Ezra Standish walked down from his suite on the top floor of the converted office building. He enjoyed the privacy the space gave him, and usually luxuriated in his comfort up there until well into the afternoon before heading down to take care of whatever was needed in his speakeasy. The Ace of Spades was his pride and joy, and very few things could take precedence over that. Until the events of last night. Now, while still an intricate part of his life, the club had moved down a rung to second place. The reason why was resting, he hoped comfortably, two floors below him. He tapped lightly on the door to the private room, waiting with forced patience for an answer. After what felt like an eternity, the door opened a small crack.
"Good morning Miss Rocios. I trust I have not disturbed your sleep?"
She shook her head slightly, stepping back to open the door to allow him in. She had a blanket from the bed wrapped tightly around her. The dressing gown he had sent to the room lay untouched on a chair.
"I am sorry I am not presentable for company Señor."
"Nonsense. It is I who should apologize for intruding on you at such a godforsaken hour."
She looked over to the wall clock. It was getting close to noon. "I see your conception of time has not changed over the years."
His eyes clouded over at her reference. "Time slowed down considerably for the last two years my dear."
She turned away, trying to put more distance between them as she took a seat on the far side of the bed. He reluctantly respected her need for the space.
"I couldn't help but notice you did not have any baggage with you when you arrived last evening. Are your belongings being sent to you?"
"Señor Ortiz told me I was not to bring anything. I did not own anything. It was not allowed."
Ezra fought to keep the anger from surfacing, afraid she would take it as directed at her. She had been right last night when she said she was no longer the woman he had known. Gone was the fight, the fire. He wished with all his heart he had been the one to fire the fatal shot.
He smiled, hoping it was convincing. "Excellent. A completely fresh start. I shall arrange for someone to accompany you to purchase a new wardrobe. I daresay the fashions here are different from what you have been used to."
"I cannot afford to purchase a wardrobe. Perhaps I could find a few items at a second-hand shop…" she faded off, realizing she didn't even have the funds for that.
"You need clothing, and it will be my pleasure to ensure you are dressed in the finest garments available."
She shook her head, speaking softly. "No. I do not want to be indebted to you, to anyone. Ever again."
"It is not a debt my dear. There is no need to repay-"
The softness disappeared. "NO! I will not be a kept woman again. Ever!" The spark faded as quickly as it had appeared, and fear took over again. "I am sorry – I did not…" She stepped back again, eyes darting in quest of a place to hide.
Ezra walked very slowly to her. "Inez. Look at me." He waited. "Please. Look at me." She raised her eyes without moving her head. "I will never, for any reason, lay a hand on you in violence. In the unimaginable event such a travesty ever happens, Tiny will have orders to seek full retribution, by any means he deems appropriate. You recall how fond of you he has always been? I believe his revenge would be complete. But it will never be needed. I will die before hurting you. Before ever allowing you to be hurt. Do you understand that?"
She nodded slowly.
"Do you believe that?" he added.
She continued to nod, but this time added a smile. "I do, Señor."
He took another step and reached his hand to her chin, gently lifting her head. "I recall trying for some time to convince you to call me Ezra, not Señor. I assume I will have to resume that effort." He spoke in a soft voice that made her heart race.
"Si, Señor." She smiled again, taking a shy step backwards.
As much as he longed to take her in his arms and reassure her of her place in his world, he knew she was nowhere close to being ready for that. Instead, he took her lightly by the shoulders, his gaze never wavering and his voice again firm.
"Now, as for your being a 'kept' woman. I do not own you. No one does. There is no debt, it has all been forgiven. I would wager it was long since paid off, but that is a matter we shall not dwell on or discuss again. You are free to come or go as you please. My hope is that it will please you to stay here." She opened her mouth to object, but Ezra didn't stop to allow it. "I have ample guest quarters here that you are welcome to use until have recovered sufficiently to find a suitable accommodation. There are several apartment buildings in the area, as well as boarding houses. As for clothing, you will need appropriate attire for your new job. Repayment can be arranged through your wages."
"What job could I find? I am suited only to be a companion. An escort. A pros–"
He realized his grip was tightening by reflex and he immediately let go, but his anger did not abate. His tone was uncompromising. "Do not finish that thought. And do not allow it ever again to enter your mind."
"It is true."
"NO! Damn, I wish I could find a way to kill him again. Slowly." He took a breath, trying to calm himself for her sake. "I told you last night, you are the victim in this. I see you in no other way, and if it takes me the rest of my life, I will convince you of that."
