Harlequin Historical September 2021--Box Set 1 of 2

by Christine Merrill

  The guy who talked for the group of angry men said, “We’re not going nowhere. Maybe we’ll stay here and have some fun.”

  The other men nodded their heads, but their eyes betrayed their false bravado.

  Then Lorenzo must have lost his patience because with one look at the guard who’d carried the Klansman out earlier and all the other guards and the woman converged on the unwelcome guests.

  Evelyn didn’t know what the woman was doing, but she moved so swiftly from the man holding the gun to the man next to him, and the man next to him, they didn’t have time to react. The gun clattered against the tile of the club and the man dropped to the ground lifeless.

  The security guards really didn’t have to do much. The woman had shot something into the outsiders’ necks, and the guards started throwing unconscious men over their shoulders and carrying them out. It happened so fast—the woman seemed to blur as she moved from one man to the next, and the guards got the men out without any fight.

  That was not at all what Evelyn had expected. She’d prepared herself for something much more violent. She had a knife in her garter, which she kept on her in case someone tried to bother her. She wouldn’t lie down without a fight. They’d have to kill her before she let them hurt her.

  Her father had given her the knife on her seveneenth birthday. He’d been practical and had wanted Evelyn to be able to protect herself at all costs. He had known Evelyn would be on her own one day, and it had put his mind at ease to know she had some form of protection. She’d never thought she’d actually have to use it...

  Now, seeing Lorenzo standing protectively in front of his patrons, shielding them from harm, made her reach for it. She was going to help him protect his patrons. She didn’t want to stand by and watch people get hurt. She wouldn’t live through that again.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Lorenzo

  Lorenzo looked around his club at the faces, some frightened and some furious. He would need to smooth things over and reassure his customers that something like this would never happen again.

  He blamed his own arrogance. Everyone knew who he was—who his family was. No one in Kansas City in their right mind would ever dare to threaten him after the “civil war,” as they’d called it, between the two mob families the De Lucas and the Riccis.

  Despite all his efforts to leave a life of violence in his past, he carried with him the benefits of being the son of a mob boss. It sickened him that his father’s legacy of intimidation and murder continued to influence Lorenzo’s life, his business. Neearly everything he had was in some way or another tainted by the very things he’d vowed not to continue.

  Lorenzo’s family had come out on top after the “war,” and thus now controlled the politicians, the police department and the city’s transportation—but the KKK was a group of ignorant idiots who obviously had a death wish.

  In a strange way, the KKK challenging him and his club might be a sign that Lorenzo was being seen as separate from his family—or maybe the Klan was just that stupid.

  Lorenzo had allowed some of his security team to go home early, and that had been a mistake. The KKK seemed emboldened, and Lorenzo would have to take care of that. He wanted to make sure he got the right cats for Vin’s murder, but he was running out of time. The Klan had made a move against him now, and he wasn’t going to be able to play nice with them for much longer. He’d have to get information about Vin’s murder and handle the Klan all at the same time. He wouldn’t let his patrons or his staff come to harm.

  “Everyone, please stay and have fun. Drinks are on the house.”

  The crowd cheered, Benny thrummed the first notes of an up-tempo jazz song and the crowd started to move, talk and dance.

  What happened tonight could not stand, but Lorenzo wouldn’t call his father.

  When he looked up he saw Evelyn, with her gold-brown eyes, staring at him. She didn’t look scared; she looked indignant. He walked right up to her, stopping on the edge of what she probably considered her personal space. He wouldn’t have to do much to kiss her...just bend down a little and press his lips to hers, finally taste her and pull her full bottom lip into his mouth...

  “Are you okay?” she said.

  “Yeah, I’m hitting on all eight. Are you all right?”

  Lorenzo couldn’t help himself. One of her curls had come undone and fallen in her face. He reached up and moved it so he could see her eyes. He wasn’t sure what he’d thought her reaction would be, but he hadn’t expected concern...for him.

  “I’m fine. Are you sure you’re all right?”

  She looked deeply at him. Lorenzo wasn’t sure he’d ever been looked at in that way.

  “I’m fine. I’ll handle the situation.”

  “I thought you just did.”

  Her eyes burned right through him, down to the smoldering fire of his soul.

  “No, it’s not handled yet, but it will be.”

  Lorenzo hadn’t needed Dred for a long time. She was the daughter of one of his father’s mistresses and one of Lorenzo’s dearest friends. She closed potentially volatile situations with the least amount of commotion for Lorenzo. She was stealthy and lethal. She would have killed those men if Lorenzo hadn’t told her years ago that wasn’t his style. It might be his father’s, but it wasn’t his. Dred came at an extremely high cost, but she was worth it.

  He didn’t ever want his customers to witness a fight. When he gave Jeb “the look,” he called Dred immediately. And she always seemed to be nearby whenever Lorenzo needed her. They’d grown up together...she was only three years older than Lorenzo. Her mother had been his father’s confidante and his lover, and Dred and Lorenzo had been perfect playmates—more like siblings.

  “The woman...what did she do to those men?”

  Lorenzo knew Evelyn’s question was steeped in curiosity—not empathy for the pathetic Klansmen.

