"Is this your card?"

"I told you. No."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Is this your card?"

"Not that one neither."

"Oh shoot. Wait a minute. What's that under your glass?"

"Huh?"

Sasha, dressed elaborately in a tuxedo-like dress and top hat with long dark crimson curls cascading down his back, swiped his white gloved hand forward and lifted the man's beer glass up. Sure enough, masked by the dark liquid there was a folded up card. Beaming, he unfolded it and presented it to the man.

The man's face went up in shock. "How you do that?!" he gasped, taking the card in his hands and gaping at it.

"Because I'm Sasha Salem. It's what I do. Please remember to tip your dealer," Sasha grinned, fluttering his fingers greedily as his hand stretched out again.

The man stared at him with happy child-like wonder and reached into his suit jacket, producing his wallet. Sasha merrily departed holding two dollar bills. I'd been watching him as he steadily tricked and entertained nearly every patron along the bar individually, finding myself smiling for the first time in two days. That must have been the true magic in what he did as an artist, bringing joy in the simplest of things.

Genesis appeared in front of me holding an empty tray. I loaded a few glasses on to it, two Martinis, and dropped the number six table tag between them to tell him where to go while removing the number seven from his tray. But he wasn't about to leave, which miffed me a little bit. Instead, he grinned and leaned in to Sasha who had started making another mint julep for the customer in front of him.

"Tell me how you did that trick earlier. I swear if you tell me I have another card stuck to my forehead... How do you even make it stick? I have to know how you did that," he said in a low tone so it would be hard to overhear.

"A magician never tells her secrets. Do you have drink orders for me?" Sasha beamed at him.

"Aww, come on. I won't tell anyone. It was so good. I have to show Felix."

"That's telling someone."

"Aww, man."

Sasha started laughing which made Genesis start, too. I sighed and leaned against the back of the bar, watching them, trying to keep my eyes from wandering again to table one, where Ganya had been sitting with Frankie all night, talking to him. I couldn't bear to look at them again. The last time I had, Frankie had his face in his hands as Ganya spoke and I couldn't tell if he was crying or tired. It was obvious he knew what had happened yesterday with his cousin.

I wanted so much to know how he was feeling, how he was doing. But more so, I wanted to comfort him, too. But I couldn't bring myself to do that. I was too scared. It broke my heart and the pieces just laid on the floor over and over again every time I chanced a look at him.

"Table one wants another Guinness," Genesis told Sasha in his laugh and this made my heart blip. Guinness. That was Ganya's drink. But what about Frankie's Heineken? Was he drinking it? I wanted him to drink it.

"Of course he does. I'll get that in a minute," Sasha continued to giggle.

"And I got an order from table fifteen, right there up front. They wanted you to break this bill into singles. Can you go to the till for me?" Genesis asked, holding up a ten dollar bill.

I held up my hand as Sasha went to take it from him. "Uh, we don't do that. Club policy," I hurriedly interrupted them.

"Oh," Genesis said, looking curious and retracting it.

"But I can break that bill up if they order something. Can you tell them that?"

"Sounds good. I'll go do that."

"Thank you." Relief spread over me. He wasn't being difficult for once.

As he left, Sasha traveled away from me, delivering the mint julep along the way, and removed another special Guinness emblazoned glass from under the bar. At the corner of my eye, I saw a finger go up and I turned away, sighing deeply.

As predicted, work did have to go on. I'd ended up going home with Sasha and Ganya yesterday afternoon, feeling too fearful to stay alone in my apartment. Ganya said I'd be safe at the home of a former cop, and Sasha vowed to be there for me all night if I needed it. But I could tell he needed me, too. He'd known Miracle better than I did after all. Often, he'd tell me about them two. They'd be standing on their street, leaned against a brick building as they waited for customers. How she'd share a bottle of something hidden in a brown paper bag with him even though he had been only sixteen. She claimed it would warm him up as a fight against the cold night air, and it always did.

At Ganya's house, it had taken me a while but after a barely touched dinner of chicken Kiev made by Ganya himself, I'd broken down to Sasha on the couch about Eddie in the early morning hours. About how no, he hadn't been anywhere near Miracle that night. He'd been inches away from my face, pressed against my body, his hot breath on my neck as his slow threats creeped into my body.

"What time was that?" Sasha had wanted to know, but I had no idea. So he'd told me there was still a real possibility that he'd been with Miracle as well. But Frankie's cousin wasn't naming names. He was no snitch.

Of course, as required, Sasha had told Ganya about what I had said about Eddie. He had to, it was a criminal investigation because of Antony. Ganya had slowly nodded his head at the breakfast table, his dark coffee untouched as he thought deeply about what his beloved was telling him frantically.

