Blood in the Golden Palace

Chapter 3: Angelo-3

“Will do.” With that, Angelo shoved his hands into his pockets and strolled out into the street. It was still fairly early. Glancing at his watch, it was barely one o’clock. Angelo wondered if he should stop in somewhere for a bite to eat. After all, one could not live off cigarettes and whiskey alone, no matter how hard one tried. Meandering along the sidewalk, he passed by a few restaurants with curiosity. Italian, Chinese, traditional diner…None of them were quite what he was craving. However, as he crossed the street, he noticed a particularly artsy sign calling out to him. Zig Zag Coffee. Honestly? A cappuccino and a sandwich sounded perfect right then. He wandered inside.

It was a quaint little place. A nice, tiny hole in the wall with no potential to attract attention. It was perfect. He approached the counter. A bored girl with dreads was lazily texting as he stepped up. “Hi, welcome,” she said, not looking up from her screen.

“Hi. Can I get a cappuccino, light foam, and a ham sandwich?”

“Sure.” When the barista put away her phone to finally look Angelo in the eye, she did a double take, and fluttered her eyelashes. “What uh…what do you want on your sandwich?”

“Oh just whatever it comes with. I’m not picky.”

The barista went to the register and pushed a few buttons. “Can I have a name for the order?”

“Angelo.”

“Angelo, great…” Her eyes flickered up to him and she smiled, charmingly. “I don’t think you’re a regular here. You new in town?”

“I just work on the east end,” Angelo said calmly. He glanced behind him. The café was empty. “I don’t usually come out here much.”

“Well maybe you should,” the barista flirted.

“Maybe so,” Angelo glanced at her name tag, “Daisy.”

Daisy the barista giggled and rang up Angelo’s order. After paying (and leaving a sizable tip in the jar), Angelo took a seat near the back of the café by the windows, perfectly nestled in a corner with full view of the whole restaurant. A residual effect from too many viewings of The Godfather; one could never be too aware of their surroundings while eating. While Daisy was busy with the espresso machine, another figure shuffled out from the back. Daisy spotted the newcomer before Angelo got a good look at her, and called out.

“Hey! Are we still on for Thursday?”

“Sure.” A strikingly familiar voice grabbed Angelo’s attention from his phone. Walking out into the light, Penny the doe-eyed patron was just zipping up her jacket. So far, she hadn’t noticed Angelo’s widening smile. “Just don’t take a million years to make a decision. I want to spend most of my day off at home relaxing. You’re always in the shoe aisle for way too long.”

“Pfft. I just have discernment.”

“Yeah, okay.” Penny was ready to leave, when she spotted Angelo. She froze in surprise, and Angelo leaned back in his seat, casually. “Mr. Angelo…?”

“Huh?” Daisy popped up from behind the counter, her eyes bouncing between the pair of them. “You know him?”

“I…He’s the manager at the Golden Palace.”

“What—?!” Daisy nearly crashed into the espresso machine, just barely stopping Angelo’s order from spilling everywhere. She stared, agog. “No fuckin—I mean—! He’s that Angelo?”

Angelo chuckled. “I’m assuming this was the friend who took you home?”

“Yeah…”

“That’s good. Glad to see you got back safely.”

With the light of the afternoon warming her cheeks, Penny smiled kindly. “Thanks. I…Oh wow, now that I think about it, I don’t think I ever thanked you properly for last night.”

Angelo chuckled. “Don’t worry about it.”

“No, really,” Penny insisted. “You didn’t have to go out of your way like that.”

“No?” Angelo asked. “Last I checked, you were a patron at my establishment, which means I’m financially encouraged to go out of my way, as you put it. It’s just good business.”

“O-oh…” Penny smiled sheepishly. “I guess when you put it like that…”

Angelo watched her trail off with amusement. This girl was like a lost lamb. The wrong step and she’d be walking right into the mouth of a wolf. He eyed the bag on her arm. “Headed home?” he asked. “Do you have a minute to stay for a cup of coffee? I could use the company.”

