“Hello,” I said, and reached for my coat. “Did you win any money?”
She smiled. Her teeth were small and even and sharply white against her scarlet lips.
“A thousand, but you gave me a heart attack when you went down. I had to lay out four and
I thought I was going to lose it.”
“Sorry about that,” I said. “I wasn’t concentrating. There was a girl at the ringside who took
my mind right off my business.”
“Oh!” She looked at me from under her eyelashes. “How did she do that?”
“She happened to be the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”
“You should tell her that. Girls like being told things like that.”
“I am telling her.”
38
“I see.” She continued to smile, but her eyes hardened. “That’s very flattering, but I don’t
believe it. It looked like a dive to me.”
My face reddened.
“What do you know about dives?”
“All the signs were on the wall. The funny little men whispering in your ear, the way you
left yourself open. I go to all the fights. It happens every now and then. What made you
change your mind?” -
“The girl,” I said, “and the thought of all the little mugs who were betting on me.”
“This girl seems to have had quite an influence on you,” she said, studying me, then she
went on, “I think you’re handsome, Johnny.”
I leaned against the wall, aware I was wasting precious time. I shouldn’t be talking to this
girl. I should be getting out of here before the crowd left. That was my only chance of giving
Pepi and Benno the slip. But not even Petelli himself could have got me out of this room at
this moment.
“Who are you?” I asked. “Why did you come up here?”
Her face was serious now, but there was still that look in her eyes that kept sending tingles
up my spine.
“Never mind who I am. Call me Della if you must call me something,” she said. “I’m here
because you’re in trouble, and I guess it’s partly my fault. You are in trouble, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, but it’s nothing you can do anything about.”
“How bad is the trouble?”
“Two Wops are laying for me. If they catch up with me, it’s probably curtains.”
“You double-crossed Petelli?”
That startled me.
“You know him?”
“That little thug! I know of him, but I wouldn’t know him if he were the last man on earth.
We’re wasting time. I’ll get you out of here.” She went to the window and looked out. “You
39
can reach the car-park by climbing down that pipe.”
I joined her at the window. There weren’t many cars left in the park by now.
“There’s my car: the first one on the right in the second row. If you can reach it without
being seen, you’ll be safe.”
“Wait a minute,” I said, looking at the low-slung Bentley coupe she was pointing at. “I
can’t drag you into this. These Wops are dangerous.”
“Don’t be a fool. They won’t know a thing about it.”
“Let’s be sensible about this …”
“Oh, don’t argue! I’m going down to the car now. Lock the door after me. As soon as you
see me down there, come on after me. I’ll drive over to you. Get in the front seat and leave
the rest tome.”
