There was that word again, “curse.” What was it with these Morettis and their little superstitions?
“Here’s the deal.” Livia returned and passed out drinks to Gia and me where we waited for the front doors of the flea market to open. “Anything vintage and under a hundred that you think I can make a necklace, brooch or somehow dangle as earrings, buy it. Anything the dealer claims is a precious stone, or is asking over a hundred dollars, snap a picture and send it or go ahead and FaceTime me.”
She was all business, giving me a new iPhone, which had the Moretti siblings preprogramed in my contacts.
All of them.
“Aye aye, Captain!” Gia teased and did a mock salute.
“Gia.” Livia scowled.
“Don’t worry, sis. I got your back. You know I’m lucky with the finds.” Gia says.
“That’s the only reason you get to come along.” Livia said.
At last, the immense front doors of the fairground building opened up and the crowd surged inside.
As we entered, the odor of old fabric, spiced cider and scented soaps hung in the air. I took the three rows on the right and called Livia right away after texting her a photo of a French Art Nouveau Ruby and Diamond Flower Brooch. It was way over my buying budget, but Livia said she was looking for a high-end piece for a particular client.
She swooped up in front of me, cheeks pink and rosy, and squeezed my hand. It was the first time I’d seen her like this. “May I see the piece in the case, please? The one with the curling leaves?” She asked the booth owner.
Removing a magnifying glass from her purse, she turned the brooch back and forth under the glass, frowning. “Is this your final price or are you willing to negotiate?”
The vendor’s hands trembled, and his tongue darted out to touch his lips. “It’s marked one thousand five hundred, no?”
She pursed her lips and nodded, and I watched as he leaned forward, stroked his arm and took the brooch from her, his hands shaking. “I can go as low as one thousand two fifty. It’s already marked below value as is. For you; special offer.”
Livia beamed at him and counted out her hundreds and a single fifty-dollar bill. I’d never paid that much in cash for anything.
“Good job, Eva.” Livia put her arm around me as we walked away. “We’ll talk about your compensation for the find later on. Finish searching last two rows, okay?”
I walked to the back of the building towards a sign that led to the restrooms since the Moscow Mule sloshed against my bladder. Exiting the wooden building when done, an oily voice spoke behind me.
A voice I’d never forget.
“Well, twist my titties. I thought that was you.”
What the hell was Lyle doing here? He wrenched my arm behind my back and shoved me toward the rear of the restroom structure. I tried to scream but couldn’t, my fear escalated, and reason fled.
“Mr. Lyle saved you from ruin, and all the thanks I get was to have you run away from me. I didn’t recognize you in those fancy clothes. You look respectable, but we both know that’s not true, don’t we?”
“Let me go, Lyle! I’ll scream,” I threatened, coming to my senses at last.
“No need, Eva,” A soft voice said from behind. “Let her go you jackass,” Gia ordered.
“Who’s this pretty little thing? Am I getting a two-fer?” Lyle oozed.
“Not even.” I turned around and saw Gia’s mouth set in a hard line, “But I’m going to give you a what-fer. Clear out, Eva!”
I ducked outside the side door of the building and heard Lyle scream on the other side. Gia popped her head out. “You can come back now. Coast clear.”
The security guards genuflected at her feet when she told them, “I arrived at the restroom, and this man was assaulting her. I’m not pressing charges, but I want him off the fairgrounds and out of my sight. Otherwise, I can’t be responsible for what happens to him.”
The guard on the left rubbed his hands together. “Yes, Ms. Moretti, right away. He won’t bother you again.”
“Do you need backup?” she asked them.
“We got this. No problem.” The other guard assured.
We watched as they escorted Lyle out, his body hanging limp from their elbows after having his ass tasered by Gia.
“He’ll be fine,” Gia remarked in a dead pan voice.
“Who are you people?” I ask.
“We’re people who have your back,” she rubbed mine. “Feels good, doesn’t it?” She wrapped her arm around my shoulders and said, “Something tells me it’s about time you caught a break, Eva. Enjoy being taken care of for once. That troglodyte won’t bother you again.”
Lyle’s power over me felt like a distant nightmare.
Back at the house, Livia made sums on her rose gold calculator, jotting down figures in a ledger covered in the same color. “Your finder’s fee is 15% of the final sale. For example, for the art nouveau brooch you found today, the resale value of the necklace I’m making is $10,000. Your take is $1,500. Don’t quote me on this. The earrings, bracelet, and rings I’ll create with your other finds, your take for the day should be around $3,500.”
Champagne glass suspended midway between the coffee table and my mouth, my chest tingled, and I blurted out, “Are you kidding me!”
“Never with business, Eva. I’m giving you a conservative quote. I prefer to under-promise and over-deliver.” Livia counted out hundreds on the table in front of me. “Take five thousand now, and I’ll reimburse you the rest if it ends up being more. Sound good?”
No words came.
Enough for a down payment on a rental. More money than I’d ever had at one time. This cash was freedom, and I didn’t even have to do anything illegal to earn it.
“What’s my take, sis?” Gia asks.
I felt lightheaded with the amount of money being shuffled about.
Livia brushed a luxurious swath of her chocolate-colored hair behind her ear, “Be careful, Gia. Looks like Eva is competition. She had the real find today.”
“Nah,” Gia shrugs and counts her take. “Tasering that slimy guy cock-blocked my mojo is all. It’s all about vibration. He threw mine off.”
“I don’t want to hear that word coming out of your mouth again, Giana Angelina.” The deep voice startled us from behind. “And we need to talk about this slimy guy, right now, Eva. Who is he?”
Livia grabbed her champagne glass and took a swig, licked her lips and set the glass down on the table, gathering her ledger and cash. “I’ll wrap this up elsewhere, let the two of you discuss things.”
“The two of us?” I say, astonished that she’d thrown me to the wolf.
“Trust me, you’re safe in his hands. Use your special juju on him, you’ll be fine,” Gia said, also acting the traitor and exiting stage left.
Roberto scowled and watched them exit, making the parting remark, “Thank you for keeping her safe, Gia. Tomaso told me what happened, and I’m grateful to you. It won’t happen again.”
What the hell did that mean? I wondered.
“Come with me, Eva.” He held his hand out and I took it. There was menace radiating off of his being and he wrapped my overcoat around me, using the lapels to pull me to him, searching my face with his feral turquoise stare.