Harmony (27 page)

***

“
May I help you child?” A morose looking nun with the clear blue eyes and pursed lips asked. She shuffled toward Harmony with her robe sweeping hauntingly about her feet, and met her half way into the vestibule of the church.

“
Days of worship for coloreds are Tuesday and Wednesday only.” The nun said.

Beyond the petite woman, the sanctuary was silent. A few people sat scattered in the pews with their heads bowed, lost in prayer. A woman with a white lace shawl draped over her head knelt before an altar of flickering candles. Harmony glanced up to the large marble statue of their savior with a head ringed in thorns and a sad look of grief upon his face while pinned upon a wooden cross. Did Jesus intend for such a divide between coloreds and whites? When her gaze lowered to the pristine look of scorn the nun wore she knew that the woman before her believed so. Still Harmony couldn’t help but remember the story Vinnie shared with her of his life, and the beauty of hope she found with him. She struggled with her heart now. How could he kill Milo? Had anything been real between them?

“
I need to see Father Michaels.”

The nun frowned, her gaze swept Harmony from head to toe. She inwardly cringed over her outward appearance. Her bruised face and torn dress had her looking more like a stray than a parishioner. She kept the Colt tucked inside the front of her dress with her arms crossed over it. If the nun suspected she carried a gun she didn’t indicate so. Harmony opened her mouth to explain her intentions when from the corner of her eye she saw the shadow of the priest materialize. He entered from a side door that most certainly led to the rectory. Harmony marched straight for him. She recognized the man, he was a few years older than her with piercing blue eyes and coal black hair. He’d donated several times to the local shelter and was rumored to have a hand in keeping the girls home for unwed mothers opened. His cool gaze fixed on Harmony and never wavered during her approach. In fact he paused and waited. He wore a long dark robe with a white minister collar, and a golden crucifix hung from his neck. He gave the nun trailing her a discreet nod, and she was dismissed.

“
Father Michaels? My name is Harmony Jones and I know my brother is here. His name is Willie, they call him Lil Will. I need to see him please. Now.”

“
I don’t know any Willie. Now if you don’t mind, I’m afraid you’ll have to leave.”

“
In a minute mobsters are going to storm this church to drag Willie out of it. I’m his sister. Either you help me, or be responsible for his death. You can’t protect him anymore. I don’t have time to argue. I have to see my brother. Now please!”

The priest gripped her elbow and pulled Harmony through the side door. “Lower your voice. This is not the place for your hysterics. I’ve told you, young lady that I don’t know your brother.”

Harmony imposed an iron control over herself. She fought hard against the tears that kept welling in her eyes. If she didn’t convince the priest to help her soon she’d be helpless to save him. And everything in her being warned her that Willie’s life was in this man’s hands. “I’m sorry for barging in here. I’m grateful to you father. Very. I’m not lying to you, and I know the only reason you’re standing here now lying to me is to protect him. I have to help him, and I’m the only person besides you that wants to. Take me to him.”

“
I can’t. Leave.”

“
Can’t? Or won’t? Why are you keeping him here?” She stepped in his face when he made to turn and lead her out of the back doors of the church. “You know he’s a small time street hoodlum. Why protect him? Huh? Someone made you keep him here. Who? Was it Vincenzio Romano?”

Father Michaels physically paled and Harmony’s heart stopped. It was true. Vinnie did betray her trust. She didn’t understand why, but the revelation hurt worse than Leftie’s violent act of aggression towards her. Harmony blinked away the tears clouding her vision and swallowed the lump lodged in her throat.

“
Father Michaels?” Another nun, who was much older than the first, appeared in the hall. Instead of the look of disgust her sister wore when Harmony arrived, her kind eyes had a light of worry to them. And dare she hope, understanding. “Child? What’s happened to you?”

“
Go back sister. She’s upset. She’s leaving.”

“
No!” Harmony turned on the nun. “Do you know my brother? Willie Jones. The father is taking money from mobsters to keep him hidden here.” She shot him a hot glare over her shoulder. “Aren’t you father? Tell her the deal you made with the devil.”

“
That’s enough!”

“
You take me to him now…” The gun dropped from the inside of her dress and between her legs to noisily hit the floor. Both the priest and the nun drew back stunned. Harmony quickly picked up the weapon but aimed it to the floor. “Please. I’m not here to cause trouble, but Romano’s men are coming and I will do anything to keep them from taking him.”

“
Father?” The nun said alarmed.

The young priest’s face twisted with conflict. She didn’t care if she had to turn the gun on them both. She intended to collect her brother.

“
Come with me.”

“
Thank you.”

Quickly he led her down the hall, and it veered toward a narrow stairwell. Harmony braced her hand to the wall unsure of her steps in the darkness. She held tight to the gun.
What if it was an ambush and Vinnie’s men were already below?
What if she walked into a scene where she’d have to fire the gun at another human being?
Even
now her heart was his. She’d never be able to shoot him.

They reached the lower level in darkness. The nervous priest pulled a string to the center of the room and a bulb blinked on, chasing shadows to the corners. “He’s in there. I want you both out of here. Do you understand?”

“
Yes. Yes.”

Harmony hurried to the door. She sucked a deep breath and waited for the priest to unlock it. She entered. Willie sat on a cot pushed to the wall. He had a haggard look on his unshaven face and he wore the same clothes she’d last seen him in. He shot up to his feet startled over her sudden appearance. And she was by his as well. He looked frightened, and thin. His eyes were the only sign of vitality, they burned bright white and stretched with shock. The small room had a cot and a chamber pot. She saw a table with a few books and magazines. There was nothing else. How long had he been in the dungeon? And with the door locked, was he a hostage or there willingly?

