by Donna Fasano
“It’s obvious. Always has been. You’re probably the only person who couldn’t see it.”
“He admitted this to me, only this morning. I don’t understand it. How could I have been so blind? And what about Lydia, Susie and Fran? You know how protective they are about me and each other. They’d have picked up on it.”
“Maybe not. Or they didn’t want to bring it to your attention, probably, because it would have been awkward had you known.”
“Why?” I darted a quick glance at Jake, who winked at me. He was taking his time with the beer, probably giving Billy and I time to chat. “What do you mean?”
“You never loved him back.”
My stomach clenched as I thought of how I must have hurt Jake. Had I known, would things have been different? I’d like to think so.
Maybe we’d have married, had children of our own and been a real family. Now, it was too late. I’d be selling the bar--or Billy might be the one managing it. Was he mature enough to handle all that responsibility?
My heartbeat quickened. I’d figured that once the neighborhood was safe, and when I knew for certain that the Candy Bar would remain serving up drinks and passing out magic, I could leave in peace. But with Billy running it—well, it would be stepping away but not giving up on it completely.
Billy and Jake together—keeping the Candy Bar alive and thriving. The thought put a big smile on my face.
I glanced over at “my girls,” Susie, Fran, and Lydia. They were sitting at a high-top, holding court to a group of men that were laughing, obviously dazzled by my beautiful, bright friends.
Behind their heads, toward the back of the building, I could see a fine layer of smoke rising upward. At first I thought someone was smoking, but when I looked closer, I knew that wasn’t the case.
I still wasn’t worried. Perplexed maybe, but not actually frightened.
“Billy, take a look beyond my friends. Do you see that?” I pointed in their general direction.
“Yeah—they’re having a good time—captivating the men as always.”
“No. Not them,” I said with a touch of impatience. “Smoke, rising from behind. You see it now? Where is it coming from?”
“Holy shit.” He rubbed his chin. “Should we sound the alarm?”
Jake showed up with the beer. I grabbed his arm as reality hit home. We all might be in danger. “Jake. I think we have a fire.”
I pointed and he looked. The pint of beer dropped out of his hands and landed on the hard wood floor. “Those bastards,” he snarled. “They just won’t stop, will they?”
Jumping into action, Jake ran straight for the fire alarm. His voice rose loud and clear, as he shouted to make himself heard over the din of a hundred voices. “Fire. Everyone out!”
Chapter 25
Panic seized me. If these mobsters--or whoever the hell they were--had torched the place, we could all die. This was an old building, and it was filled to capacity. I’d never worried about the fire exits before, but now I glanced around as people rushed toward them.
Already they were tripping over each other, in a mad dash for safety.
Billy remained rooted to the spot, so I gave him a shove. “Get out!” I screamed, and pushed again. He stood his ground, a stubborn look to his face.
Oh, why in heaven did I have to have a stubborn kid who had never—after the age of ten—obeyed his mother? I knew that look all too well, and the more I insisted, the more he’d dig in his heels. Darn fool kid.
“You got a fire extinguisher in this place?” he shouted at me.
“Get out! Are you crazy? There’s too many people.” I shoved at his chest, desperate now. “You have to go. Please, Billy. Now.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he hissed. “I’m staying with Jake. We’ll try to contain the fire until the trucks get here.” He had a wild look in his eyes. “You need to get the people out.”
“Get your ass moving and stop trying to be a hero.” I was in his face—so angry and scared I couldn’t think straight. “Last thing I need right now is to worry about you.”
The girls rushed toward me and grabbed me by the arms. “Come on. We have to go.”
I fought to get their hands off me, but their grip only tightened. “No,” I cried as tears ran down my cheeks. “I can’t.” I struggled, but couldn’t shake them. “Go…go! Please?” I pleaded.
“We’re not leaving you,” Fran said with a determined scowl on her face. “If you don’t go—neither do we.”