Penny’s eyes twinkled. Behind her, Daisy was still pretty shell-shocked, though Angelo got a sense that she was trying to urge Penny to agree telepathically. While Penny’s first instinct was to reach for the chair opposite of Angelo’s, she pulled her hand away. “Sorry,” she said, “but my bus will be here any minute now.”

“I could give you a lift,” Angelo offered.

“Oh, you don’t have to—”

“I don’t,” Angelo agreed, “but a comfortable car ride beats a smelly old bus any day, doesn’t it?” While Penny quietly debated the offer, Angelo’s looked over to where Daisy was staring, unabashedly. “Is my cappuccino ready, darling?”

“Ah!” Daisy jumped a foot in the air, spun around, and grabbed his mug. “Sorry, sorry.” She hurried it over to his table, and went back for the sandwich. Once his table was full, Angelo scooted the opposite chair out with his foot, offering Penny a seat.

“Sit,” he said quietly, his eyes never leaving Penny’s. While his voice was gentle, the intention was firm. In a way, Angelo was testing the waters. How willing would someone like her be to follow instructions? How malleable a woman was he dealing with? Angelo was pleased as Penny did as was asked, and stuffed her hands into her lap, face red as a ripe cherry. Angelo, spotting the extra foam on his light foam cappuccino, scraped it off with his knife, and then took a sip. “Don’t worry. I’m not here to stalk you.”

Penny’s head snapped up. “Why would I have to worry about that?”

Angelo laughed, realizing now how that sounded. “You don’t,” he said pleasantly. “All I meant was I wandered in here by coincidence.” He took another sip of his drink. “Also, the west side apparently has good coffee.”

Penny beamed. “Our light roast espresso is the best. I like adding a little bit of vanilla. Brings out the flavor.”

“Do you?”

“Well…that and way too much sugar.”

“Sweet tooth?”

“Yeah, I guess. I love the pastries. But I know I shouldn’t eat as much as I do.”

“And why not? You’ve only got one life to live, right? What’s an existence without pastries?”

Penny giggled, hugging her bag to her chest. “I guess not much of one. I’ve never been too far from the city, but once on a field trip in high school, we went to this patisserie out in this cute lakeside town. It was the most amazing experience. And everything was delicious.”

“What was your favorite?”

“Oh that’s got to be the chocolate croissant. I still remember how it tasted. The pastry was so buttery and flaky and they did this thing where they had some of the layers actually with chocolate, on top of that big gooey center…” Penny paused, as though she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. “Oh…am I…talking too much?”

Angelo leaned forward, and propped his chin in his hand, elbow on the table. “Not at all. I’m just wondering…Most people can’t survive in this town without a car. It can’t be convenient.”

Penny shrugged. “Can’t afford car payments and rent at the same time. Some weeks I can barely afford bus fare.”

“I see. Well, if you’re in the market for an extra job, the Palace is hiring.”

“Hiring?” Penny lifted her head. “For what?”

“Oh, you know. Servers, bar backs, pretty girls in pretty dresses. Could always use more of those.”

Penny tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, nervously. “Ha ha…I don’t know if I’d be cut out for something like that.”

“Funny. I was going to suggest you for the job.” Penny glanced at him, and he continued. “I think you’d be perfect.” They shared a smile. As Angelo took a bite of his sandwich, he admired the small details of her face. The way her eyelashes fluttered whenever she was nervous or looked away. The way her messy hair, escaping from their braids, frizzed after a long day of hard work. There, in the sunlight, Penny was as lovely as a fresh flower, whose petals were all the more beautiful from their struggle to bloom. Angelo wondered how that cute face would look gagged by a swath of silk. With the silence growing, Angelo sipped his drink and continued. “How are you, by the way? After what happened.”