  “She drugged them. They’ll be out for hours...maybe even an entire day. They’ll remember what happened, but the details will be foggy.”

  Evelyn seemed to contemplate this for a moment before she responded. “Well, I don’t want to keep your customers waiting. I should probably start the next set.”

  Lorenzo hated to let her go. He wanted to be near her as much as possible. She had an energy similar to his own, calm but dangerous, and that captivated him. But, without a logical reason to keep her from returning to the stage, he watched her walk away. He had to admit he enjoyed watching her round bottom in that dress...

  He needed to get focused. If tonight was nothing else, it was a reminder that anyone close to him was in danger. He would keep his distance from Evelyn, no matter how much he wanted her.

  Even before he turned around, he could feel Dred’s eyes on him. She stood by the door. He walked toward her and she turned and walked outside, not waiting for him.

  Once under the canopy of stars Lorenzo breathed in deeply, taking in the crisp air. The coolness felt good. His insides were on fire, from both the excitement of the evening and Evelyn. Deep breaths helped him focus on what he had to do next.

  He walked around to the side of his building where he saw Dred turn.

  He didn’t see his father’s ink-black Ford Model K until he was deeper in the alley.

  Lorenzo cursed under his breath. He had known his father would find out what had happened, but he’d assumed his father would send one of his minions to come in his stead since, technically, Lorenzo had been disowned.

  Dred opened the car door and Lorenzo got in. “What are you doing here?” Lorenzo asked his father.

  “Remember who I am and watch your tone, son. I come whenever it is in the best interest of la famiglia to come. I am the Don.”

  This was exactly what Lorenzo had been afraid would happen. “You have to let me handle it. They need to respect me and my establishment.”

  “Without the fam
ily’s backing, how are you going to handle it?”

  Lorenzo should have been expecting that question, but he wasn’t, and the fact was he wasn’t sure, but he wanted to do it his way. “I’m working on that with my squad. We’ll take care of it. We already know of one definite player who needs to go. We just have to find out who else.”

  “Our family name is on the line. Just because you have shirked your duty, it doesn’t mean you don’t still carry the name, and your actions still reflect on us. It’s not too late for you to come home, where you belong. You deserve to lead this family. It is your birthright. You know I love you, son.”

  Just then Lorenzo pictured his five-year-old self, sitting on his father’s lap, laughing as his father played the tickle monster. That had been their routine. When his father came home from work, Lorenzo would jump into his lap and his father would say, “Uh-oh, here comes the tickle monster.” Lorenzo would laugh until he cried, and his father would laugh too.

  Lorenzo had a hard time reconciling that father with the man who sat in front of him now as a mob boss and killer.

  “Think about what I said. You’re my boy, and I will always be here, whenever you need me.”

  His father lit a cigar.

  When his father lit a cigar, the conversation was over.

  Lorenzo ran his hand over the luxurious leather interior, contemplating what his father had said. Then he took a deep breath, fighting his urge to accept his father’s help, and got out of the car without saying goodbye. He had been dismissed.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Evelyn

  The club didn’t clear out even after the confrontation with the Klan. Lorenzo must have built up a lot of trust with these people. They all chose to stay and continue to spend their money in his establishment.

  The way Lorenzo had commanded the attention of everyone in the room sent sparks dancing down Evelyn’s arms, leaving her fingers tingling. She’d watched him, so cool and authoritative, wordlessly taking care of the situation in seconds. He’d even offered the Klan a way out, but they were too dumb to take him at his word.

  Evelyn was learning that Lorenzo De Luca was the kind of man who backed up what he said, and he could do it with one look. The people who worked for him respected him, and they knew him so well that they could carry out his orders without even exchanging words. That was a kind of power Evelyn had never witnessed in real life. It had been amazing to see with her own eyes.

  Evelyn replayed each moment with Lorenzo over in her mind—the way his eyes had bored into her, the way her skin prickled with fireworks whenever he was near...

  “You ready?” Benny asked.

  His gruff voice was a welcome distraction.

  Evelyn had walked on stage, but she had paused when she’d seen Lorenzo follow the beautiful woman out into the night. She didn’t want to care. She wasn’t sure why she cared. But she did.

  She nodded, and the bass started to play. Servers gave everyone glasses of what Evelyn assumed was bootleg liquor, which made the crowd cheer. Now Evelyn was singing, all seemed right again. Everyone smiled and danced and drank. The servers kept the drinks coming.

  Benny must have seen the way Evelyn looked at the glasses because he asked her if she wanted anything when they finished the song. She shook her head. She might have experience with drinking, but she had a long journey home, and the only other time she had indulged she’d almost passed out. Her grand had been extremely upset with her when she’d had to be carried into the house. She’d never drunk again after that night. She wasn’t going to start now and risk everything she’d worked so hard to get.

  The next song started and Evelyn’s thoughts unraveled into a stream of black billowing smoke rising out of Greenwood, the menacing faces of the KKK, and Lorenzo walking out of the club with the beautiful woman. Evelyn channeled her fear and her anger, and her—was that jealousy?—into the words and the melody like the only thing she could do was to sing.