"I don't feel comfortable with you in that apartment anymore. With what Eddie said and what at least Antony did, we should think about protection," he'd told me seriously with no nonsense. I'd wanted to know what "protection" entailed, but he wouldn't tell me because it wasn't necessary. It wasn't happening right now, so it wasn't necessary. But I was still going home with them tonight. So I was being protected one way or another.

"Alexander," the man in front of me at the bar said, his finger still up, bringing me back to reality.

"I will get that for you, sir," I assured, turning to do just that. But another finger went up in my new line of vision. "One moment," I told him and walked down the bar to the other customer.

But this customer. My insides grimaced.

"Whiskey sour. Can we talk?" Luciano asked in his gruff voice, his graying eyebrows going up. I watched as his white handkerchief left his pocket and he swept the back of his head with it, blotting swear on his bald spot. I was instantly revolved. It wasn't hot in here, but he was flushed.

"No, I'll get Sasha to make your drink." I gave him the cold shoulder and turned my back on him to go made the Alexander.

A hot hand wrapped around my wrist, yanking me slightly backwards. Sweat moistened my skin and my heart crawled into my mouth. He had my wrist again. When was he going to learn? My eyes went up in the mirror, staring at him.

A pause fell over me, looking at him. A long pause. He stared back at me, his lips disgustingly shiny and wet. I shook my wrist, trying to loosen his grip as I realized as if my body was swooping into the air that I had no fear of him. It was just gone. Why was that?

"No, wait. I need to talk to you," he insisted, his grip tightening but not painfully.

"Get off me!" I snapped, yanking my wrist out of his grasp.

I felt Sasha's body press against mine from behind and he wrapped his arms around me in an instant, yanking me forcibly away from him, setting me to the side at the same time. He was surprisingly strong though slighter than me, all wiry muscle.

"Sir, I think you need to leave. If you do not leave on your own accord, you will be removed by an officer," he said sternly to Luciano. I saw his face. It looked fucking mad. Fucking angry. It made my gut tingle.

"I need to talk to her," Luciano repeated, staring him in the face despite. But there was something about it. Something in his eyes. A desperation.

"You won't be talking to her again. Ever. Georgina, go in back. I'm going to get Ganya."

I nodded and went to leave, but Luciano spoke again.

"Wait. Wait."

I didn't answer.

In the office, I began to hear the tones of Cha Cha on stage. Darn it. Was it 9 o'clock? I wasn't seeing him perform. He'd worked so hard. His sweet words of "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes leaked through the door, entering my ears and giving me an instant soothing feeling. I sighed deeply, the feeling dripping down my body.

In a way, I felt bad for Cha Cha. He had no idea what was going on, why everybody was so upset. Nobody was telling him anything, to protect him. But the confusion he must have felt, maybe even hurt to be excluded. But was he old enough to know? To understand? My heart was telling me no. And even if he was, I wouldn't tell him. I couldn't cause him pain, worry. He had enough of that in his young life.

Under the bare light of the office, the bulb naked and glaring on the ceiling, I sat in the office chair and a glint caught my eye. On my hand. My eyes looked down at it, and despite Cha Cha's singing voice outside trying to wash my worries away, they flooded back ten-fold.

The white diamond and twin blue diamonds of my Tiffany engagement ring cheerily glittered up at me. Like nothing was happening. Like my marriage wasn't in jeopardy. Like nothing was happening. Like everything was going on as normal, expectant of a merry wedding.

My eyes closed, and wishing I couldn't feel it but feeling it with every particle of my skin, I slipped it off my finger and set it on the desk beside me. There it laid solitary, duller now out of the direct light. Like it had lost its very life. I leaned forward and put my head in my hands.

The cool night air hit my face as Sasha opened the side kitchen door into the alley. Cars were sweeping past in the rain, the streets slightly flooded. It appeared to have been raining all night.

"Shit, we're going to get wet. Doesn't Ganya watch the news? Where' my umbrella? At home useless," he swore, going out the door in front of me as courtesy. He held it open for me as I took the step down into the night. My head tilted backward for a moment, taking in the clouds up above and getting rained upon by little droplets. They were cold, shocking. Just what I needed.

In the darkness, he took my head, his tenderness hidden by the night and therefore safe. "Come on. Ganya is pulling the car around. It's going to be okay. I'm here to protect you. Nobody is going to get through me, I promise." I believed him. With what he'd done with Luciano, I definitely believed him. I nodded to show him this, and he nodded back to me efficiently, no more words needed.

My heart was hanging low in my chest, unknown to him. It missed Frankie. Needed him. Despite knowing it was dangerous, I'd watched Frankie leave around 1AM. Hearing Ganya's warnings, he hadn't gone anywhere near me. He was always so loyal, obedient. I wished secretly just this one time he'd break that, come to me instead of leaving through the front door. Kiss me. Touch my hair. Tell me it would be alright. But he didn't He didn't, because he loved me, a different way of showing me this. Protecting me, just like everybody. But I needed him. However, at the same time, I knew he needed me just as much. And it was breaking me.

