NINE

“Hey, kid!”

There was a man calling her.

Alley Cat froze where she stood, sinking low over the lip of the building to watch him. He was too well dressed for this part of town, and he was standing in the mouth of the alley with his face turned to the sky.

“I can see you up there! Hey! I’m talkin’ to ya!”

It was as if he had been…waiting for her. Alley berated herself for not noticing him earlier. She dug her fingers into the brick of the roof, and wondered if she was fast enough to get away without him catching her.

“Listen – Alley Cat, is it?” The man was tall, with dark hair and too-white teeth. She could see them flashing as he smiled wide and fake up at her. He was beginning to catch the attention of passers-by, and she grit her teeth. He didn’t belong here… “My boss would like to have a word with you! Does the name Manfredi mean anything to you?” Panic, ice-cold and all-consuming, made her stomach drop to her toes. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. “C’mon, kid – don’t make me call the cops.”

Because he could – Manfredi was so powerful that even the cops couldn’t touch him. They could touch her though, they could bring her in and find out who she was, and then she’d be a sitting duck in the system. Alley knew she couldn’t ignore a summons from the man whose power she had abused without permission. She had been a fool for not thinking it would get back to him.

She swung herself over the roof, ignoring the man’s aborted cry of alarm, dropping lightly to the fire escape a few feet below. She let herself drop to the next, and then to the next, until she was right above his head. She paused there, eyeing the long coat he was wearing and trying to work out if he had a gun. The man grinned, and opened his coat to flash her the soft sweater and pants he was wearing underneath. No holster, no weapon. “I’m not here to kill ya, kid. Jimmy don’t do business like that.”

“What does he want to talk to me about?” Alley did not mirror his friendly tone. “I won’t use his name again, okay?”

“He wants to talk to you in person.” The man eyed her up and down, nose wrinkling in obvious distaste. “So, hurry up.” Then he turned and strode towards the black car idling on the curb. He opened the door, courteous as a footman, and then beckoned her. “Now, kid.” Alice swallowed her rising dread down, and reluctantly followed him into the car.

She cast one last look back to the street, hoping that somehow, someone who knew Tom had seen her leave. At least he’d know where to collect her body. The morbidity of the thought barely registered.

The car was cool, clean and plush. The leather upholstery felt like butter, and she was unable to resist the urge to sink into the seat. There were small bottles of water in the doors, and a collection of wrapped mints in the centre console between them. Silently, as the man snapped something in Italian to the driver, she began to pocket the bottles and mints, wishing she had a large coat to stow them in.

They were driving into the nicer part of the city, and she watched as the streets grew cleaner and the buildings newer. Soon enough, they rolled to a gentle stop in the parking garage of one of the largest hotels in the city. All around them were Mercedes and Ferraris, BMWs and other models and makes worth more than houses. She got out without being told, hurriedly shoving the last of the water bottles down the front of her pants.

“This way.” The man was waiting for her by a discrete elevator, and as the doors slid smoothly shut behind her, she felt her heart begin to pick up again. There was no escape, the walls inlaid with gold, and polished until they were like mirrors, and the faint pleasant jingle of elevator music seemed perverse compared to the fear making her chest tight.

The elevator doors opened onto the largest and most beautiful room she had ever seen. The large suite was decorated to mimic the opulence of Versailles, and everything dripped with gold and crystal. The fabrics were all velvets and satins, and just looking at the plush chairs made her back ache to relax.

Standing before the giant decorative fireplace was a man not much taller than her, and yet when he turned around, she felt her heart skip a beat. There was a blackness to his dark eyes that reminded her of an oil-slick; sticky and deadly. “Right on time, Harry. Excellent, excellent.” His voice was smooth and cool, and it made her hair stand on end. Harry – the tall man who had fetched her – inclined his head, and left the room. Though she felt nothing for him, Harry had been the most familiar thing about the room, and she couldn’t help but look after him. It did not go unnoticed by the man by the fireplace, and he laughed at her. “Don’t fret, he’ll be back.” She clenched her jaw, and forced herself to meet his eyes. “Well, well…” he smiled, all teeth and no substance. “You’re smaller than I thought you’d be.”

