For whatever reason, this seemed to piss Remo off.
He lifted her off her feet, throwing her over his shoulder, and I was not sure if she was screaming or making some odd noise, but she was beating against his back. This caused a scene. He opened her door, sat her in the seat, and then closed the door before she could hop out like a rabbit.
He pressed a button on the car, and it sounded as if we were all locked inside. She was fighting with the handle, beating on the window, screaming at him, her blond hair wild.
“Willa can be feral,” Atta whispered to me.
I tried the handle on my door, and it was not locked. I did not step out. I was,one, going to wait for one of the men to open my door, andtwo, I wanted to see how this was going to play out.
Remo seemed as if he was speaking to himself, but he was speaking into his earpiece. The man in the front seat stepped out and opened Atta’s door, while at the same time, a different man opened mine. This infuriated Willa. She started to beat harder, threatening to rip Remo’s balls from his sack for keeping herpennedup. Or she could have saidpentup. It was hard to tell.Remo had balls made of steel, it seemed. He decided to open her door.
She went for him, hands raised into claws, as if she might either go for his throat or his balls. He smoothly set her on her feet and turned her toward the hall. He got close enough to whisper something in her ear. Whatever he said to her made her freeze mid-strike, although I could see how hard her heart pumped by the cadence of the rise and fall of her chest.
Remo fixed his hair and suit, then gave the go-ahead for us to move inside.
The patrons who were outside gave us a wide berth. I was up first in line. A few whistles came from the watching crowd. I turned my face toward the sound. A group of men. One of them winked at me and mouthed, “See you inside?”
My cheeks heated a little, and I hurriedly looked away, running a hand down my outfit. Willa was adamant we all dress up a certain way. I was wearing a satin dress with a corset top, the cups made of lace, and the side had a slit up the side, more lace hemming. I wore a black belt with a wide silver buckle with it. It cinched in my waist. A black cowboy hat sat atop my head, my hair down around my shoulders.
Remo was suddenly a wall blocking the winking man from me.
I stopped inside the door and exhaled.
The rush of cool air.
The smell of alcohol waltzing through it.
The dancers on the floor, boots smacking the old wood.
The music, all country and fast paced.
A tingle that started from my feet and rushed up to my chest made me shiver.
Gold Rush was a dance hall I had been to many times over the years. It was probably one of the strongest factors in mefalling in love with country music. It had a vibe that matched mine somehow. I could let down my hair and enjoy myself.
My husband’s safe. He’s meeting me?—
But…
The flirty men outside stirred butterflies in my stomach. So did whatever had gone on earlier. I knew Mariano was not going to allow the situation with Rattler to rest. It was not a matter ofif. It waswhen.
If Rattler had not found out about the Faustis securing the Watt farm, they would soon. They would not allow that to rest either. No one told them no.
Atta appeared beside me, watching as Willa seemed to shake out of the shock Remo had temporarily had her in, making her way to the bar, already requesting shots. “A drink wouldn’t go amiss right now.” She sighed.
I looked at her. “What happened to us going to the original Gold Rush?”
The original Gold Rush was used only for private parties after the dance hall had grown so large that they had to expand into what was Gold Rush II, although everyone just called it Gold Rush.
Atta explained that Willa had gotten confused with the two, and she had reserved Gold Rush II, but Gold Rush II was not available to reserve unless it was Monday through Thursday, during the day. I pointed this out to Atta, and all she said was, “I know.”
Willa had lied, then, to get us here.
We were there.
I asked Remo, and he said Mariano had given the okay.
My eyes automatically went to the door. He would not have given the okay if he was far out. Perhaps he was keeping to the shadows, watching me already. I did not doubt it.