He was thrilled to see another shy smile come to her. "I will admit Señor, I would look forward to the effort."
"Now," calm yourself Standish "as for the matter of employment. Your references from your last place of employment in New Orleans are impeccable, and I am in need of an experienced manager to assist me in overseeing my various businesses and ventures."
"I do not want your charity."
"Charity? Perish the thought. Why do people insist on interpreting my actions in such a libelous manner? I promise you Miss Rocios, you will earn your way. And, as my representative, it is imperative that you present yourself in a business like, yet highly styled manner. Toward that end, I expect you to find appropriate clothing, the costs for which will be deducted from your pay in a manner I see fit."
"You told me last night that you have changed. I fail to see that. You are every bit the pretender you have always been Señor Standish. And I am forever grateful for that."
Ezra huffed slightly. "I shall assume that was intended as some form of compliment and shall accept it in that spirit. Now, as to the matter of a shopping companion. Miss Wells, who has been assisting you since your arrival –"
"She has been wonderful."
"Yes, a delightful young woman, but hardly appropriate to this task. I will have to investigate some options for this. In the meantime, I will have breakfast sent up to you. You should rest for today." He softened his tone. "I would like to dine with you this evening, if you are up to it. We do not need to go out, if you do not feel ready for that."
"May I decide later?"
"Of course. I'll leave you to get some rest."
"You should do that too. I heard your friend from last night, the one who killed Ortiz, say you had been shot." He was touched by the concern in her voice and on her face.
"He exaggerated. It was a scratch."
"As I said, a pretender." He smiled at her comment as he left. Once he was beyond her hearing, she added. "Please Señor. Take care of yourself. I could not bear the experience of losing you again."
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"I don't know Ezra. The ladies I know might not exactly suit the job you want." Buck grinned. "Which isn't to say your Chiquita wouldn't look fine in what they pick out for her." The grin faded a bit at the glare he received in response.
"I would recommend you not consider Miss Rocios in that manner Mr. Wilmington."
"Steady Standish." Chris cautioned. "He didn't mean anything."
Buck hurried to agree. "Yeah Ezra. Sorry. I just –"
"No. It is I who should apologize. I am still a bit on edge from our experiences last evening. "
"Understandable Pard. It was a hell of a night. How's she doing today?"
"As well as could be expected, under the circumstances Mr. Tanner." He turned to face Chris. "And while I do appreciate your intervention, I cannot help but wish you had left him alive long enough to give me the chance to kill him."
"I get that. What I did seemed like the best option at the time. I can tell you, it was damned satisfying. As to the reason for your visit here, what makes you think the three of us would be able to recommend someone to go shopping? Not exactly our area."
"Most of my associates are ill-suited to the task. Additionally, as Miss Rocios will be working for me, she will have more than enough contact with them. I will concede I was hoping to introduce her to some people outside of that world."
Vin grinned. "I don't think you want Miss Nettie picking out clothes for her."
Ezra shuddered, not answering. Buck snapped his fingers. "What about Mrs. Travis?"
"Why would the spouse of a federal judge choose to associate even indirectly with me?" Ezra replied. "Furthermore, I don't imagine her tastes would reflect the look I was hoping for."
"No, not her. Mary Travis."
"We don't need to be bothering her for something like that." Chris had blanched slightly, a fact Buck noted but did not comment on.
Ezra disagreed. "She might well be the ideal choice. She is, from my understanding, a capable and thoughtful woman. I don't doubt she would be able to find the appropriate compromise – modern enough to be fashionable, while maintaining the aura of professionalism."
Vin put on an air of innocence. "You seem to be on good terms with the judge. Maybe you could ask him if he'd send her over."
He stiffened slightly. "The fact that I went to Judge Travis on a matter of criminal concern should not lead you to conclude I have any other dealings with him. In case you had failed to notice, we serve opposite sides of the law."
"Of course you do Ezra. Never meant to suggest otherwise."
Buck didn't bother hiding his enjoyment of the discussion. "Chris here can give her a call. She works in the Judge's office, but I'm guessing she could take a few hours tomorrow to help out. If he asks her nice."
Chris's growl was deep and sincere. Then he flashed back on the look of quiet terror that had been in Inez's eyes until the moment Ortiz was dead, and the relief that came after. "Fine. I'll ask the judge to ask her. For your friend Standish. Doing this for her – you understand?"
"And she will appreciate the sacrifice you are making."
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"I think," Mary Travis turned smiling to her new friend, "that we have made an excellent start on rebuilding a wardrobe for you. I also think you have had enough for the day."
