Friday 30 May 2014

The Woman with the Porcelain Neck pt 5

Missed parts 1, 2, 3 and 4?

When I’d told her to get out now I didn’t expect her to come here. But here she was, standing in the middle of my office, looking at me with her accusing eyes.
‘Why did you tell him where I was Mr Stanley? Why did you break your promise?’
I ignored her questions, I didn’t have to answer to this dame.
‘Where’s Nick?’ I asked.
‘On his way here.’ she spat.
‘Are you crazy?’ I looked at her, it was her turn to ignore questions. ‘When Hristov finds you’re not at home, he’ll know I’ve tipped you off. He’ll be straight back here. Don’t you people ever think?’
Again she ignored me.
‘We need your help Mr Stanley.’
‘What can I do?’ I said. ‘ Just get on a god damn bus, and get out of town.’
‘I need to know why he’s after me.’ she said.
‘You don’t wanna know.’
‘I do and youre gonna tell me.’ The broad had pulled a gun, so for the second time that day, my life was in danger.
‘He says he’s your father.’ I said with missing a beat. I was sick of these people, I wasn’t gonna keep their secrets for them.
She dropped the gun and in my imagination, I lit a cigarette, taking a long hard drag, I watched her tear fall on to my carpet. 
‘My father?’ she said. She was doing the calculations.
I nodded.
‘I’ve got to go,’ she said and turned for the door but there was a man in the doorway blocking her path. I was expecting Nick, I got Hristov.
‘There you are.’ he said, tenderness in his voice.
‘You pig.’ she hissed through the tears. ‘Why are you looking for me? So you can put your own daughter back on the game?’
‘I didn’t know who you were.’ he said, taking a step closer to her.
She stared at him, the hatred in her eyes stopping him in his tracks. I have to say I was impressed with the dame’s spirit. Like father like daughter. 
‘You were just a girl, but then I heard you talk about your mother, I put two and two together, did some digging. I was just about to come to tell you when you disappeared. You got to believe me.’
‘Why?’ she barked, ‘why should I believe a pig like you?’
‘Because…’ But we never heard his reason, a shot rang out and Hristov fell forward revealing Nick behind him, holding a smoking handgun. Hristov lay on my office floor, blood mixing with his daughter’s tears on my carpet.
I took charge.
‘You two, get the hell out of town, now.’ I said. ‘I’ll sort this mess out.’
Nick looked shocked, Louisa took him by the hand and they left my office with a murmured thanks. I turned Hristov over. Luckily the barman was better at handling gin than he was at handling a gun. Hristov was hurt but he’d live. I stood him up, brushed him down and got him to a hospital.
‘I didn’t know.’ He said repeatedly as the doctors hooked out the bullet and stitched him up. ‘I didn’t know.’
It was none of my business but for what it’s worth, I believed him.
‘Wait till she calms down’ I said, ‘maybe she’ll come back.’ What was I doing handing out relationship advice to a gangster?
‘You saved my life,’ he said out of the blue. ‘How much do you want?’
‘I don’t want your money.’ but then I remembered that smile. ‘But I do need a new secretary and I think you have just the right girl for me.’
‘Anything you want Mr Archer.’

‘It’s Archer Stanley!’

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