Free Gagliano,Anthony - Straits of Fortune.wps by Unknown Page B

of white wine. It took me a while, but I man- aged to dig up a mismatched pair of wineglasses with a layer of dust on them. I knew Nick wouldn't appreciate that, so I rinsed them off in the sink. I went back into the living room and poured each of my guests a glass. Nick took a very sus- picious sip, held the glass away from him, then set it down. "I hope you like it," I said. "It cost three bucks." I watched him take another cautious sip. 62
    "You were overcharged," he said. Vivian drank her wine down in one gulp. "Nick," she said. "Maybe you should go now. I'll meet you back at the house." "Why can't you go with me?" her half brother asked. "I'm not about to leave you here. Look at this place!" "I want to talk to Jack." "You don't need to talk to him. Talk to him when he gets back." "Finish your wine, Whitey," I said. "I'm getting tired of your attitude. Tell your dad I'll be in touch." "Who the hell are you to give me orders?" "You know who I am, Nicky. I'm the one who's pulling your family's collective ass out of the fire, remember? You could do it yourself, of course, but I know that would be be- neath your dignity. You might get your hands dirty, and we couldn't have that, could we? Now, get up and get out." Nick glared at me, but his heat vision failed to melt my head, so he tried it on his sister. "I'll see you back at the house," she said. Nick stood up. He looked around the room. "You and your men," he said. "You'll drag us all down before this is over." He bumped the edge of the coffee table as he went by. His wineglass teetered, then spilled over. I didn't move. The glass hit the floor but didn't shatter. A moment later the door shut. I got up and put the chain on. Vivian sat watching me. I went into the kitchen to get some paper towels to wipe up the wine Nick had spilled. When I came back from the kitchen again, Vivian was on her feet. "How much time do we have?" she asked. "Not much," I said. I knew what she was thinking. She turned her back on me. I don't remember moving, but suddenly I was standing right behind her. "Unzip me," she said. 63
    "Is this my going-away present?" "It's whatever you want it to be." I pulled the zipper down slowly and watched as the two halves of the leather dress came apart. Vivian pulled her arms free of the straps, and the garment, unsupported now, col- lapsed about her waist. Her back was brown. I ran my index finger from the nape of her neck down the trail of her spine, feeling the knob of each vertebra until I reached the bottom. Her skin was feverishly hot, as though the leather had sealed in her body's heat that was now being released. She arched her lower back toward me. Then I put my tongue on all the places where my finger had been a moment before. TWO
    AN HOUR LATER I sat on the edge of my bed fully dressed, watching Vivian, just out of the shower, drying off with one of my tattered beach towels. If trouble had a body, hers was it. Then I zipped up her dress, and she slipped on her pumps. It had been a great show, but I was feeling impa- tient. A part of me was already out on the water doing what had to be done, and I was anxious to get going. I rechecked my gear and tried to think if there was anything I might have forgotten. I felt like a drawn bow, poised, ready to fire. It was time to go. Vivian sensed my mood and was very quiet. I lifted the kayak up and balanced its weight over my left shoulder. Vivian carried my life vest and held the door for me while I maneuvered the eight-foot-long craft through the door as noiselessly as possible. As usual, I had some trouble on the stairs and had to turn and reposition either the kayak or myself several times, but that was the only hitch 66
    with the going-down part. The street was quiet, empty, and Sternfeld didn't poke his head out as we passed his door. It was the time of night when he turned off his hearing aid and let the silence and the sleeping pills put him to sleep. As quietly as I could, I got the kayak up onto the