“I’ll join you in a minute.” I gave a reassuring nod. “After I make sure everyone’s out.”
“You’re coming now.” Lydia, who’s darn near six feet tall, grabbed me by my waist, half-lifting me off the ground. She carried me along as we joined the throng of people fighting to clear the exit.
“Where’s the damn fire department?” I muttered, smelling the smoke, seeing it spread up the walls. If they didn’t get here soon, how many people would be trapped inside?
I glanced behind me trying to see Billy and to find Jake in the crowd, but too many people blocked my vision. I was swept further away and couldn’t fight my way back if I tried.
“Billy’s back there,” I shouted frantically. I looked into Susie’s sympathetic face. “I can’t leave him.” Tears filled my eyes. “You know that.”
“He’ll be fine,” Susie whispered, as her eyes grew moist. “We can’t let you stay.” She continued to push me forward, and clung to Fran so they wouldn’t get separated.
“I hate you guys,” I yelled, and tried to break free from Lydia’s firm grip. Her arm still encircled my waist like a rubber band, not giving any relief.
“I know, honey,” she said calmly. “But I’d hate myself more if anything happened to you.”
I took several deep breaths, trying to get a grip on my terror. My flailing around was not doing any good. It only caused my friends more distress and I was wearing myself out.
I stopped my struggles, knowing we’d all need our strength before the night was through.
Eventually, the four of were pushed through the exit from the surging crowd behind. It was chaos, and by now the sky was billowing with acrid smoke as the sounds of the sirens drew near.
We staggered, coughing and hacking toward the street, and collapsed in one ungracious female heap on the edge of the sidewalk.
Susie sputtered, and wiped her tear-stained cheeks. “Can you see the fire-fighters,” she asked. “Is Brett there?”
“I see John,” Fran shouted, and stood up to wave frantically.
John, as chief, was too busy with his crew and dragging out the big hose to notice us girls in this crowd of terror--but he must have known we were there because he looked around once or twice.
“John,” Fran shouted again, but her voice was lost amongst the cries and screams of others.
In dismay, I looked around at the horde of people, knowing that they all couldn’t have been inside my bar tonight. Other residents must have seen the fire and heard the sirens, and they’d shown up to witness this latest aggressive assault on their neighborhood.
I saw them muttering, shaking their heads, giving the firefighters plenty of room, and us pitying glances. Some nodded at me, aware that I was the owner of the bar in flames.
I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t think. I was sucked into a vacuum of fear.
My Billy and Jake were still inside.
Lydia threw an arm around me, and I snuggled into her warmth for the much needed support. “There, there,” she said to me, as she would have spoken to her own four-year-old son.
I wondered for a second why she wasn’t home with him now. Jed owned his own successful construction business, and he was used to Lydia working long days, and coming and going at irregular hours. They had a nanny for Braden, and Jed was the kind of guy that could take care of himself.
Still, she should be home cuddling her boy instead of here supporting me--and my damn fight for justice. I buried my head in her shoulder, as everything I loved
crumbled down around me.
They’d won, damn it. They hadn’t won clean, but they’d set fire to the Candy Bar and had darn near killed all the people in it—my friends, my son and all those who’d been willing to fight back by joining the Watch.
They’d done exactly what they’d set out to do.
Scared the people into submission.
I guess it was that final thought that unstuck the glue holding my tongue in place. I moved out of Lydia’s arms and stood tall. Well, as tall as my petite frame would allow.
“That’s it. It’s over. I’m done.” I raised my hands to the sky and lifted my face. “The bad guys won,” I said in defeat. “They can have this street. I don’t give a crap any longer. But if they’ve hurt one hair on my son’s head, or Jake’s for that matter, then I will see every one of them in hell.”
“I’m with you, Pal,” Fran said, and gave me a hug. “If anything happens to either of them, they’ll have to deal with the wrath of all four of us—and I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.”
