position was still more perilous.
'It would depend on the organization. They may have someone else in mind.'
She shook her head.
'That's not likely.' She looked up suddenly, her green eyes an open invitation. 'If you did take over, Abe, would you have anything for me?'
She watched him trying to keep calm. She already knew the answer before he said, 'If I took over, Dolly, you would have nothing to worry about.'
She gave a pleased little smile.
'I have plenty to worry about now, Abe.'
Gollowitz nodded. He restrained himself from reaching for her hand. He was aware that several people in the bar were watching them.
'Yes, and so have I.'
The bell of the telephone standing on the bar rang sharply. The barman picked up the receiver, listened, said, 'Yes, sir,' and replaced the receiver. He turned to Gollowitz. 'Mr. Seigel's asking for you, sir. He's in your office. It's urgent.'
Gollowitz scowled. Couldn't Seigel hold down his job for ten minutes without bothering him? he thought as he got off his stool. He'd have to go. No sense in risking trouble at the beginning of his reign.
'That guy can't blow his own nose without me helping him,' he said, smiling at Dolores. 'Perhaps we might have lunch together in twenty minutes?'
She shook her head.
'Better not, Abe. Too many spies around,' She gave him a warning look. 'I'm going home now.' She slid off the stool. 'One of these days we'll have lunch together. I'm looking forward to the time, Abe, when there will be no restrictions between us.' Her look was full of meaning as she smiled a good-bye.
He watched her walk across the bar to the door, his eyes feast-ting on her, watching the slow rolling movement of her hips under the thin material of her frock as she walked, her broad, square shoulders and her long, tapering legs. He felt sick with desire for her.
Seigel was pacing up and down when Gollowitz entered his office. His face was pale and his breath stank of whisky as he approached Gollowitz.
'They've got the girl!' he said breathlessly.
Gollowitz stiffened.
'What do you mean ? Who's got the girl ?'
'Goddamn it! The police have got her! Those two blasted punks made a mess of it!'
Gollowitz felt a chill run up his fat spine. Failure! The moment his hand was on the helm, the ship floundered. What would the organization think of him? This might kill his chances of ever succeeding Maurer! Cold, vicious rage seized him.
'But Jack told you to wipe her out!' he cried shrilly. 'Do you mean to tell me she isn't wiped out?'
Seigel backed away. He had never seen Gollowitz look like this; he looked now as dangerous and as crazy as Maurer could look when things went wrong.
'They trapped her in a maze in the amusement park. The police must have been tipped. They arrived before they could find the little bitch. Moe was killed.'
'Are you telling me the police have got her after what Maurer told you?' Gollowitz screamed, his fat fists clenched and his face contorted with rage and fear. 'Didn't you hear what McCann said? Goddamn it! What's the matter with you?'
'I warned Mr. Maurer,' Seigel snarled. 'We had no time to case the joint. It blew up. She was surrounded by people. The boys couldn't get near her. I warned him!'
'Shut up!' Gollowitz cried. 'I don't want to listen to your weak, spineless excuses. Maurer said she was to be hit, and you've failed to carry out an order!'
'Gleb and Weiner failed to carry out the order,' Seigel said, his face chalk white.
'And you're responsible! What are you doing about it? What the hell are you doing here, making excuses? Get after her! Wipe her out! I don't care how you do it, but do it!'
'The D.A.'s got her,' Seigel said. 'We can't get at her. That's the one place we can't get into.'
Gollowitz struggled to control his rage and fear. He realized he wasn't behaving as the boss. Maurer wouldn't act this way; yelling, swearing and raving. He would have a plan ready to rectify the mistake. He pulled himself together with an effort and walked unsteadily to an arm-chair and sat down.
'If she saw Jack at that Arnot woman's house, we're finished.' he said, as if talking to himself. 'Everything will go. The organization will be wiped out. But did she see anything? Can we afford to gamble on what she saw or didn't see?'
'Of course we can't,' Seigel said. 'We've got to stop her talking. Maybe McCann can handle it for us.'
Gollowitz grimaced.
'McCann? He only thinks of himself. No. We've got to handle this ourselves. Where is she exactly, do you know?'
'They took her to the D.A.'s office. She's somewhere in the building.'
Gollowitz thought for a long moment. Then he looked up sharply.