“
Willie!” she sighed, nearly dropping with fatigue and relief. She forced her body to move and rushed him. Her arms went around his neck and she buried her face there. “You’re alive. I thought I wouldn’t get here in time. I was so scared.”

Ten

The night of reckoning…

St. Nicholas Avenue was unusually quiet, absent of the stream of cars and taxis driving in and out of Manhattan. Word had spread of the trouble brewing between him and Mickey Collins. Romano suspected many had called the night short. He parked in front of St. Mary’s and glanced up to see Antonio parked behind him. When he opened the door Antonio was already out of his car walking straight toward him.

“
I’ll stay out here. Let you talk to the boy alone. Might work better if we don’t ambush him.”

Romano nodded that he agreed. He turned for the walkway then froze. Parked two blocks down he saw a black and tan Packard. It looked like Mabel’s.

“
Something wrong?” Antonio asked.

He studied the car for a minute. He would have sworn it was hers if not for the smashed in headlight. He dismissed the nagging feeling of familiarity. There were plenty Packard’s like it on the road. Besides what would Mabel be doing there this time of night?

“
No. Nothing’s wrong. Wait here, shouldn’t take me long.”

“
Mony? They told me Romano had you. Thank God you’re safe.”

To have him in her arms again made all the anguish of the past weeks intensely real. For a long pause she couldn’t speak. She squeezed her eyes shut and held him. “Mony?” he said with a ring of alarm in his voice. Gently he pushed her off him and scanned her face. “Who did this?”

Too many emotions had a hold of her at once. She stepped back trying to calm herself. She wanted to strike him, hug him, and run from the church, wielding the gun toward anyone that threatened to hurt him.

“
Answer me! Did Vinnie Romano hurt you? I’ll kill the bastard!”

“
No!” She shouted back through her tears. “You care now? After scaring the hell out of me for weeks? Now you care? He didn’t hurt me.”

“
I’m sorry…”

“
You should be.”

“
Let me explain.”

“
Yes. Explain. Explain how could you do this? Do you know what’s happened, what we’ve been through looking for you? Milo is dead.”

Willie shook his head in disbelief. “That’s not true.”

“
It is Willie. He’s dead.”

Willie dropped down on the cot. He wouldn’t look her in the eye. He stared straight ahead processing the news. “It’s my fault if he’s dead. All my fault.”

“
Why are you here? Locked in the basement of a church? This church? How did you know that Romano had me? Who put you in here? Milo?”

Willie shook his head sadly. “He told me no one would get hurt. He said, we just had to settle the score, set things right for a change, and then it’ll be over.”

“
Who? Who said that?”

Willie dropped his head and refused to answer.

“
Okay, forget it. We can talk about it later. We need to go.” Harmony glanced back. She heard voices and feet approaching. “Now.”

“
There’s nowhere to go. Antonio will find me.”

“
Antonio?” Harmony paused. “What does Antonio have to do with this?”

Willie’s gaze finally lifted and focused on her. Harmony stared on trying to make sense of the fear and regret reflecting in her brother’s eyes. The door behind her opened. She raised the gun and swung it toward the visitor. Vinnie entered. In a trench coat, black gloves and with a fedora low to his head, his presence filled the room and Harmony wavered over pointing the gun in his direction. Their eyes met. Vinnie froze.

“
Get up Willie! Now!” She ordered. Her brother stood. Vinnie’s gaze switched from her gun to her face, then to her brother.

“
You get out of our way. Or I will shoot you,” she said in a voice even and exact.

The gun greeted him first. However it was the sight of his woman holding it on him that rendered him speechless. The wild look of determined fire blazing in her heated glare drove the stake deeper in his heart from the words she spoke. Harmony? The side of her face was red and swollen. Her right blood-shot eye had a darkening bruise and was so puffy it had all but shut. The front of her dress had been ripped and he could see stains as if she was dragged through muck. Who the fuck would dare touch her? Hurt her? How was that even possible when he just saw her hours ago soaking in a tub and glowing with happiness? Car accident? Had to be. None of his men would dare lay a finger on her.

Panic, worry, and confusion slammed his heart repeatedly. He would have gone to her if she weren’t leveling the fucking gun on him. “What are you doing here?” he said, swinging his gaze left to her brother and clenching his hand in a fist to keep from acting. He didn’t need to scare her.

“
Don’t!” she shouted releasing the safety on the gun. “Come any closer and I’ll shoot.”

The priest vanished. It was just him and her in that moment of threatening silence. He had forgotten all about her brother. His focus had become singular. “You’re hurt Doll. Talk to me.”

“
Hurt?” she laughed with tears glistening in her eyes. “You have no idea how much this hurts Vinnie!” Her voice was shaky but strong. She kept the gun between them. “I trusted you. I gave you my heart, and all along you and your brother were abusing mine!”

“
Who hit you?” he demanded, unable to get past her state. She sounded crazy, speaking of a conspiracy that didn’t exist. He’d address it later. First he wanted to know what happened to her. “Who dammit?”

The gun dropped a fraction and she shook all over as if unsure how to respond. Maybe she wavered over trusting him. Whatever it was it had proved to be fleeting. The gun rose again and a firm determined line thinned her lips. Her eyes narrowed on him when she spoke. “Your man Leftie decided to beat on me before he tried to rape me. But I fixed him good. Now let us out!”