'Nothing personal, but no, I don't. I want to take you out of here and buy you dinner someplace and see what our next step is.'
She was still.
'Get dressed,' I said, my mouth still against her ear, my arms around her, holding her against me.
'They won't let me go,' she said.
'I'll take care of that,' I said. I let her go and sat up on the edge of the bed.
'Angelo,' she said, still whispering.
'That the disco prince downstairs?'
'Yes.'
'He the bouncer?'
'Yes,' she said. 'He has a gun.'
'But is he pure of heart?' I said.
She had slipped her blouse on. She stopped, half dressed. 'They won't let me.'
'Any other bouncers?' I said.
'During the day just Angelo. He gets off at seven and Monte and Dave come on for the night.'
I looked at my watch. Five past five. 'Good,' I said, 'we got them outnumbered.'
She had her jumper on now, and her knee socks. She slipped her feet into the penny loafers. 'What are you going to do with me after'''
'Buy you dinner, maybe some underwear. First we'll depart.'
'Angelo's got a gun,' she said again. Always she spoke in a whisper and never did she sound like anything much mattered. Angelo and his gun were a source of anxiety, maybe. But not much.
'I got one too,' I said. 'Let's go.'
We went out her door and down the corridor to the stairs. We were on the landing where they turned when Angelo appeared at the foot. Mrs. Ross was with him. April stopped.
'Come on, babe,' I said. 'Nobody with blow-dried hair ever gave me trouble.' We went down.
At the foot of the stairs Mrs. Ross said, 'Through so quickly, sir?'
Angelo stood in front of the door, looking at me carefully. He was obviously a body builder and he was big, but I was bothering him a little. He frowned.
'Ms. Kyle and I are going to dinner,' I said. 'You know-wine, candles, a little romance. Things are too commercial nowadays, I say.'
'I'm sorry,' Mrs. Ross said briskly, 'the girls are not allowed to date customers. April, go upstairs.'
April took a half-step back and I put my hand behind me and stopped her.
'Let's not dick around here,' I said. 'April's coming out with me and Angelo isn't good enough to stop us.'
I hadn't bothered Angelo enough. He underestimated me. He put his left hand flat against my chest and shoved, the way he would have some guy in town for a convention. I took his wrist in my left hand and yanked his arm straight out across my body. I put my right hand against his elbow and levered him sprawling against the stairs. I kept hold of his wrist as he fell and turned his arm up behind him. Then I got hold of his hair with my right hand and dragged him back up to his feet and held him with his arm bent up and his head pulled back.
'Open the door, April,' I said.
'No,' Mrs. Ross said, and April froze.
I took a deep breath. 'Always the hard way,' I said. I shoved Angelo away from me and into Mrs. Ross. They both went down, Mrs. Ross backward, Angelo on top of her. By the time they got straightened out, I had my gun pointing at them and the door open for April.
Angelo's breath was rasping in and out.
Mrs. Ross said, 'You dumb cocksucker, you've gotten yourself in really big trouble. You don't know who owns this place, but you'll find out.' Her voice was hissing as she spoke.
I gestured at the door with my head. 'Come on, babe, let's go.'
April didn't look at Mrs. Ross. She walked straight out the door without looking at anything.
I said, 'If anybody sticks a nose out this door, I will put a bullet into his or her sinuses.'
Mrs. Ross was working on her theme. 'Dumb motherfucker,' she hissed.
I backed out, closed the door, took April by the arm, and dragging her with me, ran like hell up Angell Street.
Chapter 16
It took about a half hour for us to walk back to the Biltmore Plaza. It was cold and April had no coat. We couldn't find a cab, so I had to give her my jacket. That left the .38 in its hip holster out in the open air and several people looked at me askance as we went by. When we got to the lobby I retrieved my coat and covered the gun.
It took me a half hour to pack, check out, get my car, and head for home. In that time April had said not a
