AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“So gossip with me already, and spill it.”
“Ever heard of Larkmore Street on the West Side?”
Hunter cocked his head to one side as if he were either completely familiar with Herbert’s response, or wildly surprised by it, but regardless, he remained silent.
“If you have, then you’ve got your answer. If not, then it don’t matter anyway ’cause I’m not sayin’ nothing else.” Herbert motioned for Lilianna to come behind the counter with him. “I’ve got the winnings in a nice briefcase for you back here. Come with me.”
When she moved forward, Hunter put his arm out as if to keep her from launching out of her seat through the front window of a car this time. In fact, Hunter refused to let her go first and instead led the way himself.
He and Dylan shared a glance that Lilianna figured was filled with all kinds of unspoken communication that only the two of them understood.
One of these days maybe she’d be able to read them. Today she suspected that they were both just worried about her situation. Which was funny, because for the first time in a long time, she felt like things were looking up.
Dylan remained behind the glass counter and said, “I’ll stay out here and shop around.”
Lilianna followed Hunter’s wide shoulders into a short, narrow hallway leading eventually to a messy, dingy, little office. On the left was a paper-strewn desk, and on the right was a large safe, taller than Herbert.
He bent over, adjusted his glasses, and started twirling the numbered dial on the front of the huge metal box.
Apparently after the first try, he didn’t have the tumblers lined up correctly. “Damn it. Stupid safe,” Herbert muttered and spun the dial again. “Give me just a minute.”
While they waited, Hunter pulled his phone out and texted someone. Probably Dylan.
After three more attempts, lots of inventive cursing, and one solid kick to the lower frame, Lilianna heard a loud metallic click.
Herbert said, “Ah ha, you son of a bitch safe, I own you.” He pulled down on the black lever along one edge and finally opened the wide door. He quickly extracted a battered brown briefcase, slammed the door to the safe closed, and spun the dial again.
Herbert put the briefcase atop the stacks of papers on his desk, clicked both latches, and raised the lid. It was filled with stacks of banded money. Lilianna’s eyes widened.
“I got most of it in hundreds, but part of it is in twenties for easier spending, as a courtesy.” He looked so satisfied with himself, she had to hold in her amusement. Then she looked into the briefcase and sucked in a deep breath.
She’d never seen so much money all in one place ever in her life.
“Very courteous of you.” Hunter ran one forefinger over each row of the stacks of bills. Then he extracted several random packets and flipped the bills as if looking for something.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Just counting. Making sure all the stacks of hundreds have hundreds in them. Looks like it’s all here.”
“Course it is. Like I said, I always pay out my bets.”
“Got a paper bag around here anywhere that I could take and keep?” Hunter asked him.
Herbert nodded, grabbed a brown sack out of the mini fridge on the floor next to the safe, and dumped out what was presumably his lunch onto the desk.
Hunter extracted five of the packets of hundreds and put them inside the rumpled brown paper bag. He then closed the briefcase, locked down the latches, and handed it to her.
“Do yourself a favor and find a courier to send what Mick owed Sammy, okay?” Herbert looked like he was about to cross himself and say a prayer.
“Or I could do it,” Hunter said, holding up the paper bag. “Then I could express how unhappy I am with his overture at the funeral. I’d really like to do that.”
“And I really wish you wouldn’t.” Lilianna didn’t want either of them anywhere near Sammy.
The thought of either Hunter or Dylan getting hurt because of her affiliation with Sammy made her nervous. She pulled at the collar of her scratchy new shirt once more and turned to leave the suddenly stifling room.
Lilianna exited the office, spilling into the also fairly claustrophobic hallway to feel like she could almost breathe again, all the while longing to be outside in the open to take in lots of deep, lung-expanding gulps of air.
