The Devil To Pay (Hennessey.) (123 page)

To Lando’s surprise Rosie answered, ‘yeah once, before it became all about self serving and protecting your own ass. Before it meant more about protecting the scumbag low life’s, and less about serving the needs of those who're trying to protect folks.'

‘Before you became disillusioned.’ Said Adela.

He laughed out loud, ‘it ain’t that easy, lady, just ask your ex -cop friend here. Ask him how many times he worked his butt off to crack a case only to have the perp walk free on a technicality.’

Lando knew this was true and he had been frustrated and disillusioned at times as the woman had said. He said, Yeah, that’s true, but I didn’t choose instead to work for one of those scumbag lowlifes out of frustration.’

Rosie’s face was dark and fierce as he approached Lando who was thinking, fuck, I’m as bad a she is, can’t keep my big mouth shut. He tried not to glance at Rosie’s clenched fists, the last blow he had given him had been more of a slap and that had hurt big time, he dreaded to think what a punch from those shovel sized hands would do to him.

He braced himself but then the woman distracted Rosie by saying, ‘money? Is that it?’

Rosie his eyes still on Lando said, ‘what?’

‘It’s money isn’t it, that turned you over to the dark side.’

Rosie turned slowly around to look at her. She said, ‘since I’ve been in this country it seems that everyone I’ve met is obsessed by money, lack of money, too much money, needing money, wanting money,’ she glanced at Lando, ‘mocking money. Hennessey betrayed me for money, although for a lot more than thirty pieces of silver. How much would it take for
you
to betray your boss, Mr. Rosencrantz?’

Rosie grinned, ‘more than you might think, ma’am. As you say Hennessey did what he did for money but he failed in his task, I won’t, because job satisfaction is worth more than any amount of cash.’

She gave a small smile, ‘really? Then it wouldn’t interest you to know that your boss paid Hennessey five million dollars to kill me.’

Rosie’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets in amazement and from over by the window Guildy exclaimed ‘fuck!’ And almost choked on the expletive. He said, ‘you’re lying, she’s lying, Rosencrantz.’

Adela kept her eyes on Rosie, ‘you know I’m not don’t you, Mr. Rosencrantz?’ When Rosie said nothing she continued, ‘your boss paid Hennessey five million dollars, well actually two and a half for me and two and a half for bringing Desdemona back.’

Guildy scoffed, ‘Mr. Glissando could have a thousand Desdemona’s for that much.’

Adela looked at him ‘he could have thousands of
girls
yes, but there is really only one Desdemona isn’t there?’

Rosie’s eyes narrowed as he looked at her then he nodded. ‘Mr. Glissando is very…attached to Desdemona. So I believe he would consider her worth five million bucks.’

Adela thought, yes, and it would be worth five million dollars to Glissando for the chance to punish Olivia for defying him.

Guildy said, ‘she’s just a whore, like any other whore.’ He looked Adela up and down and leered.

Everyone ignored him and Lando was wondering where the woman was going with this until to his horror she enlightened him. She said to Rosie, ‘I’ll pay you six million.’

If anyone had looked at Guildy they would have seen his jaw drop almost to his feet but no one did. Rosie and Lando were staring at the woman, Lando with anger and disbelief and Rosie with suspicion and disbelief.

Rosie blew out a breath, ‘I guessed you had money, but geez, lady.’ He turned and looked at his partner before looking back at her, ‘you’d give us six million dollars to walk away?’

‘Yes.’

The silence that followed hung like a curtain around them in which Rosie looked at his partner who raised his eyebrows questioningly, then at Lando who was looking at Adela as though he could strangle her.

Eventually Rosie said, ‘sorry, lady, it won’t work. Glissando wants
you
and
I
don’t want to be on the receiving end of his wrath thanks very much. And if we take off he’ll hunt us down, he’ll never stop until we’re at his mercy. I’ve seen what he does to those who double cross him and it gives me nightmares even when I ain’t asleep. So thanks, ma'am but you can’t enjoy six million bucks if you’re dead.’