“What’s taking them so long?” Susie said, her voice worried. “Is anyone else still inside?” Her teeth began to chatter. “What if Brett or John gets hurt? Or any of the firefighters? I’d like to kill those motherfuckers that did this.”
“Susie!” Fran put her hand over her mouth. “I’ve never heard you swear like that.”
“I’ve never had to before. But I mean it. Every word. I’ll rip their hearts out and feed it to my fish.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “Oh, Susie. You probably would. You’re one of the most loyal women I know. And the others are standing right next to you.”
The four of us linked arms and stood there, giving strength to each other as we silently prayed for the safety of the men inside.
It seemed like forever, but was probably only a few minutes. The door opened and the first thing I saw was Billy. Next we saw John and Brett with a man on a stretcher.
I ran forward and the girls were right behind.
I threw my arms around Billy, and wiped soot of his face. My heart swelled with gratitude. My son was safe. For that one second, that was enough.
His eyes were grim. “It’s Jake,” he said gently. “He was in the back room where the fire was started. The bastards must have known about the cases of liquor back there. One flick of a match or whatever and poof! The damn place exploded. Some of the roof collapsed, pinning Jake underneath.’
I looked down at the stretcher. Jake’s beautiful face looked untouched. In shock, I wondered how that could be.
“Jake?” My hands trembled as I reached out to touch him.
John answered, “He’s alive… but we’ve got to get him to ER. Right away.”
Chapter 26
My heart thundered in my chest. My legs felt weak, like they couldn’t support my weight. I swayed and clutched at John’s big-barreled chest.
“What’s wrong with him?” I cried. “John? He’s not going to die?” My voice rose in panic.
“Not if I can help it. Looks like broken ribs, possibly a punctured lung.”
I sighed and bit my lip. That didn’t sound quite so bad, but I knew Jake would be in terrible pain, and I ached for him too. “Thank you for finding him.”
Brett hugged Susie, who clung to him and couldn’t speak from crying.
John patted Fran on the back and nodded grimly. “We got lucky.” He looked at his wife, who was trying to put on a brave front. “You going to the hospital?” he asked quietly.
“Yes.” Fran’s eyes searched his, telling him things only the two could share.
“Good.” John turned away as the medics appeared at his side, and then strode back inside. To do what, I could only guess.
I knew that an arson investigator would be called--if someone hadn’t already-- and that he’d be working in tandem with the police department who had their own Arson Unit. Because both Fran and Susie were married to firefighters I had a basic understanding of how things worked.
The firefighters would decide if the fire looked suspicious, then both the units would arrive before the embers died out. So, as much as I wanted to go to the hospital and be with Jake, I knew I had to stay behind and speak with the police. If they wanted me to point a finger toward a guilty party, I’d be happy to oblige.
“I’ve got to wait for the police,” I told my friends. “Billy and I will meet you later at the hospital.”
They nodded and gave me a hug, and I watched their backs until I couldn’t see them any longer.
Fuelled by righteous anger, I knew that I’d light the torch myself and burn the Candy Bar down, rather than have Jake or anyone that I cared about put in danger ever again.
“You okay?” Billy asked, putting a comforting arm around my shoulders.
I leaned into his strength for a moment, thinking how he had become a rock all of a sudden. I had always been the grown-up, the support system, and now it was me seeking my son’s comfort.
“I will be. But if anything happens to Jake…I don’t know what I’ll do.”
A police officer strode over to where we stood. “Miss Thompson?”
“Yes. That’s me. This is my son, Billy.”
Billy offered his hand.
“I’m Officer Shelton. I’ll be working this as a possible arson. Do you have any reason to think someone might have wanted to harm you or to destroy your business? Any enemies to speak of?”
I nodded and swallowed the dry acrid taste in my mouth. “Not sure who they are, but I know what they want.” I told the officer all I knew about the thugs who’d come in to the bar demanding protection money, and how my bartender had been falsely arrested.