  She tried to focus on the faces in the crowd...some White, some Black, some she wasn’t exactly sure about. She enjoyed singing and looking out at so many different kinds of people. The area around the bar had emptied some, due to most of the people now being on the dance floor. Evelyn tapped her foot and held on to the microphone as she sang. The words and the rhythm made her feel at home. Her confidence manifested itself while she was on stage.

  The night went by fast and soon Evelyn was starting to feel the strain in her muscles as she used her diaphragm to give power to the notes. She’d been training for this opportunity, but it had come along quicker than she’d expected. She would need to build up her lung capacity and her stamina for singing for long periods of time. She smiled at that.

  “Thank you all for staying to hear us play. The Daytime Blues Brothers will start in thirty minutes. Please stay and enjoy your drinks,” Benny said into the microphone attached to the stand in front of where he sat with his guitar.

  Evelyn wanted to say something to the crowd too, but she wasn’t sure what. Lorenzo hadn’t returned, and Evelyn had an overwhelming desire to get home.

  The crowd erupted in applause when she turned to leave the stage. She looked out at them, and then at Benny, who motioned for her to come back. “Say something to them.”

  Benny’s smile warmed Evelyn’s heart. She walked back to the microphone. Her eyes found Yalaina, smiling in the crowd with her hands clasped in front of her chest.

  Evelyn took the microphone out of the stand and said, “I’m so honored to be here with all of you. This night has been something for the history books, and it’s only going to get better from here. Have a good night—or morning.”

  Evelyn laughed as the crowd applauded again. She left the stage with her heart the size of a melon. She couldn’t believe her good fortune to have been hired on the spot at such an amazing club. Aside from the two encounters with the KKK, this had been the best day of her life.

  Her dressing room had been cleaned while she was on stage. There was a container of something sitting on the table. Evelyn opened it up. It was pretzels and ham. She smiled to herself. She was learning that Lorenzo thought of everything.

  She shook her head at that thought. She hadn’t seen him come back into the club, but maybe there was a back entrance. When she’d walked past his office on the way to her dressing room, the lights had been off.

  Gathering her coat, she took off her headband and replaced it with her fur hat. After ensuring her hair was perfect and her gloves were pulled up, she left her dressing room. Then she turned back, remembering the flowers. There was no way she could take them all home, so she took just a few stems to give to her grandmother to celebrate. Her grand was back at home, resting with the healthcare nurse. Evelyn couldn’t wait to see her.

  “You were going to leave without saying goodbye?” Lorenzo’s deep rasping voice filled the room.

  Evelyn turned to see that he’d taken off his suit jacket and stood there with his top shirt buttons undone. He looked tired.

  “Is everything all right?” Evelyn couldn’t help herself. She genuinely wanted to know.

  He smiled. “It’ll be fine. I just wanted to say thank you. The way you sing... It’s... The customers have let me know I better hold on to you. I’ll see you tomorrow night, right?”

  Evelyn tried not to get excited at the idea of seeing him again. Looking forward to seeing him was dangerous. “Do you always hide behind your tough exterior?” she asked suddenly.

  Lorenzo chuckled. “I wouldn’t say that.”

  “Then why won’t you be honest with me?”

  “I... I’m sorry. I just don’t want to worry you. You’ve only just started and, believe me, this is not how things usually go here.”

  “I do believe you. But you can trust me. If you need to talk, I’m here.”

  “So you will be back?”

  Evelyn smiled. “Yes, I’ll be here
. I better get going.”

  “Have a good night...morning.”

  He stepped out of her path, and when she passed him a wave of energy pulsed from him. He was upset, and though most people might not have noticed the slight clench of his jaw, or the hard set of his eyes, Evelyn did notice, and it worried her.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Lorenzo

  Lorenzo hated to see Evelyn leave. He watched as she walked to the front of the club. Several men followed her every move with their eyes, and it didn’t seem to matter if they had a dame on their arm already. She said goodbye to the band and Tommy, before going out into the early morning light.

  When she opened the door, the gold light from outside formed an aura around her like she was a goddess. Her round, full bottom and toned calves nearly had Lorenzo on his knees. He wanted to show her what it meant to be cherished. Her voice, her presence, awoke something inside of him that he didn’t really understand. He wanted to know more about her...the pain in her eyes pierced him each time she looked at him.

  What had happened to her?

  She was so beautiful and talented. And Lorenzo was learning that she was also fearless. He’d seen how she’d come from the back when the commotion started. She could and should have stayed in her dressing room, where she was safe, but she hadn’t. She’d come to see what was going on, and she hadn’t cowered. She’d stood defiant in the face of all those angry, racist, ignorant men who looked like they’d just crawled out of a flophouse.

  But what touched Lorenzo the most was her concern for him. She’d only asked if he was okay, but her face had said so much more. He wanted to tell her what was going on, but he didn’t want to risk her deciding to dust out.

  The sun was up, which meant it was time for Lorenzo to get a few hours of sleep. His entire life was his club. He rarely left. But, since it was a twenty-four-hour club, he had to get some rest in order to be the formidable force that he was in all his business interactions.