Adela
said, ‘I appreciate what you’re saying, Mr. Rosencrantz but I think you misunderstood, the offer was for Mr. Lando’s freedom, not mine.’

Lando’s body jerked and his face d
arkened with anger as he snarled, ‘oh no you don’t, lady, you ain’t paying one single dollar to these two pissants for me.’

Rosie’s arm came out and he backhanded Lando across the face, only the wall he landed against kept him from being knocked off his feet, he let out a grunt of pain as his head made contact with the brick.

Rosie said, ‘one more word from you wife killer and I’ll put you out permanently.’

Lando’s head swam and he shook it trying to clear the ringing in his ears then wished he hadn’t as pain shot through his brain. As his head cleared he thought about what Rosie had said. Why was he still alive? Why he wasn’t dead already? And what did they need
him
for?

He looked at the woman, he knew what she was doing and part of him was grateful, she didn’t want him to wind up like Maxwell, or worse. But she was scared and resigned to dying and wasn’t thinking straight, if she was she would realise what she was doing, she was giving them something to use against her. Him. Her soft heart, her obvious desperate need to save him was playing right into their hands.

Adela flinched and clenched her fists tightly as Rosie had struck Lando and she saw the blood pour from his lip and the huge bruise than now covered his lower jaw.

She wanted nothing more than to
intervene; although there was little she could have done she would have tried except she wanted to stay on the right side of these two men. She wanted them to agree to her plan to let Lando go free, although
he
wasn’t helping at all. She wondered what it was with him, why he was so stubborn. To distract Rosie from Lando and speaking as though nothing untoward had just occurred she said, ‘well, what do you say, Mr. Rosencrantz? Do you accept my offer?’

It seemed for a moment as though Rosie hadn’t heard her so intent on staring at Lando with loathing was he. But then he turned very slowly to look at her and there was sus
picion in his eyes again. ‘You’d give us three million bucks each to save this piece of shit?’ He jerked his thumb over his shoulder at Lando.

She tried not to show her revulsion at the profanity but said calmly and simply, ‘yes.’

Rosie looked over at Guildy who had been very quiet up to now, probably thinking about what he could do with three million dollars.

When Rosie didn’t answer right away sh
e looked over at Guildy and asked, ‘what about you, Mr Guildenstern, what do you think?’

That she had deferred to him seemed to take Guildy aback for a moment but then looking at his partner said, ‘he ain’t important, Rosie. Mr. Glissando didn’t say anything about wanting him did he? And three million bucks, that’s a lot of dough partner.’

So much for job satisfaction being more important than money, thought Adela.

Before Rosie could think of something to contradict this Adela said, ‘on the way to wherever you’re taking me to meet Glis…
Mr
. Glissando, we can stop at a bank and I’ll transfer the funds into your accounts, that way I’ll know you kept your word and that Mr. Lando is safe. He won’t go to the police and…

She was cut off by Lando, ‘the hell I won’t.’

Rosie turned to him and Adela was afraid that he was about to strike him again, but now she was getting really tired of this martyr thing he seemed to have going on. She was trying to help him, to save his life and he acted as though she was in cahoots with these two, as though she was the criminal here. She leapt up and yelled at him, ‘what’s wrong with you? Do you want to die? Do you have some kind of death wish? Don’t you think that prison was adequate enough punishment for what you did, do you have to punish yourself too, over and over again?’

It was hard to say who was the more startled by her outburst, Lando
, the two men or Adela herself. She let out a breath before saying more mildly, ‘I’m trying to help you and I’m going to despite your reluctance to accept it.’ Lando glared at her but seemingly unfazed she turned to Rosie, ‘even if he goes to the police he can’t prove anything. Mr. Glissando is a powerful man and Lando's a killer, they’ll laugh him out of the sheriff’s office.’

