeptically.

"I don't play like that," he said.

She was still for a moment. "I don't know," she said, hesitating. "I could understand it if you played like that. You could use the dough. But Ross? He don't need nothin'."

He reached for her hand. "I didn't know about it, Mar-ja," he said earnesdy.

She looked down at his hand, then up into his face. "Okay," she answered finally. "I'U buy." She pulled her hand from his grasp. "Good night."

"Good night, Marja." He watched her go inside the house before he turned toward home.

He turned between the house into the alleyway that led to his family*s apartment in the basement of the large apartment building.

Ross stepped out of the darkness toward him, "Mike," he called.

Mike stopped. "Yeah?**

"Where the hell did you disappear to?" Ross asked. "I won almost a hundred and twenty dollars."

"Marja wanted to go home," Mike answered.

Ross ignored his statement. He took a roll of money from his pocket. "I wanted to give you your cut," he said, peeUng off some bills. "Here's twenty."

Mike looked down at Ross's outstretched hand, but made no motion to take the money.

"What's the matter with you?" Ross demanded. "Take it."

Mike looked at him. "No, thanks. I want no part of it It's all yours."

Ross peered into his face. "Don't be a jerk. Take the dough. Is it poison or something?"

"Keep it, Ross," Mike said. "It's all yours. You earned it."

A sudden light came mto Ross's eyes. "Oh! Marja's been talkin'."

Mike didn't answer.

Ross grinned suddenly. "It was easy. Like takin* candy from a baby. They were so busy watching Marja when she bent forward that it was a cinch."

Mike still didn't speak.

Ross clapped him on the shoulder. "Here, boy," he said patronizingly, "take the money! It'll all look better in the morning."

"I don't want it!" Mike's hand made a flashing motion,

and the money fluttered out of Ross's grip.

Ross stared at him. "What's got into you?"

"Nothin'," Mike answered angrily. "I just don't like it, that's all. You played the kid for a sucker. If you got caught, we'd all have to pay off. Her, too. That wouldn't uh been so pretty, would it?"

"But we didn't get caught," Ross protested. "So why the beef?"

Mike didn't answer.

Ross knelt to pick up the money. "I don't know what the hell got into you," he muttered. He looked up at Mike, his eyes suddenly growing suspicious. "Where did you take her?" he asked, clambering back to his feet.

"Home, I tol' yuh," Mike answered.

"You took loilg enough," Ross said. "I've been waitin' here over an hour for you."

"We walked," Mike said succinctly. "My old man never gave me a Buick."

"You didn't stop off in the park for a little?" Ross asked. "Maybe you stopped in some dark corner an' she gave you a hand job. The Uttle whore likes that."

Mike could feel the pulse in his temples explode. His arm flashed up and pinned Ross against the brick wall. "Don't talk hke that about her," he snarled.

There was a wild excitement in Ross's eyes. "I was right," he said triumphantly. "She did get to you." A grin came to his hps. "She's the greatest action there is, boy, but don't let it fool you. It's there for everybody."

Mike's hand was a blur in the night. Ross's head snapped back and he slowly slid toward the ground, blood coming from a corner of his mouth. Mike stepped back and loolced down at him. "Next time you'll keep your mouth shut," he said.

Ross sat dully on the ground for a moment. Then he raised his hand slowly and held it to his mouth. The blood seeped into his fingers. He looked up at Mike, his eyes growing cold behind their mask of pain.

"I'll pay you back for this, Mike," he mimibled through aching lips. "Pay you back double."

*Try it any time you want," Mike taunted.

Ross still sat on the ground, looking up. "The time will come," he said slowly. "Don't worry."

"I ain't worryin*," Mike said. He went on down the alley toward his apartment

Chapter 14

ROSS bought a fistful of tickets at the door. He stopped a moment as he entered the dance hall to let his eyes get used to the light. He looked aroimd.

She was there. Sitting with the girls in the comer. Even in one of the cheap gowns that Martin supplied to his girls, there was something about her that made her stand out from the others. There was an excitement about her. A man-and-woman kind of excitement that few women ever had.

He walked down the steps and stopped in front of her. "HeUo, Marja," he said.

She looked up at him. "Hello, Ross." Her eyes were masked. He couldn't read any expression in theiiL •

"Want to dance?" he asked awkwardly.

"Got tickets?" she replied.

He held out his hand silently.

She got to her feet. "We'll dance," she said, leading him to the floor.

She slipped into his arms, but it was as if he were holding a total stranger. Automatically they picked up the rhythm of the orchestra.

"It's been two weeks since school closed, Marja," he said. 'Three weeks since I saw you."

"Time flies, doesn't it?" she said without smiling.

"You've been ducking me," he accused.

"I've been busy," she said politely. "I gotta work for a living."

"You haven't given me a chance to explain," he said.

"You don't owe me no explanation," she tetorted swiftly. "You're a big boy. You run your own life."

"Then why don't you want to see me?" he asked.

She looked up into his eyes. There was something about him that reminded her of an animal. Wild and uncontrollable. Completely selfish. "I don't like bein' used," she said.

The music stopped and she started for the tables. His hand stopped her. There was another ticket in it. She took the ticket and stood waiting until the music started again before she came back into his arms.

"I thought you Uked me, Marja," he said.

"I did," she answered. "But you didn't level with me."

"I'm sorry." He smiled. "But everything worked out. Nobody got hurt."

A sad look came into her eyes. "I did," she said. "I thought you were goin' to be different."

"But it was for laughs, Marja," he said, trying to pull her closer to him. He could feel the warmth of her through his jacket. All the excitement was still there. "A guy's gotta get some kicks."

She shook her head. "It wasn't like you needed the dough. I could understand that.'*

"Marja,'* he said. They were standing in a dark comer now. He tried to kiss her.

She turned her face. "Cut it, Ross,'* she said sharply. "I need the job here.'*

"But, Marja,'* he pleaded. "I'm goin' away the day after tomorrow and I won't be back for five months. I gotta see you before I go.**

She shook her head. "Can't''

"Why?" he demanded.

The music stopped again, and she slipped out of his arms and turned toward the tables. His arm spun her back to him violently.

"Here," he said savagely. "Here's all the damn tickets. Don't be ninnin' off every time the music stops.'*

Silently she took the rack of tickets and stuffed them into a small purse. The music started and she came back into his arms.

"Why can't you see me?" he asked

She met his eyes. "Yuh really want to know?**

He nodded. "TeU me."

She took a deep breath. "One, I don't want to," she said. "Two, I haven^t the time. My mother's sick in bed. She lost her job an' I gotta take care of her an' my baby brother during the day. That enough reasons?"