“Oh, I’m all right,” said Penny, shrugging it off. “I still feel bad about the whole thing. David’s a regular here. I was worried what would happen if he came in today.”

“And has he?”

“No,” she said, “not at all.” Her shoulders slumped and she took her arm nervously. “I wonder if he’s angry with me. I tried texting him but he didn’t respond.”

Angelo continued to eat. “That may not be a bad thing.”

“Amen,” Daisy interjected from behind the counter.

“Oh, no, he’s really not that bad,” Penny insisted. “Look, we were drinking, I was awkward…I think I just overreacted.”

As much as Angelo wanted to argue, he refrained. “You sure?” he said.

“I think so. David really is a good guy. I just don’t know how to relax.”

Angelo drummed his fingers on the table, thoughtfully. “Penny?” She looked up. “Would you mind if I gave you some advice?” With Penny’s permission, Angelo leaned on his elbows with a gentle smile. “You have that little voice in your head for a reason. In my experience, a woman’s intuition is usually right on the money. So if you regret anything, don’t ever let it be the time your instincts kept you out of harm’s way.” A silence fell over them. With how large Penny’s eyes were, Angelo might as well have told her how to make gold from lead. Angelo noticed then just how the light bounced off of them, and how clear and crystalline they looked.

Suddenly, Penny shot up in her seat. “Oh s**t—!” Angelo followed her gaze. The city bus was passing by the window of the café, and within moments, was gone from sight. Penny groaned and slumped in her seat, her bag sliding down to her hand.

Angelo chuckled. “Well then?” He held up his phone. “My offer stands.”

Hank arrived about five minutes after Angelo put in the call. While they waited, Angelo finished up his food, and he and Penny continued to make small talk. Angelo did most of the listening. He would ask small questions. Where was she from, what she liked to do, what movies she enjoyed. It was rare for a man in his line of work to listen to such a normal conversation. He wondered, off hand, if she would look at him differently had she known just who she was talking to. Of course, it wasn’t hard to guess the answer. If she did decide to apply for a job at the Palace, Angelo would do everything in his power to keep her as far away from the life as possible. A girl like her was meant for sunshine. Not the shadows.

Still, while they rode in the back seat, Angelo couldn’t help but fantasize. They got in, and Penny oohed and ahed over being in a car so nice. Angelo took in every curve of her mouth, every way her neck stretched. He amped every noise she made tenfold in his mind, and imagined just what she’d sound like as he brought her to the brink and kept her there. Penny was a nice girl. An innocent girl. Angelo wanted to ruin her.

But fantasy was fantasy, and reality was reality. As Angelo drifted off into his thoughts, he did so with the firm reminder that these were his daydreams. He could pursue her, he supposed. After all, he hadn’t been rejected by a woman since the tenth grade. But she was too good. Too pure. Angelo knew, from one look, that she was a woman who deserved a nice, stable life with a nice, stable man. Or a stable woman, Angelo didn’t judge. As much as he’d like to think he could offer that, he knew better. So, if Penny managed to walk back into his life a third time, he’d keep an eye on her. Keep her safe. But he would also keep a respectful distance.

They arrived at a rundown apartment complex a few miles away from the coffee shop. Hank parked outside the building, and as Penny got out, Angelo put a hand on the door to keep her from closing it just yet.

“Come by the Palace any time before we start opening at six. Ask for me, and we’ll see about getting you some extra money.” He handed her his business card.

Penny grinned. “Okay. I’ll see when I can make it. Thank you, Mr. Angelo.” Angelo closed the door, and as they drove off, he looked behind him to see Penny waving them off, of all things. Although the windows were tinted, Angelo couldn’t help but wave back.

Hank let out a low whistle. “Boy howdy, she was a cute one, boss. That a new girl of yours?”

Angelo leaned back with a chuckle, watching the city pass by his window. “Just keep your eyes on the road, Hank.”

“Yes sir.”