Rosie stared at her for a long time then said, ‘he could contact Mr. Glissando and tell him what we’ve done, out of revenge maybe, and then Mr. Glissando will cut off our heads and mount them on his wall.’

Guildy said, ‘and he ain’t joking, lady.’

Adela opened h
er mouth to speak but Lando forestalled her, ‘that’s one thing you got right, pal,’ he gave Adela a disgusted look, ‘keep your money, lady, I won’t be bought and sold to ease your conscience.’ Even as he said the words he recalled what she had said about him, that he had a death wish, a need to punish himself for what he’d done. She seemed to see right into his soul this woman.

Adela stared at him, first with anger then with entreaty then finally with defeat. Her shoulders slumped and she turned from him. It had seemed such a good idea, she just hadn’t reckoned on Lando being so stubborn, so determined not to give these two the satisfaction of taking her money as payment for his life. If it was true that pride came before a fall then Mr. Lando was going to be hitting the ground as though thrown from a plane.

But even in her disappointment that her plan had gone awry because of his obstinacy and pride Even in her anger at him, she had to admire him, his strength of purpose, his dogmatism, his courage. She wished she had a fraction of it.

She sat down and was silent her eyes on the painting on the wall, the one she had admired earlier. She thought about Lando and what he had said, that she was trying to ease her conscience by bribing these two men to let him go. He was right of course, that was part of it, she had brought this on him. She should never have come here in the first
place; she had stayed when she should have left. She should have gone when he least expected it, when his guard was down and before these men came.

She had asked herself numerous times how she had got here in the first place, of all the places in the state how had she stumbled upon Lando’s place. She had told herself it had been just a very great coincidence, one of those strange things that happened sometimes that had no reasonable explanation. But deep down she had an inkling that she had known all along where she was and which way she was heading, but had been so confused and terrified that it had not completely registered in her overwrought mind. Well, whatever the reason she was here Lando was in great danger because of her.

Well one plan had gone awry, she would just have to think of another…and quickly. She stared off into space a frown of concentration between her eyes. Then she turned to Rosie and her tone low and defeated sounding asked, ‘could I have some water please?’

Rosie seemed surprised by the request but nodded.

She went to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water which she drank in one go.

From over by the window Guildy said, ‘but you know, Rosencrantz, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t just take the lady up on her offer of the six mil. After all she won’t be needing it and there won’t be any witnesses to our sudden wealth.

Adela looked at him then at Rosie who sneered, ‘now that’s a good thought, Guildy old pal.’

‘I do have
'em sometimes.’

Both men laughed but Adela said, ‘
I’ll
know.’ Three head swivelled in her direction. ‘I’ll tell
Mr
. Glissando what you made me do.’

Guildy spat out, ‘bitch.’

She ignored him and poured some more water into the glass. Rosie said, ‘we can work around that, I’ll think of something.’ To her he said, ‘you, get back over here, now.’

Still holding the glass she turned and walked back to her seat but then suddenly seemed to sway as though dizzy. She dropped the glass she was carrying which, before hitting the floor, spilt its contents on the jacket Guildy had thrown over the back of the chair. Guildy cursed and came rushing over to her saying, ‘you fucking clumsy bitch.’

Adela had hold of the jacket and was wiping it down with her hand saying, ‘I’m sorry, so sorry, I suddenly felt light headed.’

He snapped, ‘leave it.’

‘But I did it I ought to clean it up.’ She continued to wipe the jacket but he snatched it from her and grabbing her arm he pulled her over to the table and threw her down on the chair so roughly she almost fell off again.

Rosie said, ‘calm down, Guildenstern
, it ain’t the end of the world.’

Guildy rounded on him, ‘it’s suede, had it specially made. Cost me an arm and a leg.’

He grabbed the cloth Adela had been going to use for Lando’s cut lip before Rosie had stopped her and began dabbing the jacket almost lovingly.