something useful, and if she heard anything that indicated Theodore was in trouble, she'd be able to go for help.
As Auntie Lil left the deli, the door of a car parked nearby opened. A lanky figure cut across to the avenue opposite Auntie Lil and stepped into a doorway. The remaining occupants stayed put, peering into the deli to watch as Annie O'Day chatted with Billy.
The nearby Broadway theaters had emptied their audiences almost simultaneously and noisy groups of people were making a beeline to Eighth Avenue from the east, hoping to snag a cab uptown. The women were snugly wrapped in furs and the men were taking this early opportunity to show off their new fall coats. The chattering crowd shoved past Auntie Lil, oblivious to her age. They wanted only to be the first to reach the street with an outstretched hand and the first chance at a taxi. The avenue grew quite crowded and, though preoccupied with her plans, Auntie Lil was highly annoyed. She elbowed her way across the street, then stepped to one side for a breather. A vacant storefront at the corner of Forty-Sixth and Eighth afforded her more room, although the small pool of darkness cast by the decrepit awning and deep doorway probably housed a wino or two.
Or something much worse. A big woman dressed in a strapless gown and wearing a long blonde wig stepped out from the darkness and gripped Auntie Lil's left elbow. An even stronger hand grabbed her from the right and twisted her arm sharply. "Don't say a word," a gruff voice ordered. "Just start walking and look straight ahead. Go straight down Forty-Sixth Street."
Stunned, Auntie Lil obeyed their order. Her feet moved of their own accord, though her stomach sank in complete terror. A small pricking sensation in her side told her that the woman on the right held a small knife and would use it to goad her if she had to. Auntie Lil slid her eyes to the right and caught a glimpse of black hair piled high above silver spangles. The hand gripping her elbow wore gloves.
They moved swiftly down the sidewalk, passing the man with the huge bulbous nose who liked to hang out near the corner. He was sitting in his usual spot in a lawn chair, blending into the building behind him. They passed by and Auntie Lil did not dare turn her head, but he saw her and stared after them, his sleepy eyes regarding the unusual trio with careful disinterest. He turned back and stared across Eighth Avenue at the bright lights of the Delicious Deli.
"Who are you?" Auntie Lil asked her captors helplessly. The pair of women steered her quickly around the many crowds of chattering friends trying to decide which restaurant they should patronize. She was being borne through the crowd as easily as a child between her parents. No one noticed and no one cared.
They passed by a man and woman arguing fiercely; they were attracting more attention than she was. She should try making a noise, like screaming bloody murder. Surely that would attract someone's notice?
But when she opened her mouth to scream, the tiny pinprick at her side turned into a sharp stab. Something warm welled through her thin pants suit. She realized what and felt weak.
"Don't say a word, don't open your mouth," the cruel woman on the right ordered. "We just want to ask you some questions and then we're going to let you go. But if you make a scene, I'll stab you right now. You'll be dead before you hit the ground."
Auntie Lil knew from the calm tone of her voice that the woman meant just what she said. She contorted her face instead, trying to attract someone's attention. Wedged between the two gaudily dressed prostitutes, she would have made a ridiculous sight anywhere else but New York. But packed among the crowd of theatergoers, they only blended in with the chaos and elicited not a single glance.
Where were they taking her and why? There was something familiar about the woman. Especially her long gloves ... Of course, it was that woman that T.S. seemed so fascinated with. What was her name? All Auntie Lil could think of was a bird. Why a bird?
"Who are you?" Auntie Lil asked again. The sharp stab answered back.
"Shut up," Leteisha Swann ordered calmly.
They were already halfway down Forty-Sixth Street, heading west rapidly. They passed a bar just as the door opened wide.