I wanted him to talk to me about how he felt about his cousin. I knew he needed to. His cousin was only seventeen, Ganya had told me, not even an adult. The things that must have been going through Frankie's head, anguish, confusion, pain. Conflicting feelings, surely, for what Antony had done. But he was still his family. Maybe they had even grown up together, seen each other at least at church. I had thought about that, even though I was so upset. I needed him to talk to me about all that, because I knew there was nobody else for him to talk to. Or maybe I just wanted to hear his voice. I couldn't figure it out anymore.

"Shit. Georgina..." Sasha's shocked voice came to me in my thoughts. My body jerked to a stop as his did.

"What-" But I didn't get to finish that thought.

Because staring at us looking forlorn was a semi-bald headed heavyset man standing at the opening of the alleyway. I recognized the dark gray suit jacket immediately, but it didn't register in my mind. I'd never seen him outside of the bar. It was like he didn't even exist outside of the bar.

"I have to talk to you," Luciano said, desperate, taking a step towards us. In the street lamp's light on the sidewalk, I could see he was soaked through like a wet rat. Had he been outside the club all night? How many hours had it been?

"Don't move, don't move," Sasha ordered me.

My raking breathing answered him. The sound of rain overtook everything as it began to come down harder, rolling through my hair and making my brown wool coat heavier with each passing moment.

"Please," Luciano said pathetically.

"Don't you dare come any closer! My hus- Ganya has a gun! He'll shoot you! I'm going to call for him if you don't turn right around!" Sasha stumbled over his words even though he was holding my hand so solidly. Was he scared? I squeezed his hand harder.

"No, please, don't do that. I need to talk to her. Please, let me talk to her." Luciano wasn't raising his voice, quite the opposite. It seemed to get lower, insistent but not threatening. Surreal, ripping a squeezing through my body, curling my toes. His tone. What was that tone?

"If you don't leave when I get to three, I swear to god!" Sasha yelled, causing me to jump, my eyes drawing wide.

This didn't perturb Luciano. He continued to move towards us slowly.

"Sasha," I squeaked, squeezing his hand.

Suddenly, Sasha wrapped his arm around me and pressed me to his body. Like a Russian rocket, he started to fly with me, running as quick as his feet could take him. Right at Luciano. My heart jumped into my throat in terror, despite not feeling afraid of him. A strange feeling, unnamed.

Luciano stopped in his tracks. We swept past him, but he did something I should have expected given out history.

His arm went out like a shot and I found myself attached to him at the wrist. His hand gripped painfully, too tight, whipping me around him, trying to pull me away.

"No!" I screamed, continuing in a long shriek. Sasha's face went absolutely mental. He lost it. And in the two seconds it took for him to knee Luciano between the legs, Luciano's hand had slipped down to mine and as he crumpled over I was released and Sasha took off with me, screaming for Ganya.

"Fuck, I should have been more careful. I should have- are you okay, Georgina? Sasha, my golubchik? Goddammit, I should have been more careful. There's no room for next times. Fuck," Ganya swore in the car, tearing through the slippery streets towards Brooklyn with a vengeance.

"Yeah. Fuck, Ganya. I don't know. I don't know anymore. I didn't expect him to do that. What kind of man waits out in the rain to- and who the fuck is he to do that? Who the fuck does he think he is? What the fucking-!" Sasha ranted on, interrupting him in the front seat. He started to rock violently in his seat in anger, trying to vent out his frustrations just like I'd always known him to do.

"He is a Luciano, Sasha. Privilege comes easy to Lucianos. They're the most powerful family in the city. You know that. Do you remember..." He trailed off, suddenly silent.

Sasha didn't say anything, looking at him. I studied the side of his face. I shifted in my seat, uncomfortable on the plush seating. Everything about me was uncomfortable. I could still feel his sweaty, fat hand on my wrist.

But in this shifting, I something poked inside my tight fist. I hadn't unfolded them since I entered the car, too tense and not knowing how to become calm. My mouth opened in the tiny pain, and I opened my fist, staring into it for the source.

I froze, my eyes wide and unwavering.

"Yeah, I remember them. Fucking Lucianos. Let me guess. Are they friends of the Caselottis? Is that why he was in the Majesty? Tell me, Ganya. I want to know!" Sasha went on sharply, stopping his rocking but still wound tighter than a spool.

As he practically bit Ganya's head off, I rose my hand up to my chest, staring at the little white business card with curled edges from my fist. As we passed under a streetlight, the words on it became illuminated and the unnamed feeling spread through my body like a virus on fire.

On the card was handwriting, quickly scrawled in tight little letters in blue blotted fountain ink.

"I know what happened with Edward Caselotti. I can help you. Call me. Don't wait. -Dr. Alphonse Luciano, pediatric surgeon, MD"

And underneath was a phone number.