Lois was now vacuuming a hallway. She stopped moving the vacuum because she heard voices on the other side of the door, but the stupid machine was too noisy to hear anything. She sighed and kept working. If she turned it off, it would be too suspicious and she definitely couldn't go in, but she was sure she was missing an important meeting that could help bag the story. She barely heard when the door opened. A few tough-looking guys came out. One was the infamous John Alberto. He gave her a slight nod and most of them left, but one was still standing there, watching her. She tried to ignore it but at last she had to take a good look at him. It was the man who had let her in the other day.
"Lola, right?" he asked.
She nodded and did her best to look very busy and wrapped up in her vacuuming.
"You know you're too pretty a girl to work as hard as you do."
She turned off the vacuum and managed to smile politely and say, "But a girl has to work if she's going to eat and keep a roof over her head."
"True, but the question is how hard does she have to work?"
"What do you mean?" Lois asked with a trace of suspicion in her voice.
"You see I just broke up with my girlfriend and I've been awfully lonely. If you'll be my girlfriend, you can come live with me."
Lois had to take a deep breath and try to come up with a nice way to turn him down. She usually just had a smart-alecky comeback for jerks like him.
Before she could answer though, he said, "Did I tell you that I make 5 million a year? I'm Alberto's right-hand man."
That made Lois think. As a girlfriend, she was much more likely to pick up information, but then again she would be in the limelight and she couldn't even stand to be within 5 feet of him because he smelled so strongly of salami. It was certainly a more dangerous role to take. Could she stand to get on his bad side though? "I barely know you. I don't even know your name."
"Dan. Dan Martinelli."
"Dan, give me some time to think about it. You're around here a lot, aren't you?"
He nodded eagerly.
"Why don't we get to know each other first?"
He grinned. He had such a terrible grin. "I'm sure I can steal you away for supper. I know a great little seafood place."
Having supper with him certainly wouldn't hurt, she thought. Who knows what she might be able to wheedle out of him? "Sounds good to me," she answered.
"I'll pick you up at 8 and I'll bring you something more suitable to wear."
Lois had one thought on her mind as he walked off. Clark wasn't going to be happy about this. She went to vacuum the room where the meeting had taken place, in hopes that she might find something.
sss
Lois was vacuuming the library when Clark came in. She switched it off. "You have one job. Why aren't you at your post, waiting to answer the door?"
"I've got pretty good hearing. I'll be able to hear if someone comes to the door. I thought you might be getting tired by now and I thought I'd lend a hand."
"No, thank you. I'm not a weakling. I can handle cleaning floors. Did anybody use the door?"
"Twice. I think it's mostly for people who don't want to attract a lot of attention by using the front door and the servants use it. I wonder what we're eating tonight? I didn't find the ham sandwiches at lunch very filling."
"I don't know what you're having, but I'm having seafood."
"What are you talking about?"
"If you must know, I've been asked out on a date."
"By who? Alberto? Are you trying to become a gun moll?"
"Don't be ridiculous. He's married and you have to admit being a gun moll is better than slaving around all day for nothing."
"Who is it then?"
"You wouldn't know him. He works for Alberto."
Clark had looked angry during this exchange, but now he just looked determined. "Tell him it's off."
"I will not. This may be exactly the break we need."
"Not at the risk of your life."
"It's my life. I can do what I please with it."
"It's not completely yours."
"Just what is that supposed to mean?"
"It means it belongs to your father, your sister, your cousin, and everyone else who loves and cares about you."
"Would you include yourself as 'everyone else'?"
"You know I would. You can't throw your life away carelessly because you're in the middle of a story. You have to take other people into consideration and not be so selfish."
"I'm not being selfish. Do you know how many people's lives depend on bringing John Alberto to justice? I'd say he kills people almost on a daily basis. I'm not just doing this for myself."
He said very gently, "I know that, but you're just a reporter."
"Do you know one of the reasons I decided to become a reporter?"
"Because you like to stick your nose where it doesn't belong?" he joked.
"I'm serious. I'm sure you know I tend to be a violent person. I suppose part of that is the way I grew up. The military's way of bringing people to justice is through violence. I'm not so naïve as to think violence isn't necessary in some cases. Sometimes you have to protect yourself and others that way. There's another very effective way to bring justice, however, and that's through words. How does the saying go? 'The pen is mightier than the sword.' Sometimes violent, old me finds that very refreshing."
"I never really thought of journalism that way and I didn't know you felt so deeply about it."
"Well, I do."
"I really do understand where you're coming from, but I'm still telling you, don't go to dinner with that man."
"And I refuse to be told what to do."
Clark knew it was a lost cause. Once she made up her mind, she was too pigheaded to back down. "Fine, but we'll just see if you go!"
"Yes, we will!"
Clark slammed the door behind him and Lois turned the vacuum back on, angrily moving it back and forth.