“This is Linda Vargas, from Channel Sixteen, and her friend…uh…what did you say your name was, precious?” Deon asked.
“Marilyn Corona,” Melanie said to Expo. “I just met these guys at another club, and they dragged me over here. They said Screen was way cool, and they’re right.”
As Esposito’s eyes raked over her body, Melanie imagined she saw a flicker of suspicion. “Yeah? What club were you just at?” he asked.
“Railroad Forty-seven,” Deon answered quickly, thank God, because Melanie couldn’t’ve come up with a club name to save her life.
“Yeah, that place is a fucking pit,” Esposito said, seeming mollified. “What’re you girls drinking?”
“Appletinis,” Linda replied.
“Cindy, apple martinis over here for my friends,” he called to one of the blond bartenders, who slapped fresh drinks on the bar for them instantly. At Esposito’s merest gesture, several patrons vacated their bar stools so Melanie and Linda could sit down.
“Thank you,” Melanie said.
“Don’t mention it.” He leaned across her and mashed out his cigar in the remnants of somebody’s drink. She caught a whiff of spicy cologne.
“Good crowd tonight, Expo,” Linda said loudly, arching her back so her chest stuck out. It worked, because Esposito started talking to her cleavage.
“Yeah, we’re busy this week. People still in town, but they’re celebratin’,” he said.
“You really come up with some hot locales. I’m crazy for this subway thing. In fact, I’d love to feature it in my nightlife segment.” Linda was looking up at Esposito from under perfectly mascaraed eyelashes. Melanie nearly laughed out loud at her sister’s blatantness. The girl loved to work the celebs.
“Nah, you know, I like press on my big clubs, but Screen I keep on the DL or else it loses its cachet.”
“Oh, sure, I get it.”
“You wanna cover the bash I’m doing down in Palm Beach on New Year’s Eve, though, I’ll get you on the list.” Something behind them seemed to catch his eye. “Hold on a second,” he said, and walked away.
Linda leaned over. “You think he likes me? He could really help my career, you know.”
“You’re not serious!” Melanie wrinkled her nose.
“Chica, that’s why God invented dimmer switches.”
“His looks aren’t bad, Lin. It’s the fact that he’s a major criminal that bothers me.”
“That’s just PR! He cultivates that image to promote his clubs.”
“Yeah, why do you think I’m here?” she said under her breath.
Melanie restrained herself from regaling Linda with tales of the evidence against Expo. Doing that while sitting in his bar was not a smart idea. She glanced around and spotted him, standing out like a beacon in his white suit. He was talking to an enormous guy with an angry, dimesize scar on his left cheek-presumably the bodyguard who’d been asking about the case in Judge Warner’s courtroom earlier today. As she watched, they both turned and looked directly at her. The little hairs on Melanie’s arms stood on end.
Calm down, she told herself. Gabriel Colón had said nothing when those thugs visited the courthouse looking for information, and Melanie was using a false name. Esposito couldn’t possibly have a clue who she was. Granted, Linda had given her real name, and the two of them did look alike. But still…
The bodyguard seemed to melt away into the crowd. Esposito walked casually back to the bar and threw his arm around Melanie’s shoulder. Claustrophobia overwhelmed her instantly, but she steeled herself to accept his touch. A young girl was missing, and this might be a significant opportunity to find out more.
Copying Linda, Melanie smiled up at Esposito through flirtatious lashes.
“You’re back,” she said, in her most seductive voice, like she’d been waiting with bated breath.
“You’re set, the botha youse. I put your names on all my lists. Anything you want in my clubs, just ask.”
That must’ve been what he’d been talking to the bodyguard about. She breathed a small sigh of relief.
“Cool,” Linda said, nodding but looking at Melanie with obvious confusion.
Esposito’s thick fingers caressed Melanie’s exposed back. She forced herself not to pull away. She’d make conversation, see where it went. If he liked her, maybe he’d give her some private cell number they weren’t aware of or tell her some unknown address.
“It must be a lot of pressure, being a celebrity and all,” she said, looking up at him seductively.
“Fuckin’ A. But I love every second of it. You wanna know what my secret is?”
“You bet I do.”
“Work hard, play hard. Do business all day, party all night. Blows off the steam.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Melanie said, and took a swig of the appletini. It was going down easier with every minute that passed.
“Hey, if you like to have a good time, I can hook you up,” Expo said, his fingers inching down her back toward her derriere.
“Yeah? What’ve you got in mind?”
“What’s your pleasure? I have a little office in the back where I transact my private business. I can arrange whatever goodies you like. You name it, we got it.”
Esposito’s office, which was full of drugs? How tempting was that? But no, really, she’d promised Dan-no heroics. Well, maybe “promised” was too strong a word. Hadn’t it been more like a statement of intention? And here circumstances had changed and all…
“You interested or not?” Esposito demanded. “Because if not, plenty of others are.”
“I’m game,” Melanie said. She had to do this. Carmen was still missing.
“What about you?” Expo asked Linda, and then he winked, saying, “I can handle two girls at once.”
Nervous as Melanie was about being alone with this guy, no way was she exposing Linda to danger.
“I’m not into that,” Melanie said firmly. “She’s here with someone anyway, right?”
Linda’s eyes widened. Melanie couldn’t tell if her sister understood what was going on or not. “Ri-ight,” Linda said, hesitantly at first, then, “yeah, I’m with somebody.”
“What the hell, it was worth a shot. Catch you later, then. Come on, you,” Esposito said, yanking Melanie to her feet. The room swam. She’d been stupid to guzzle that drink, but it tasted so good going down. Man, she was pathetic at holding her liquor.
“Hey, Linda,” Melanie said, putting all the significance she could manage into her facial expression, “find my friends and tell them I’m hanging out with Expo, okay? Will you do that for me, so they know where I am?”
“Okay.”
Esposito took Melanie firmly by the arm and began to steer her toward the far end of the subway platform, where the tiled walls curved away into the blackness of the tunnel. Melanie threw a final, imploring glance over her shoulder to Linda, who had already turned away and was heading toward the dance floor. Melanie thought that Linda had understood, that she’d go find Bridget and give her a heads-up. God, she hoped so.
Esposito’s powerful fingers bit painfully into her wrist as he pulled her through the crowd. He leaned over, his lips grazing her ear. “I love to party with Spanish girls, you know.”
Oh, great, score one for la raza.
“Really?”
“Yeah. What’s your name again?”
“Marilyn.”
“You remind me of this old girlfriend of mine, Mirta. She was hot. Unbelievable blow jobs, this girl could give. She had no gag reflex. She died, though. Very sad.”
“How’d that happen?” Melanie asked, her antennae up. No gag reflex. Could come in handy for more than just blow jobs. But Esposito acted like he hadn’t heard her.