River of sin

26. Gemini club

The Evans boys stepped through the doors of the Gemini club, looking around impressed. The girls grabbing Lenard, Barney and Harrison to dance while Danny and Jacob got a table and drinks in.
"This place is fancy" Danny looked around. "You think it's legit or a front for other business?"
"You mean are they selling more than fancy drinks and are they upperclass whores" he nodded at the women circling in uniform. "No clue, Danny." He laughed "best behaviour boys." He handed drinks out when the others joined them "ladies no idea what's in them, but here you go."
"We've been spotted" Harrison subtly nodded at a well dressed man watching them, dressed in an expensive looking brown fitted suit "I recognise a few faces. He's watching them too. He's scoping out the big names look, clocking where we all are. Finnegan's lads are over there, he's been watching the Italians and that French bloke that owns that new import business."
"Well I think we've found whose in charge." Danny nodded in agreement. "Well done Harry, you're learning at last."

"Gentleman" the man approached them after a while of circulating, accompanied by who they presumed was his protection, lingering a little way back "am I correct in thinking you're the Evans boys?" He asked in a thick American accent
"You're a yank" Danny pointed out "you'd be correct. This place yours? It's impressive."
"Why thank you. Yes, I'm the owner of the establishment. I can't take all the credit. My Mrs did most of the work. Behind every great man is a greater women, am I right gentleman."
"Never a truer word said" Danny laughed, pointing to a chair offering him to join them. He had to step up more since Jacob left with Evie, recently Jacob would be too drunk some days to even stand up, let alone do business.
"Your sister not come with you, Rachel? invite was extended to the whole Evan's clan. Well minus the youngest. I'll have to do a more appropriate event so I can meet her."
"Rachel couldn't make it, kids are sick." Danny brushed off "youngest is only six."
"So" the man looked them all over "I'm told it's Jacob Evans that's the brains. Don't tell me. Let me guess" he looked at each man individually "perhaps you" he pointed at Harrison "good looking lad, I'm told Jacobs got the ladies falling at his feet."

"Harry" Harrison offered his hand
"Ah not Jacob then, Harrison the youngest lad, right? Jacob's older I hear." The man looked at them again "nope I'm stumped. I'm still learning whose who round here."
"Jacob" he sat forward offering his hand "what line of business you in, sorry didn't catch the name."
"Joseph. Joseph Sullivan. Pleasure to meet you, Jacob. I've heard a lot about you." He smirked "I dabble in this and that." He lit a cigarette, offering them around. "So you're a ladies man I hear, Jacob"
"Not really no" Jacob laughed "used to be once upon a time. you were right young Harry here has them falling at his feet. Young lass is just his friend aren't you, Doris. Grew up together, works as a secretary in my office, loves to dance so young Harry asked her along. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all. More the merrier. So. No lady on your arm, Jacob? I don't see a wedding ring."
"No. Almost but no, one that got away." Jacob looked down for a second at the thought of Yvonne, twiddling her ring on his pinkie finger.
"Well let me know if anyone catches eye. I'll introduce you."

They watched Sullivan signal a man across the room when a scuffle broke out, it swiftly being dealt with. "Ned!" He whistled a man over "get her on stage, calm um down." He ordered "you like music fellas?" Joseph asked "our best act coming up. I think you'll like her."
"Sorry sir, Emmett Barnes has been spotted out front"
"Excuse me, I have to go circulate. You know how it is." Joseph stood up taking his drink with him.
"A Yankee Doodle." Lenard watched him walk away "didn't see that one coming. He seemed, pleasant."
"You still got a lot to learn" Jacob laughed along with Danny "he was fishing. He knew exactly who I was, he misnamed us on purpose. He was too interested."
"I agree. He seemed to know about us. Look he's glancing over our way constantly." Danny sipped his drink
They turned to watch the stage area when the spot light switched on and the live musicians started playing again, whistles and cheers breaking out.
"On the house" a waiter appeared with a bottle of chilled champagne "compliments of mr Sullivan"
"He definitely wants something" Barney popped it open pouring it into champagne flutes "this is the super expensive stuff."

Jacob's eyes snapped up sharply when a voice started singing into the microphone, he knew that voice, the voice that would softly sing to him at night when he couldn't sleep. That sung to his little sister when she was scared in the boat cabin during a stormy night at sea. He stood up moving closer, standing himself next to a pillar to watch the angelic voice as it sang a melancholy tune accompanied by the grand piano and band. He smiled as the spot light lit up the face he'd longed to see for over two years, his little Evie. Looking even more grown up, not a girl becoming a young woman, a fully fledged one. Even more stunning than he remembered. Hello my little darling. He greeted her in his mind. His smile grew wider as the confident woman sang, belting out her heartache, he always tried to get her to sing more, always too shy. He clapped along with everyone else when the song finished.

"Jake" Danny broke him out of his trance "are you seeing what I'm seeing?"
"She's alive and she's back, Danny" he smiled at his brother "you think she asked us here? That she wants to see me but wasn't sure how to make the first move? Wanted to see me on neutral turf incase Rach was about? See if I turned up with a woman on my arm?"
"I don't know brother, come, stop staring" he laughed pulling his brother to sit back down as a more uptempo number started, a tap dancer entertaining the crowd dancing along. "Didn't know she could sing."
"She's shy. Or she used to be. She used to sing to Betty on the boat. At night to calm me down, gently in my ear" he smiled at the memories of her secret night visits. "In the tub when she thought no one could hear and I weren't in it with her" he laughed lightly with his brothers
"He's watching you and smirking like a devil" Harrison warned his brother, Jacob turning his head to see as his brother described, Joseph Sullivan watching him while talking to a man. "He said he had something you wanted, Jacob. Maybe she's it. Maybe he knows about the two of you. He was fishing about your love life. He's coming over, act natural"

"Gentleman, you like the champagne? Imported, from France." He smirked at Jacob, whose face turned sour, spitting the champagne back into glass putting it down. He avoided anything that reminded him of that place. "You served in France didn't you?"
"You seem to know a lot about me." Jacob lit a cigarette.
"I like to know who I'm dealing with. It's all in the detail. Don't you agree." He smiled mischievously "You're a twin correct? Only one of you made it back though I believe. Monty Evans, right?" Sullivan smirk reappeared when he clearly got Jacob's back up by asking "I've got a thing for twins. My Mrs is a twin. oh here she comes now. Yvonne, you sounded beautiful and you look radiant, my love" he pulled Yvonne over by the hand from the stairs she was walking up, pulling her into a kiss. "Meet some new friends of mine." He turned her around, grinning at Jacob, snaking an arm around her. "She's beautiful isn't she. My little firecracker this one" he nuzzled her neck playfully "she sounds like a nightingale."
"You're biased, Joe" she laughed awkwardly, rubbing his arm, Jacob catching sight of the expensive looking large rock on her finger double the size and price of his easily.

"Excuse us we have business to attend to." Joseph lead her away with his hand on her backside, looking back at Jacob winking. Jacob couldn't break his stare as he watched her walk away without even acknowledging him. Then he saw it, she turned her head back, briefly, very briefly, making worried eye contact with him, he saw that same look he saw when she was sixteen. The look of someone who was lost, who had a sadness behind her beautiful eyes, silently asking him for help, the look of the young girl he now knew loved him even back then, even if he didn't know it yet at the time. He shot up from his seat being tackled back into it by his brothers.