“So are you.” She blurted before she could help herself, slapping a hand over her own mouth in horror. Fear made her go cold.

James Manfredi, the mafioso, the most powerful man in New York, stared at her for a moment and then laughed.

She swallowed thickly, slowly dropping her hand from her mouth to watch him warily. He finally sobered, clutching at the gilt mantle to steady himself. When he looked at her again, there was a glint of amusement in his dark eyes. “You are a bold little thing, aren’t you? I heard what you did, what you said, and I wondered; are you brave or just an idiot.” He seemed delighted, clapping his hands together, “And so adorable too, with those big eyes,” She frowned, unsure where things were going. “Perfect, really…” He appeared to be thinking aloud now.

She bit her tongue, tried to keep her mouth shut, but she couldn’t help it; “What are you going to do to me?”

Manfredi blinked. He meandered away from the fireplace, towards a platter of fruit that looked like jewels. She watched him pluck a large ruby-red grape from the vine, and toss it nonchalantly into his mouth. “It isn’t what I’m going to do to you, so much as what I am going to do for you. Or, well, you for me.” He nodded towards a small table topped with glass. There was a brochure atop it, a museum brochure. It was open to the middle spread. Alley inched towards it, trying to keep the table between her and Manfredi, but when she caught sight of the image, her curiosity took over and she took the final steps closer.

The main and current exhibition of the museum was, according to the brochure, the Peacock Pin. It was a hairpin, inlaid with jade and sapphires the most perfect shade of blue she had ever seen. Even in the picture it seemed to sparkle enticingly, and though it couldn’t have been any bigger than her palm, she could tell it was worth more than she could imagine.

“I want it.” Manfredi was blunt, and she startled at his soundless approach. He was staring at the picture of the pin with ill-disguised desire. Without warning his gaze snapped to hers, and she was pinned. “And you are going to get it for me.”

Alley tugged down the hem of the school dress she had liberated, and wished that she could have worn tights to combat the freezing wind. The museum towered before her, an intimidating façade of washed brick and limestone off set by the occasional promotional poster for kid’s weekends and a large advertisement for Coca-Cola. There was already a group of students meandering at the base of the stairs, far too many for the one harried looking teacher to properly control. As she watched from her spot on the street corner, a couple of boys broke away from the group, squabbling amongst themselves. As the play fight turned physical, one of their scarves dropped to the ground. Moving quickly, Alley darted for it as the wind carried it towards her. Yes. She grinned to herself, winding the scarf around her neck and ducking her head as she meandered towards the back of the group. She fell into step in between a pair of giggling girls and a boy clutching a book, and the beleaguered teacher’s eyes slipped right over her.

It was…easy-

Alley dropped her hand behind her back and made the sign of the corna just as Tom had taught her – lest she ever be in a position unable to touch wood. She shouldn’t taunt fate like that. She knew better. She shadowed the children closely, gathered one of the worksheets from the teacher, head lowered, and as the group meandered off into smaller teams, she flitted towards the bathroom.

There, she stowed the scarf, took off the school dress and unrolled the pink skirt she had hitched up underneath. She untied her hair, tugging it down around her face, and fixed the light sweater she had been wearing beneath the dress. In less than a minute, the schoolgirl was gone, and a young child of indiscriminate age remained. She wandered, casual, though she had begun to sweat. It was a cold, anxious damp, trickling in beads down her spine.

The sapphire was being kept in the lower levels of the museum, in a display case, surrounded by cameras, ready to be unveiled to the public that evening. Manfredi had assured her that there would be no guards stationed outside the viewing rooms, that museum officials were assuming that lack of public knowledge and their impressive surveillance system would keep any potential threats at bay. Manfredi had said they wouldn’t expect it – they wouldn’t expect her.

