laughed. “I’ll be fine. I won’t be there alone.”
His brother scowled. “You’re going with a gangster.”
“I am. The gangster who nearly got himself killed saving my skin.”
“And you nearly got yourself killed saving his. Sounds to me like you and he are quits.”
“Maybe so. But I’m going with him, and that’s final.”
Rowan had sighed heavily, and then he’d hugged Danny. “Just be careful out there. I worry enough about you.”
It had simultaneously warmed and broken Danny’s heart to know Rowan had worried about him even after he’d shunned him. And if anything good had come from the recent hell, at least he and his family were speaking again. Rowan had made him promise repeatedly to write, and Eliza had warned him to eat properly. She’d also threatened Carmine if he didn’t make sure Danny was eating properly.
After Carmine had said goodbye to his mother and sister, and Danny and Giulia had shared a fierce hug, they’d left the house with James. Now they were on the platform, and the train would be boarding soon.
Taking a deep breath, he turned to his friend and pulled him into a hug. “I’ll miss you.”
“And I you.” James pressed a kiss to his temple and returned the embrace. “Every day.”
Danny sighed. Releasing James, he pulled back and looked at him. “Will you be all right? Sleeping at the rectory, and—”
“I’ll be fine.” James took Danny’s hand and squeezed it. “I’ll sleep far better knowing you’ve got Carmine looking after you.” He paused, and an odd smile formed. “And I won’t have to stay at the rectory all the time.”
“Won’t you?”
James shook his head. “Carmine’s mother scarcely lets me out of her sight now. She insists I stay at the house until I’m healed, and I reckon she won’t be quick to send me away when I am. Probably at least until Carmine sends for her and Giulia.”
Danny smiled. He’d never imagined feeling reassured about someone being in the hands of a gangster’s family, but he was this time, knowing Carmine’s mother would be looking after James for a while. “You’ll write me, though? You swear it?”
James returned his smile and pulled Danny into another tight embrace. “I’ll write you so often, you’ll beg me to stop.”
Hugging him tight, Danny laughed. “Promise?”
“Promise.”
Danny was going to miss seeing James every day, but at least this time it wouldn’t be while James was away at war or there was an ocean between them.
“If you ever want to visit,” he said, still holding on, “say the word and I’ll wire you the money.”
James clapped his back gently and let him go. “Deal.”
And before Danny knew it, it was time to board. After one last hug and a handshake between Carmine and James, Danny and Carmine boarded the train.
Carmine had paid for them to have a compartment to themselves, and he gingerly eased himself down onto the bed they’d been provided. He’d healed a great deal, but he was still obviously in pain, and the relief in his face was plain to see as he relaxed on the bed.
Danny joined him, moving carefully for the benefit of his own healing leg and also to keep from jostling Carmine. “So, how long to Chicago?”
Carmine shrugged as the train began to pull out of the station. “Twenty hours or so.”
“And then we start a new life.” Danny smiled. “Have you ever been to Chicago?”
“Once.” Carmine smiled back, running his fingers through Danny’s hair. “I think you’ll like it.”
Danny lifted his chin and kissed Carmine softly. “I’ll be with you. I think I’ll be all right.”
Carmine just grinned, pulled Danny closer, and kissed him.
And as Manhattan faded behind them, there was no telling what lay ahead as they started their new life. All Danny knew was that by some miracle, he’d be starting it with Carmine.
They were alive.
They were healing.
They were together.
And Danny was certain they could weather any storm that came.
The End
Coming Soon
Real People
Real People Appearing or Mentioned in
The Venetian & the Rum Runner
Crime Families:
The Morello gang eventually became the Genovese family.
The Schiro gang was the beginning of the Bonanno family.
Arnold Rothstein – An extremely powerful and influential Jewish gangster (sometimes known as the Man Uptown) who mentored men such as Lucky Luciano, Frank Costello, and Bugsy Siegel. He was the mastermind behind rigging the 1919 World Series, and is the reason for the stereotypical image of a gangster in a suit. He believed gangsters should operate as businessmen instead of thugs, and that they should dress and act accordingly. He was the inspiration for Meyer Wolfsheim in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel – Though only 18 in 1924, the violent gangster and his boyhood friend Meyer Lansky (the pair were known as “Bugs and Meyer”) already had a reputation for shaking down neighborhoods for protection money and hijacking merchandise from other bootleggers.
Giuseppe “the Clutch Hand” Morello – Originally the boss of the Morello crime family, he retired and became consigliere to Joe Masseria.
“Joe the Boss” Masseria – Boss of the Morello crime gang, which would later become the Genovese family.
Stephanie “Queenie” St Clair – The powerful boss in charge of the numbers rackets in Harlem.
Bill “Big Bill” Dwyer – A powerful Irish gangster and bootlegger from Hell’s Kitchen.
Commissioner Richard Enright – Commissioner of the NYPD in 1924.
Acknowledgments
Again to Michael Ferraiuolo, who not only inspired the book, but recorded samples of the audio so I could hear Danny and Carmine’s voices while I wrote.
A significant part of the research for this book involved a visit to New York City, and I can’t thank the following companies enough for their assistance:
The Back Room for letting me tour and photograph the speakeasy and its back room. The speakeasies in the book all draw some inspiration from here, including its underground entrance (the entrance to Giulia’s bar), the back room (where the crew meets behind Daisy’s), and the lounge itself (which Carmine, Maurizio, and Giulia pass through on their way to speak with Agosto il Sacchi after New Year’s). (http://www.backroomnyc.com/)
Metro NYC Tours Inc for the East Village Gangster and Crime Tour (especially my guide, Joel) for a wonderfully informative tour customized to cover exactly what I needed for this book. (https://nycgangstermobtour.com/book-the-tour/)
Museum of the American Gangster. Both the exhibition itself and the guided tours were amazing. Carmine’s underground office was inspired by the underground portion of the tour. (http://www.museumoftheamericangangster.org)
The Tenement Museum – This was a fabulous display of how the working class lived in the Lower East Side during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Danny’s tenement apartment and the stairwell where he and James are attacked were based on portions the buildings I toured within the Tenement Museum. Everyone who comes to New York should visit this amazing museum. (https://www.tenement.org/)
Recommended Reading
I highly recommend George Chauncey’s Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940 for a look at queer culture in this era, particularly among the working class. This book was instrumental in writing The Venetian and the Rum Runner.
(Gay New York on Amazon)
About the Author
L.A. Witt and her husband have been exiled from Spain and sent to live in Maine because rhymes are fun. She now divides her time between writing, assuring people she is aware that Maine is cold, wondering where to put her next tattoo, and trying to reason with a surly Maine coon. Rumor has it her arch nemesis, Lauren Gallagher, is also somewhere in the wilds of New England, which is why L.A. is also spending a portion of her time training a team of spec ops lobsters. Authors Ann Gallagher and Lori A. Witt have been asked to assist in lobster training, but they "have books to write" and "need to focus on our careers" and "don't you think this rivalry has gotten a little out of hand?" They're probably just helping Lauren raise her army of squirrels trained to ride moose into battle.
Website: www.gallagherwitt.com
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @GallagherWitt