Inez wanted to object. She wanted to spend the day outdoors, roaming wherever she fancied, and doing as she pleased. The freedom was exhilarating. But Mary was right, she was also exhausting herself. She shouldn't be this tired, having slept or at least rested most of the previous day. The only exception had been a quiet, private, and somewhat uncomfortable dinner. Both participants seemed to be unable to relax, and the strain brought the evening to an early end, with Ezra offering work as a welcomed excuse.
Mary smile turned to gentle concern. "Oren gave me a general idea of what you have been through. No details," she added hastily at the look of distress, "just that you have been under a great deal of stress. Enough for me to understand that you need to be taking things easy. Shock has a way of draining the energy quickly."
"You speak from experience?" Inez could see a hint of sadness.
"I lost my husband recently. Less than a year."
Inez took her hand. "I am so sorry."
"Accepting it is one thing. Getting past it is another. You need to allow yourself the time to do both, and a large part of that is giving your body a chance to recover from – everything." Inez's make-up had failed to completely hide the bruising. You had to be close to see it, and Mary had noticed that and other markings as she helped Inez try on outfits. She'd also noticed the rejection of anything with short sleeves or a lower back. She would have to talk to her father-in-law about insuring whoever had done that was no longer a threat.
She put her shoulders back in a show of certainty and took Inez by the hand. "Lunch is in order. A wonderful, proper lunch to rebuild your strength. Complete with some decedent desserts."
"No. I have spent enough of Señor Standish's money today."
Mary froze. "Standish. Ezra Standish? He is paying for this?" She struggled to keep the anger from her voice. "What are you doing with that gangster?"
"Señor Standish is not a gangster." Inez pulled back.
"He runs a speakeasy. He has his hands in most of the criminal activities in this town."
"No. You are wrong. Yes, he runs a club, but he is not a hoodlum. He is a man of honour."
Mary's eyes narrowed. "He was involved in the matter that got my husband killed. I don't know all the details, but the papers have said he killed a man in order to avoid being indicted himself. He is dangerous Inez."
She shook her head, refusing to accept any of that. "Newspapers print what they are told to. I do not believe he would do such a thing. Why was he not arrested if that is true?"
"He's got too much power in this town for that to happen. Trust me Inez. You need to get away from him."
"He saved me. He is the reason I am not in danger from the man who attacked me. Assaulted me." She paused, lowering her voice. "Raped me. Señor Standish is a good man. I will not accept any other idea."
Mary mentally took a step away. Clearly, this woman was delusional. Or tragically misinformed. Either way, upsetting her now was not going to help anyone. "Alright. I will accept what you say for the moment. And if you don't want to spend his money, will you let me buy you lunch?"
"No, thank you. I am tired and would like to go home."
"I am sorry Inez. I didn't intend to upset you. Just as you don't know the man I am talking about, I don't know the Ezra Standish you are describing."
"I understand. Please, I would like to go home now."
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Mary cleared the table as Oren Travis finished off his coffee. "Excellent meal my dear, as always. Are you going to share with me now the reason I got this last-minute invitation?"
"I know how you eat when you are on your own, and with Evie out of town, I thought you should have at least one decent dinner.
"My wife has been gone for several days. Why today?"
"You are a very suspicious man."
He smiled. "Am I wrong?"
"I also wanted to thank you for giving me the afternoon off to help Miss Rocios with her errands. She seems like a lovely woman, albeit a bit fragile at the moment."
"She has been through a great deal."
Mary pulled out a chair to sit again. "Why didn't you tell me she was involved with Standish when you asked for this favour?"
"What difference does that make?"
Mary looked stunned. "You can't be serious? He was responsible for what happened to Steven. Why are we doing favours for the man who had my husband – your son – killed? Good Lord Oren, what does he have on you?"
Stunned didn't come close to his own reaction. "That's what you think? Where did you get any of that idea?"
"He shot a detective. The papers say it was all part of a cover-up. He is crooked and powerful. And I know Steven had spoken to him shortly before he died."
Travis took a deep breath. "I have been trying to protect you. I can see now that was a foolish thing to do. Half-truths are worse than lies." He leaned back in his seat, organizing his thoughts while she watched him, unblinking. "What I am going to tell you can never be repeated. To anyone. For any reason. Lives quite literally depend on it." Mary nodded solemnly. "Ezra Standish is not what you believe him to be. If that became common knowledge, he would be dead within the week."
They both settled comfortably as Judge Travis filled her in on all the details. When he was done, she was speechless for several minutes.
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