Somehow, impossibly, the halls were clear. The art was uglier down here – though something told her it meant it was probably more valuable – and the air was cool and sterile. All too soon she arrived in front of a non-descript white double-door, marked with a sign that declared it CLOSED TO GENERAL PUBLIC. Nausea bubbled up in her gut, and she took a deep breath as her heart picked up with a sudden fervour. This was it. This was it.

“Ah, AC.”

Manfredi greeted her jovially, though his eyes were already shining with that lusty greed. Alley Cat decided not to comment on the nickname. Her body was still singing with a rush she had never felt before. “Well?” Manfredi prompted her, impatient.

Bold, she headed towards the bowl of fruit and picked up a large peach. She bit into it, and the juices ran down her chin. The taste was indescribable. Manfredi let out a low expletive and took a threatenening step towards her. The Alley Cat of a day ago would have trembled, would have made a hasty retreat – but this Alley Cat just smiled, and nodded to the envelope she’d dropped soundlessly atop the side table. Manfredi’s eyes flew wide, and he darted for the package.

The glittering hairpin fell into the palm of his hand in a glorious dance of sapphire and emerald sparkle. It did not seem out of place in the opulence of Manfredi’s rooms, and Alley Cat found it hard to tear her eyes away. Manfredi was similarly transfixed, cradling it like a newborn.

“Oh my… my, my, my…” He hummed to himself, running a finger over the largest sapphire that made up the suggestion of the peacock’s body. “Oh, this is- this is very good.” He finally looked at her, and her fingers stilled on the apple she had been about to tuck in her pocket. He barked a laugh, “Take what you like, Alley Cat!” he gently returned the hairpin to the envelope, and then strode towards the mantlepiece. “I must admit, I had my doubts – you hang around with that dirty bum Thomas, don’t you?” She bristled, but he didn’t seem to notice, “But you have proved yourself, my girl! Goes to show that the company you keep needn’t keep you down.” He tossed a small bundle towards her, and she fumbled the fruit to catch it.

It was a wad of dollar bills. She scanned the amount, her smugness fading to jubilance. Money? He was- “You’re paying me?” she blinked at the man, who just laughed again.

“Of course – for your assistance and your silence.” He pressed a hand to his heart with a smile, but the edge of the threat was there in his dark eyes. “I believe in positive reinforcement.” She nodded slowly, the adrenaline rush fading in wake of his statement, and the sobering reality of the dirty money in her hands. Her hesitance must have shown on her face, because his smile dropped. “Keep it, Alley Cat, and just remember I know how to find you. I can find anyone.”

I can find anyone.

Slowly she met his eyes, and forced her very best smile to her face. “Thank you, Mr. Manfredi.”

“Call me Jimmy, kid.” His phone began to ring, and he flicked a dismissive hand at her. She bobbed her head, and when he turned to answer his mobile, she hastily shoved the money and the rest of the fruit into her pockets and made for the door.

I can find anyone.

A distant chilling laughter echoed briefly in the back of her head, and she felt frost on her skin.

Tom was recounting the money for the third time as she finished her story. The furrow between his brow had only gotten deeper, but clearly the sight of all the cash in front of him was enough to still his warning tongue.

Without a word, he separated the money into three piles. The smallest he handed to her, and she felt her own scowl begin to develop as she watched him pack away the other two. “Tom-”

“You were lucky, girl.” He cut her off, finally meeting her eyes. His watery blue eyes were unreadable. “Too lucky.”

“Tom – it’s fine. No one noticed – and they won’t.” He stood, picking up the satchel he only wore when he was going on an errand. “And, look – it’s my money-”

Thomas whirled on her, teeth bared. “It is his money – and the more you have the more he owns you.” Alley’s heart stuttered at the sheer venom behind his words. He turned away, dismissive once again. “Now you take what I’ve given you and spend it as you see fit; I need to go take care of some things.”

Alley felt a hot bolt of anger. She wasn’t some silly child. She could make her own decisions; she could make her own money now. “Fine.” She snapped, and reached for her own bag, and shoved roughly past him. Tom stumbled slightly but said nothing. She didn’t look back as she headed into the night, even as the harsh sound of Tom’s hacking coughs began to ring out from the roof.