came back.
Meanwhile, the rest of the crew waited for the right moment to put Giulia’s plan into motion. For now, that meant sitting around by the trucks, waiting for one of the key parts of the plan to happen: another rum running crew coming in. There were several boats missing from the marina that had been there just the other day, three of which the crew knew belonged to other crews. All they needed to do was wait for one to come back from a visit to the merchant ships.
While they waited, the crew played cards and dice in the back of one of the trucks, trading off who stayed out on the pier to keep watch. Giulia quickly learned their games, and she taught them a couple as well. Danny could see why she’d been bored after losing both her place on a crew and behind her own bar—she could gamble like any of them, she loved their wild stories, and she had quite a few of her own. The excitement and adventure of being a criminal was clearly what she loved, and she didn’t even seem to mind patiently waiting for the right moment to make their move.
But bloody hell, Danny was going to have to talk some sense into one of his friends.
Francis was usually subtle when he noticed a lady, but every time he looked Giulia’s way, it was painfully clear he was enraptured by her. One glance, and Danny could almost hear the man’s mind go completely blank except for her. No one was better at card games than Francis, but today he was losing like he only ever did when he was so zozzled he could barely stand up, and he wasn’t even drinking now.
Giulia giggled at something Paddy said, and Francis nearly dropped his cards.
Oh for Pete’s sake. Danny rolled his eyes. Francis had never been one to be quite so stupid when it came to a woman, but he sure was now.
Paddy, who’d been on watch the last half hour or so, appeared behind the truck. Gesturing over his shoulder with his thumb, he said, “There’s a boat on its way in. It’s one of the other crews.”
“How long till they dock?” Danny asked.
“They’re still a couple of miles out.”
“Then let’s get to work.”
Giulia had brought a small knapsack with her. From it, she produced a tiny mirror, and she used that as she put on some rouge and kohl. Then she replaced her shoes—a ratty pair of men’s boots—with some more delicate high heels. In a matter of minutes, she transformed from the neighborhood girl who played with the boys to a lady who had everyone in the crew—aside from Danny, anyhow—giving her second looks. And Francis, of course, had nearly forgotten how to walk.
“All right.” Giulia dropped her knapsack in front of the truck’s seats and batted her eyelashes at the crew. “You boys ready?”
They all nodded, and Danny was genuinely surprised none of them—especially that idiot Francis—started drooling.
Giulia headed toward the street, Paddy took position halfway between the street and the marina, and the rest of the lads moved the trucks closer to the marina, but out of sight behind a row of trees. Before he and Francis got out of one truck, Danny reached over from the driver seat and smacked him. “Hey. Listen to me—Giulia’s a looker, but you keep your hands off her, you understand me?”
Francis glared at him. “I’ll put my hands on any woman who says I can. Ain’t none of your business.”
“It ‘tis when she’s Carmine Battaglia’s sister,” Danny hissed. “Would you mind not running us afoul of the damn gangster who’s paying us?”
His friend’s eyes widened. “Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh. That’s his sister, and don’t you forget it.”
Francis nodded mutely.
Danny gave his arm another smack just to make sure he was understood, and then they continued out of the truck to join the others. They leaned against other cars, smoked cigarettes, played cards, and generally made themselves look like some lollygaggers wasting a spring afternoon doing nothing.
The boat came into the harbor and made its way to its usual slip. Once it was moored, its crew went to work, and Danny’s heart raced as he watched the men bring a couple of carts to the dock beside the boat. While the lads watched, they stacked cases of liquor onto those carts.
When the carts were nearly full, someone whistled in the distance. To anyone else, it was just someone trying to get another person’s attention