I gripped her arms, enjoying the pain in her eyes. “You want me to trust you? You terrorized and abandoned your own daughter, just —” I barely stopped myself. Just like Ma did. “I’ll see Bridges burn before I become your puppet.”
I shoved her aside. “I don’t care if you, this DA, or anyone else murders me.”
Mrs. Clubb glanced at the three men, shook her head. They retreated, shut the door. When she next spoke, she sounded weary. “It’s house arrest or the Prison. Where will you go? Spadros Manor?” She handed over a letter:
Do what you wish.
Anthony Spadros
Seeing the name he hated so much written in his handwriting cut my heart. Did he know she would show this to me?
I can’t always be your Tony. These days, I must be Anthony, heir to the Spadros Family. And that man must be cruel if we’re to survive.
No less than I deserve, I thought. My sweet Tony ... I was cruel to you as well.
“From your husband’s note —” For a moment, Mrs. Clubb faltered. “— I’m not certain he wants you back.”
Did you ever love me, Jacqui?
I must steel my heart, I thought. I can’t weaken now.
The Spadros Family killed Joe, and I must never forgive them. I took a deep breath. “Good, because I’m not going back.” I stared out at the mass of reporters. This was the only way I could keep my people safe and still give Tony a chance at happiness. “I have a property. I can go there.”
“Spadros quadrant? You’re not worried about your safety?”
I shrugged. “You’re the one who needs me alive.”
She peered at me. “And you won’t oppose the courtship.”
I began to laugh. “No, I won’t oppose your precious courtship.”
She didn’t look convinced.
I held up my hands. “May the Dealer burn my cards if I speak another word against it.”
That situation was in Tony’s hands now. If he didn’t take this chance to win back Gardena and Roland, he didn’t deserve them.
Mrs. Clubb nodded warily. “Very well, then. I’ll see if your property will be acceptable. And I’ll speak with Mr. Diamond about your husband’s son.”
I snorted. “So you had no power to promise anything.”
Mrs. Clubb left, closing the door behind her.
One of the reporters pointed up at me, and I posed for their cameras, waving from my window with a smile I didn’t feel.
The Resolve
Eventually maids came in and out, cleaning, bringing food and more blessed drink. They drew my bath and got me ready to travel. A doctor examined me without even introducing himself, then spoke to Mrs. Clubb. What he found, I never knew.
I didn’t care.
The Spadros Family had trapped me, enslaved me, and killed the only man I’d ever loved. I could never forgive any of it.
I pictured David Bryce forever rocking; his brothers Air and Herbert, both dead. And I thought of Josie, Eleanora, Madame Biltcliffe, and Vig Vikenti, who had each suffered so much — because of me.
* * *
That afternoon, the Clubbs — with tremendous fanfare — took me to my apartments through throngs of shouting men. Amelia was there with food and wine. My tenants and housekeeper had fled, so after Amelia went home to her family, I sat alone.
I’d chosen a furnished room facing the street, which had yet to be leased. I opened the window, drew back the curtains, and sat, feet on the windowsill, drinking wine in the darkness.
Trash littered the narrow street. The barricades stood silent. Past them, armed men wearing the dark blue uniforms of the Court stood guard. One by one, the lights in the other houses went out as crickets sang.
The moon rose.
The whole city knew I was here. If Joe were alive, he would come to me now. He’d find a way to sneak past, or failing that, demand entry loudly enough for me to hear. Joe wasn’t the most intelligent man, but he was cunning: if there was any possible way to reach me, he’d devise it.
He never arrived.
* * *
The next day, Honor brought my large white bird cage and its stand. My little bird lay bound with bandages, its eyes closed, its small chest heaving. “Mr. Anthony found it on the veranda, mum,” he said. “Clawed by a cat. Dr. Salmon bound its wings so it could heal. We thought you might want to tend it.”
I nodded, and he stood the too-large cage in the corner of my room. After he left, I opened the cage door to stroke its head, dribble water into its little mouth. It drank greedily.
I rested my forehead on the white wires. No matter what I did to help, it made things worse. “You didn’t know how to live outside. All I wanted was for you to be free.”
I was as free as I could be under house arrest in Spadros quadrant. But would someone kill me, or would I find this Black Maria first?
My talk with Mrs. Clubb had gained much. I knew where to look: the Spadros Pot. I knew many members of the High-Low Split. Someone would help me locate this false Queen of Spades who killed Marja. Morton could identify her. And when I found Black Maria, she would die.
If Roy Spadros or Jack Diamond or anyone else killed me first, then Joe and I would be together. Either way, I was free.
At this thought, my fear vanished.
That night, I resolved that whatever happened, I would never step back into Spadros Manor again.
~ This ends Chapter 3 of the Red Dog Conspiracy ~
Appendix
The Four Families
(Those members named)
Spadros
Motto: We never changed our name
The Spadros family has been in Bridges since the raising of the dome, being among the original laborers brought in to work on the project.
