When a knock did come at the door I opened it to find Tom standing on my doorstep, dressed in all black and wearing a ski hat loose on the top of his crown. He was sweating, bags under his eyes, and he shouldered his way inside. I noticed a black SUV waiting in front of my house, a driver behind the wheel, watching me. I recognized the man as Tom’s buddy from his job at the car dealership. “Where the hell have you been?” I asked him by the door. “I’m sorry, Alice,” he said, taking my hand. His eyes were only on mine. “I’ve been laying low, preparing for a job. I couldn’t let myself be seen around you, or else you’d be in danger.” “What job?” “I’m getting that fucker back tonight,” he said with a mouth full of snarling teeth. “For what he did to me and you. I’m gonna break up his poker game tonight. He should be careful how he advertises his own private games, because I found out with just a little research. Found out about his wife too, and her role in the whole thing. Fucking sick. He should have known the word would get out about it. Huge players are gonna be there. All that cash. It’s ours, baby.”