“I’m sure these racketeers are behind this. But do I know their names? No. And of course, it’s only my opinion. I have no proof.”
“You’ve given us a motive, ma’am, and a good place to start.” He nodded and left to confer with others.
I called after him, and he turned toward me. “Officer Shelton. My bartender was badly injured. Can I go to the hospital now, or will you need me for further questions?”
“You’re free to leave. It’s going to be a long night here.” He handed me his card. “Give me your cell number and I’ll be in touch.”
As Billy and I headed toward the back of the building to my car, I noticed that the investigation had already begun. The crowds were still present at the scene, and uniformed officers were making their way slowly through the people. I presumed they were hoping to spot any known pyromaniacs watching the scene.
But I knew it wasn’t an act of a crazed person who got off on fires, but a businessman who wanted his monthly reward–cash payment that Jake and I had cheated him of.
An hour later, Billy and I arrived at the hospital and found Susie and Fran in the emergency waiting room. Lydia had gone home to be with Jed and her son, and she’d told the girls to call the moment they knew anything.
We didn’t see Jake for several hours but a doctor came out and told us what John had already guessed. The x-rays had confirmed the collapsed lung, and they’d inserted a tube to release the air, but he wasn’t out of the dark yet. The kindly doctor said they’d keep a close watch on him, but it was possible he’d need surgery.
While we waited, Billy called Katie and filled her in with the day’s terrible news.
Fran went downstairs and bought us all sandwiches and coffee, knowing we were all in for a long night.
“So what are you going to do, Candy?” Susie asked quietly. “I didn’t want you to sell before, but now I think you should. It isn’t safe for you to keep it.”
“I know. I feel the same way. Matter of fact, I just might call Carl Richards right now and tell him he can have the place as is.”
Billy laughed. “As is. That’s priceless. It’s not worth a cent.”
“Of course it is,” I told him. “The land alone would fetch a few million.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“Well, holy shit.
You’re a millionaire, Mom.” He grinned then his smile faded. “Guess that let’s me out. I had my hopes of running this place.”
Fran walked back in just in time to hear the last remarks. “I never knew you were interested in the Candy Bar.”
“Sure. Why not? I could use some of that magic thrown my way.” He shrugged. “Besides, I have a business degree and figured I could step the place up a bit. South Beach is a happening place, and so’s the Candy Bar.”
“I’m with you, Billy,” Fran said. “I don’t think your mom should sell it.” Fran lifted her chin and had a stubborn look in her eye. “I’d hate for you to give in to them bastards. Excuse my French.”
“I don’t want to dump a bunch of money into the place and be mortgaged to the hilt, Fran. My heart’s not in it anymore.”
“What does your heart want to do?” she asked with a gentle smile.
“I want to do something useful for a change. Paying it forward—that kind of thing. My life took an interesting curve right after Billy was born, and it has given me more than I deserve. I want other women in similar circumstances to have a fair shake too. Sometimes they only need a little help to get back on their feet.”
“What were you thinking?” Susie asked.
“I want to open a home for unwed mothers, runaways, a shelter for abused women. Anyone who’s in trouble and needs a temporary place to stay. I could support it by running a thrift shop and accepting donations, or perhaps opening a small coffee shop/internet café.” I glanced at their curious faces. “I need to do some research and see what idea has more potential.”
“You have been doing some serious thinking.” Fran rubbed her hands together. “I love this idea. I really do. It’s so you, Candy, and I want to help.”
“Of course you do.” I couldn’t help but grin. “But exactly how? I don’t even know how much work will be involved putting this together. I’d need to find a location, get permits. The fulfillment of this dream could take years.”
“I could jumpstart it, I suppose by giving a benefit concert. Raise some money to rebuild the bar, help clean up the area. Just think--perhaps the Candy Bar could be the first location for your shelter.” Her face warmed with the idea. “The women could certainly use some magic in their lives.”