Harmony (33 page)

“
You’re going. I’m not selfish about this anymore, like I said your daughter needs you now. I think it’s time for us both to move on.”

She stood there silent for a moment. A great sense of compassion for Mabel overwhelmed Harmony. However, the emotion didn’t overshadow her greater sense of relief. She wanted Mabel gone. She wanted to take care of Vinnie and her brother alone. Start their new life again on their terms. Mabel was an anchor to his past and Vinnie needed to be free.

“
But…” Mabel began.

“
It’s done.” Vinnie said firmly.

“
Fine. Since I have no say.” Mabel sulked, her voice shaky. She rose and Vinnie let Harmony go. He walked over to Mabel bringing her to his arms. Harmony watched them embrace. He kissed Mabel’s forehead and spoke softly against her ear. Harmony couldn’t hear his words but the last of Mabel’s strength and stubbornness drained from her face. The older woman wept against his chest, and Vinnie held her until she got it all out. After a moment he released her and Mabel hurried from the room with her hand to her mouth.

“
You okay?” Harmony asked. She walked over and touched his face, then let her hand drift down his neck to rest against his chest. “That had to have been hard.”

“
As long as I got you Doll, I’m right as rain. Now get busy, we’re leaving soon.”

Harmony rose on her toes and kissed him. She then turned for the door. Stopping there she cast her gaze back at him. He could no longer disguise the weariness in his eyes. “No worries Vinnie. We’ll make it.”

He winked, and she left smiling.

Two days later –

“
Steady, steady…”

“
Would you stop? I can’t concentrate.”

A large shadowy grove on the summit of a hillock is where he’d chosen her lessons to take place. Harmony rested the butt of the rifle against the front of her shoulder and aimed it at the rusted can he placed on a decayed log. She closed one eye and concentrated on the target. Perspiration beaded across her brow, she felt moisture above her top lip and along her nape as single tears of sweat slowly coursed over her skin. The sun was relentless and so was the pressure to prove herself a good pupil. She wanted to make him proud. Thinking of him and protecting them from whatever was out there in the world that would try to divide them, she concentrated on her target. Vinnie stood silent but watchful. She intended to show him that two days of lessons had made her kills sharp and exact. She pulled the trigger. The can flew off the log and tumbled to the ground. “See that!”

“
I sure did.”

“
I knew I could do it.”

“
You’re a good student.”

“
Nope, got a good teacher, and he’s cute too!” she grinned, ignoring the soreness in her shoulder from the kickback of the rifle. He walked out and picked up the can to replace it on the log. He returned removing a pistol from the back of his pants.

“
This one here is called a Johnny Ringo, Doll. It’s my first piece, my favorite.”

She accepted the revolver handing off the rifle to him. He’d taught her how to load a Colt .45 but the Johnny Ringo was a bit different. It had a wider cylinder and shorter nozzle. “Nice.” The gun was shiny with a brown wood grip and weighed heavy in her hand. She dropped the cylinder, spun it, and then clicked it back in place. He nodded his approval at how good and comfortable she was now.

“
Should I shoot it?”

“
Go ahead, it’s yours.”

“
What?” Harmony gasped. “But you said it was your favorite gun?”

“
Still is. Always will be. That’s why I gave it to you. Now show me what you can do.”

She raised the gun and squinted with one eye closed. She aimed it steady with both hands gripping the gun. The cannon blast was stunning from such a beautiful piece, she fired and blasted the can off the log. He clapped and she nearly cheered herself. Each time she pulled the trigger she felt a rush. “I can’t believe I’m out here in the woods playing with pistols.”

“
No game, Doll.” Vinnie came behind her and massaged her shoulders. He paid special attention to the tenderness on her right one from the rifle. How he knew her needs, aches, desires without her explaining them confounded her. But she guessed it was part of their connection. She never felt so loved and in love before. He lowered her raised arms and forced her to point the gun south. “I want you to be able to protect yourself. Always. No man will ever put his hands on you. Next time you draw your weapon, no matter what you’re carrying, you use it. Understand?”

“
Yessir.” She sidled up close to him. He stared down at her and she pursed her lips for a kiss. He swept her weightless into his arms. His demanding kiss caressed her lips but urged her to return the fervor. Her tongue swept through his mouth and clashed with his and her bones melted against him. She groaned deeply when he withdrew, her mouth gaped for another taste of him. “Another one of those kisses and I’m gonna hike up my dress and make you mine.” She teased.

“
Haven’t you guessed it by now, Songbird? I’m already yours.”

“
Yeah, but I like making you prove it.” She grabbed his groin and squeezed.

He threw his head back and laughed. Vinnie knew she went without panties unless it was time for her monthly. Suddenly, Harmony realized it was the first genuine laughter she had heard from him since the death of his brother. She pressed her face to his chest and wrapped her arms around him holding the gun with one hand. “It’s good to see you smile again, Vinnie. I hate that you’ve been so sad.”

“
I’m not sad.”

“
Okay, maybe not sad, but you have been tense.”

“
I’m okay, Songbird. Let’s start back. Mabel leaves today.”

They began the walk out of the woods. He kept his arm draped around her shoulder and hers fit comfortably around his waist. “Vinnie?”

“
Yes?” he said strolling at her side.

“
Where did all your men go?”