Patriarch: Roy Spadros (wife: Molly, daughter: Katherine)
Heir: Anthony (Tony) Spadros (wife: Jacqueline)
Other Son: Roy Acevedo Spadros (deceased)
Inventor: Maxim Call
Monte, his Apprentice
Retainers:
John Pearson, butler (wife: Jane, daughter: Mary)
Peter Dewey, stable-man (wife: Amelia, son: Pip)
Skip Honor, day footman
Blitz Spadros, night footman
Jacob Michaels, manservant
Dr. Salmon, private surgeon
Anne, Mistress of Kitchens
Monsieur, chef
Rocket, a bomb-sniffer dog
Poignee, kitchen maid (deceased)
Ottilie, kitchen maid (deceased)
Treysa, kitchen maid (deceased)
Business:
Sawbuck (Ten Hogan), Tony’s right hand man
Duck, Associate (deceased)
Diamond
Motto: Diamonds protect their own
A large group of immigrant workers from the South African diamond mines settled in Bridges in the early 1500s AC. Proud of their unique identity, this disparate group of families began to call themselves “Diamonds” and exclusively intermarry.
Patriarch: Julius Diamond (wife: Rachel)
Heir: Cesare Diamond
Other Sons:
Jack Roland Diamond III (Black Jack, Mad Jack)
Jonathan Courtenay Diamond, his twin brother
Daughter:
Gardena Diamond
Retainer:
Daniel, manservant (deceased)
Others:
Octavia Diamond, a nanny
Roland, a small boy
Hart
Motto: Ready for anything
Descended from Appalachian and Chinese workers, Crispin Hartmann led one of the early street gangs of the 1700’s. This gang called themselves the Harts and were a major player in the looting and other unpleasant acts seen during the Coup.
Patriarch: Charles Hart (wife: Judith)
Heir (and Inventor): Etienne Hart (wife: Helen)
Under protection:
Joseph Kerr
Josephine Kerr, his twin sister
Polansky Kerr IV, their grandfather
Marja, their housekeeper (deceased)
Daisy, a maid
Clubb
Motto: A golden harvest
Clover Banditerna was a worker on a farm near the zeppelin station until the Alcatraz Coup. Seeing an opportunity, he and his fellow workers called themselves the Clubbs Of Justice and seized the station, along with the controls to the Aperture.
Realizing no one could go in or out of the city without going through them, the group charged exorbitant rates and became extremely rich.
After the Coup, Clover Banditerna changed his name, calling himself Johnny Clubb.
Patriarch: Alexander Clubb (wife: Regina)
Heir: Lancelot Clubb
Inventor: Lori Cuarenta
Daughters:
Nina Clubb (deceased)
Kitty Clubb
Other players
Spadros quadrant
Dame Anastasia Louis, aristocrat and gemologist (deceased)
Eleanora Bryce, a widow
Nicholas (Nick, Air), her son (deceased)
Herbert Bryce, her son (deceased)
David Bryce, her son
Madame Marie Biltcliffe, a dress shop owner
Tenni, her shop maid
Vig Vikenti, a saloon owner
Peedro Sluff, a liquor store owner
Market Center
Bridges Daily, a newspaper
Acol Durak, the former editor (deceased)
Paul Blackberry, the current editor
Doyle Pike, a lawyer
Thrace Pike, a law clerk, Doyle’s grandson
Paix Hanger, a policeman
Other/Unknown
Fanny Kaplan (Ma), a brothel owner
The Masked Man, her patron
The Travelers' Federation, an organization
The Red Dogs, a children's street gang
Stephen Rivers, a Red Dogs “chip” (deceased)
Clover, a Red Dogs “ace”
Master Blaze Rainbow (Morton), a gentleman
Zia Cashout, a rogue Federal Agent
Golden Bridges, a tabloid
Frank Pagliacci, a scoundrel
Birdie, a black-haired woman
Acknowledgments
Many people have helped me with this book, and I’d like to thank them. I appreciate the beta reader input from Tasha Reese, Corwin Loofbourrow, and Lenka Trnkova. I’d also like to thank Erin Hartshorn for her meticulous proofreading and Anita Carroll for her gorgeous cover design.
My street team, The Commission, helped get this book series into your hands! If you’d like to join The Commission, visit my website at JacqOfSpades.com and sign up to the newsletter.
Special thanks to my Patrons:
Dave Kobrenski
Cristina
Nancy
Phoebe Darqueling
Eirlys Evans
Rachel Heslin
Julian White
Melissa Williams
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About the Author
Patricia Loofbourrow is a writer, gardener, artist, musician, poet, wildcrafter, and married mother of three who loves power tools, dancing, genetics, and anything to do with outer space. She also has an MD. Heinlein would be proud.
You can follow her at:
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Note from the Author
Thanks so much for reading The Ace of Clubs. If you liked the book, please contact me, or leave a review where you bought this!
The King of Hearts
Coming October 2018
Thousands of gentlemen have gone bankrupt across the city of Bridges and trouble brews between the Diamond and Spadros crime families. Yet the city is united in its desire to exact vengeance for those murdered in the zeppelin bombing.
Penniless and alone, private eye Jacqueline Spadros confronts the lowest point of her life. Seen as an accomplice in the financial crisis and accused of a crime she didn't commit, Jacqui faces trial in front of a hostile jury — and could receive the death penalty.
Jacqui knows she's been framed for the bombing by the illusive Red Dog Gang. But can she persuade the jury in time to escape the gallows?
Part 4 of the Red Dog Conspiracy.
The Ace of Clubs Page 24