Page 1 of Burn Falls

PROLOGUE

Chicago - 1928

I could hear the sultry notes of the saxophone through the wall from where I stood in the back of the smoky speakeasy. It was the perfect cover for what I was about to do to my sweet Mary.

She was already breathless from dancing on stage in the main part of the jazz club. While most fellas frequented the whorehouse next door after closing, my post-entertainment was already here. She moaned as I pushed her knee-length skirt up her thigh and my hand headed straight to her heat.

“Where’s your hosiery, Mary?”

She bit her ruby-stained bottom lip, her brown eyes gazing up at my grey ones as she smiled. “You told me not to wear any.”

“Good girl.”

My mouth met hers, and my fingers started to stroke inside of her. I could taste the hint of tobacco on my tongue from the cigarette she had been smoking as I brought her closer and closer to writhing beneath me. It didn’t take Mary long before she came around my fingers. I quickly went to work on my pants, needing to hurry and be inside her before the cats came looking for me ready to start the next game of poker.

“Let’s get out of here and go to Lover’s Lane,” Mary begged.

“Can’t tonight, baby. I’m going to take these boobs for all their cabbage while they’re smoked on whiskey.”

“Tomorrow before you go out again. We need to talk.”

I dropped my pants. “Talk about what?”

“About settling down and starting a family.”

My gaze met hers again. “You want to get married?”

“Of course I do.”

“Soon?”

“I figured sooner than later was as good of a time as any given I might be carrying your child.”

I blinked and then blinked again. “My child?”

Mary smiled. “I think I’m pregnant, honey.”

Two hours later, I was the one out on the roof from all the whiskey I’d consumed. I celebrated with the fellas because I was going to be a father. After Mary told me that she might be carrying my baby, I sent her home to rest. Now she was long gone, and I’d taken the saps for all their dough—enough to buy her a ring.

It was a good night.

As I walked toward my home, I could still smell Mary’s sweet perfume on me, and I had a half a mind to crawl into the window at her house, but thought better of it, not wanting her father to cut my balls off. He was already going to kill me since I’d knocked up his daughter. I just needed to make her an honest woman—and fast. Before he found out.

Mary knew all about what I did at night. In fact, she’d sometimes help me, distracting the other players by showing more leg and garter than they were used to seeing (without paying for it). I was happy living the life of running the tables. I spent my time in dens, not caring about anything except money and sex with Mary. I’d still care about those things, but now, at twenty-four, my priorities were finally going to change.

I stumbled my way down the sidewalk until I came upon a man blocking my path. “I’d like to walk that way if you wouldn’t mind stepping aside, fella.” I grinned.

He didn’t say anything. Instead, he smiled at me, the curve of his lips more of a sneer than my friendly one. I groaned, not really looking for a fight.

“Move, please.”

“No,” the man finally replied. From what I could tell through my double vision, he was shorter than my six-foot frame with pale skin and short dark hair. If I weren’t currently a boozehound, I’d be able to take him one-handed. Easily.

“You want my money?” I slurred. I took some of it from my pockets and waved it at him. “Here. How much will it cost for you to get out of my fucking way?”

Before I realized it, he had a hold of me by my shirt collar. He’d moved so damn fast that one moment he was there and the next an excruciating pain from my neck caused my legs to crumple. I fell to my knees as a geyser of my blood sprayed all over my suit and onto the asphalt I’d landed on.

“Why?” I groaned. It was the only word that I could manage to force from my lips as my blood continued to leak out.