He looked up, a bit surprised by her question. She glanced at the three lingering to the front of the main house. There had been fifteen camping out the first day they arrived. And that was far less than the thirty she saw roaming the land before the mafia war began. Now there were only six? Three on patrol at the house and three at the front gates a mile up the drive.

“
Business, you know.”

“
Oh,” she said, trying not to be alarmed. The men that remained walked with rifles and guns, faces drawn in deep scowls and bodies tense. It was a bit unnerving.

When they arrived to the main house Mabel came out of the door with her hat and gloves on. A white purse was hooked over her arm. She locked eyes with Vinnie, ignoring Harmony altogether. It didn’t matter. Harmony had respect for the strange relationship he had with his ex’s mother. She could see the gamut of emotions passing between them. Mabel descended the stairs and Vinnie approached to take her by the hand and lead her to the waiting car. “You travel safe.”

“
I won’t see you again, will I?” Mabel said, her voice cracking with emotion.

Vinnie smiled. “No.”

“
I love you, I loved Antonio. We were a family no matter what any of them said. I just wish you and Annie would have seen it the way I had. Things could have been so different.”

He kissed her cheek and helped her in the car. They again spoke in hushed tones. Eventually he withdrew and closed the door. Vinnie hit the roof of the car. The cab that had driven in to collect her rode off.

Harmony walked over and eased her hand into his. “How did you find her daughter? Reach her?”

“
Got a telegram from Annie over a year ago asking for me to do what I did today. I was too angry and full of pride to let Mabel go. To let Annie go.” He squeezed her hand. “I was a different man.”

“
So you wired her and said you would send Mabel to her?”

“
I did.”

“
We really are going to leave here. Start over somewhere fresh. Aren’t we?”

“
Things will be different Harmony. Much different.”

***

Harmony knocked on her brother’s door. She balanced his dinner on the tray in her hand.

“
Come in,” he said.

She pushed the door open and found Willie sitting up on the edge of the bed. His chest was wrapped tightly around the ribcage. She kept his bandages clean and replaced them often. He had his color back. His usually vibrant chestnut skin had an ashen look to it over the past few days. Now he seemed stronger.

“
What you got there?” he asked.

“
Mabel made some stew. I figure we should eat it all up before I get in the kitchen and start whipping up my recipes for you guys.”

Careful of her load she lowered it to the dresser next to his bed. She turned to bring in fresh sheets and stopped when Willie grabbed her hand. “What is it?” she asked when he didn’t speak.

“
You a housewife now? What about The Cotton. You said after Lewis died jazz was all you needed.”

Harmony grinned. “Jazz was all I had. Now I have something more. I’m done with The Cotton and smoky speakeasies. I’m ready for something more.” She cupped his chin and kissed his nose. “You should be too.”

“
Mony!” he said firmly. “Get your head out of the clouds. You’ve been through a lot. The bruises ain’t all healed. Besides we still haven’t talked.”

“
No!” She snatched her hand away. She smoothed down her dress. “I don’t want to talk about the mistakes we’ve made. I’m trying to focus on the good now.” She turned for the door. He couldn’t believe her refusal to see their lives for what they’d become.

“
We leave tomorrow,” he blurted when she opened the door to leave. She paused and looked back at him. Her eyes narrowed.

“
No we don’t.”

“
I just spoke with Mr. Romano. He wanted to be sure I was well. He done made plans Mony, to get rid of us. We leave tomorrow.”

Harmony slammed the door shut. Earlier she had delivered Vinnie his dinner to his closed door meeting. She had been intent on proving Mabel wrong. She could indeed take care of the men in her life. The look of surprise and pleasure on his face was her big reward. She envisioned many more nights where she would cook for him, love him, take care of him until they could begin again somewhere away from their shared history of pain and blood. Now her brother sat there saying it was done. No way in hell it would end like this. “Vinnie is mistaken. We ain’t leaving for awhile. Definitely not before this silly war going on in the city stops.”

“
You hear yourself? Silly war? Those men are dangerous, and this place ain’t safe.”

“
I meant to say…”

“
No! Mony things are serious. Antonio set his brother up. All his money, warehouses, territories and numbers banks were shut down. That was his brother’s plan. To break and humiliate him, and he did it Mony. I don’t know what the man whispers to you in bed, but he’s in big trouble. That’s why we gots to go.”

“
Vinnie can handle it!”

“
He can’t. Not anymore. It’s too many of them and too few willing to stand with him. That’s how it works. I’m not sure why he ain’t being plain with you but I ain’t got no reason to lie to you sis. He wants us out of here and I agree with him.”

“
You ain’t got no reason to lie?” Harmony gave a bitter snort. “After all the damn lies you done told you sitting here pretending to care about honesty? We ain’t going nowhere. You ain’t well enough to travel and I… I’m not ready. That’s the plain truth, cause I got no reason to lie.”

Willie tried to stand but winced and plopped back down on the mattress touching his side. He sucked down several quick gasps of air. “I’m not trying to upset you…”

“
Well you are. Eat your damn dinner, and stay out of it with me and Vinnie. I got to go.”

“
Mony!” he shouted.

She froze at the door but didn’t turn around. Her heart hurt. Deep down she knew Vinnie had gone to him and set the wheels in motion for her to leave. She felt him finalizing things everywhere she turned. She thought if she ignored it and changed the subject each time he tried to broach it, she would have more time. But time was up.