The Venetian and the Rum Runner - L.A. Witt Page 0,72

miles after Francis and Giulia cursed at them. Francis may have been playing with fire by getting involved with Carmine’s sister, but they provided no shortage of entertainment for the crew.

“All right, you two,” Paddy called back to them after a while. “We’re almost there. Make sure you’re both decent this time, yeah?”

There was some grumbling and swearing from the back, but when the truck pulled off the road and parked alongside the other, Francis and Giulia were indeed decent. They both glared at Paddy, who didn’t even try to look contrite.

“Just…” Francis flailed a hand toward the old barn across the field. “Just show us to the stash.”

Chuckling, Peter motioned for them to follow. He had a flashlight, which he kept pointed at the ground as they moved through the tall grass—enough they could see where they were going but hopefully no one would see them. The night was quiet except for their footfalls on the soft ground. Good.

Not far from the barn, Tommy and Bernard had set up beside the road, “changing a tire” so no one noticed they were there as sentries. If anyone headed this way, there’d be plenty of time to signal the crew so they could get out before they were caught.

Around the back of the barn was a door hanging on a rusted set of hinges. Peter slipped through, and once the others had joined him, he lit a lantern to give them more light. He handed it to Liam. “Hold that down here. A bit lower. Yes, there.” Peter swept some moldy hay and loose dirt away, revealing a cellar door with a padlock on it. “Danny? Get the lock.”

While Liam held the light and the crew waited, Danny crouched over the door and pulled his lockpicks from his pocket. He worked fast—the padlock wasn’t nearly as difficult as the doors in the Plaza Hotel had been, though it was a little rusty—and in no time, the lock opened with a click. Peter and Francis hoisted the cellar door open, and then Peter took the lantern and carefully went down the ladder. When the others followed, Danny looked around in what had probably been a root cellar at one time. It smelled musty and dusty, but it was also stacked to the ceiling with familiar-looking crates.

Peter hung the lantern on a hook. “They dropped off a shipment early this morning, and Bernard heard one of them saying they’d be back at daybreak to collect it.”

“Then let’s get to work,” Danny said. They had several hours until dawn, but it was best to clear out well before anyone was due to show up. No one liked close calls.

While crew members carried cases of liquor to the pair of trucks, one person always stayed at the edge of the road, watching for any sign of trouble from Tommy and Bernard. Every so often, whoever was on watch was relieved, and the sentry rejoined the crew in the arduous task of carrying cases of liquor across the field.

It was backbreaking like this, hauling the heavy cases that far, but it was the safest way, even with another road running closer to the barn. If they were discovered, they’d have to drop anything they were carrying and run for the trucks, but the trucks would have time to get on the road before anyone caught up with them. Bernard and Tommy had watched this place a few times, and the rival crew always came in via the road closer to the barn. It would be too easy to block in the trucks, so they were better off parking across the field.

Giulia hoisted a case onto the bed of one of the trucks, then pushed it toward the others. Scanning the stacks, she said, “We probably shouldn’t take much more. Not if we’re only using two trucks.”

Danny peered inside as he pulled in some smoke off his cigarette. She was right. “Aye. Another case or two, and then Paddy’ll drive it over and swap it with the one Tommy and Bernard are driving.”

She wiped her damp forehead on her sleeve. “Good idea. We should—”

A red flare shot up into the night from behind the trees.

Danny and Giulia both gasped.

She turned toward the field and whistled sharply before hurrying to the cab of one of the trucks. Danny was already headed for the other cab when he heard glass break—probably one of the lads dropping the case he was carrying.

Danny and Giulia started the engines. He twisted around,