Author's note: My apologies for not updating sooner, life got in the way. A special thank you to: FaBbEr0oZ, JaWe99, hotandcoldwulf, Sacrem, vamp1501 and jcsgc1.
After a few hours of tossing and turning, not to mention Sam's snoring, Myka conceded victory to insomnia and decided to start her day despite the sun not being up yet. She had a lot to do in the house before she could go looking for Miss Wells. She got dressed in the dark and then went downstairs to prepare Sam's breakfast.
When Sam got up, there was freshly baked bread on the table, along with a plate filled with eggs, sausages and pancakes. Myka was sitting in her rocking chair, a pile of neatly folded and repaired socks next to her, drinking a cup of tea and looking out the window. She didn't move when Sam sat at the table and kept quiet. He ate while he read his newspaper, perfectly content not to say a word. When he was done, he got up and went to put on his coat and hat.
"I need to know the exact state of our finances, Sam," Myka said coldly.
Anger flashed over his face. "No. I will handle this Myka. I made you a promise five years ago, I intend to keep it."
Myka rose to her feet and faced her husband. "Listen to me Samuel Martino. I know you've been living in the illusion you created that I'm a stupid woman who knows nothing, and I was foolish enough not to break your illusion because I love you, but it's over now. I am a capable woman and I will help you resolve this situation. But I need to know how much we owe to Mr. Macpherson."
Sam looked at his wife for a moment, placating, "Myka, I love you more than anything. I promised you five years ago that you would never again have to sew for anyone but us. I promised I would provide for you and I will. This is my problem Myka, not yours. And I will fix it. Alone."
Sam left and slammed the door. Myka pinched her lips together. She had hoped things wouldn't come to deceiving her husband, but now she had no other choice but to take matters into her own hands.
She washed the dishes and put her kitchen back together before she went to change into her best dress. She then took her sewing box, her coat and her newest story, and went to town.
She really wanted to go see Amanda first, to talk and to give her the story, but she knew she had to take care of Macpherson first. Gathering up her courage, she entered the mayor's office and requested a meeting. Within a few minutes, she was sitting in the mayor's office, nervously playing with the handles of her sewing box.
James Macpherson entered his office and wasn't surprised to find a woman waiting for him. Quite frankly, he had been expecting this visit for a long time.
"Ah, Mrs Martino! What brings you to my office today?"
Myka rose to her feet to greet him. "Mr Mayor! I'm sorry to barge in so early, but I need to talk to you about something very important."
Macpherson sat at his desk and invited her to do the same with a wave of his hand.
Returning to the chair, Myka nervously twisted the handles of her sewing box once again as she confessed, "I... I recently learned that my husband owes you a considerable amount of money."
Nodding, Macpherson returned, "And you came here to bed me to erase his debt. I'm afraid I can't do that."
Shock filled her face at his words. Narrowing her eyes she hissed, "No sir, you are quite mistaken! I came here to ask exactly how much he owes you, and if we can arrange a weekly payment schedule."
Macpherson silently studied her for a moment. "Interesting. You wish to help your husband to pay me back?"
Myka straightened in her chair. "I am a very capable seamstress, sir. I can find work and help my husband get out of his troubles. Do we have an arrangement?"
Macpherson thought for a moment and then removed a small black leather book from his jacket pocket. He opened it and flipped through the pages.
"Martino. Martino. Ah, Martino, Samuel. Yes. He has quite a big debt. Been playing poker with us for a few months now. Let's see. He owes me five thousand and two hundred dollars, six hundred dollars to Judge Wayne, eight hundred dollars to Doctor Hernandez and four hundred dollars to Mr. Lattimer, for a grand total of seven thousand dollars." Completing his rundown of Sam's debts, Macpherson added, "Now, if you manage to pay ten dollars a week, it should take you around thirteen years to pay us back."
Myka was beyond shocked. Things were even worse than she had feared. And to learn that they owed money to her friend's husband...that was worse than everything else. Taking a deep breath, she started thinking about a plan. "Here's what I propose. You will leave us alone and not send anyone to bully us. Don't try to deny it, I know it is how you proceed. In exchange, I will bring you ten dollars a week for the next fifteen years. I know that you will see that all of the men are paid back, in full, and you can keep the extra money for yourself. What do you say mister Mayor? Do we have a deal?"
Macpherson looked at her with an impressed smile on his face. "I must say it's fairly rare that I encounter a woman such as you, Mrs. Martino. I will have to consult with the other gentlemen about your proposal, but as far as I'm concerned it is a reasonable bargain. I will let you know about our decision soon."
"You will let me know by tomorrow, please." Meeting his eyes, she firmly added, "And one more thing, you will deal with me and me alone. My husband is not to know about the specifics of this meeting."
Macpherson raised an eyebrow. "You are rather cocky, aren't you? And pray tell what shall happen if we don't abide by your rules?"
Myka rose to her feet and looked defiantly at the mayor. "I offered you an honest proposition Mr. Mayor. I expect nothing back but honesty from a gentleman. Good day sir. I will see you on Friday with my first payment."
Myka left Macpherson's office and went straight to the newspaper's office. When she stopped walking, she started shaking like a leaf. Amanda noticed her as soon as she arrived and rushed to her side when she saw her friend almost collapse on the ground.
"Myka! Myka are you alright?"
Nodding, Myka waved a shaking hand, replying, "Yes, yes, I am fine. I'm just a little shocked, that's all."
Amanda helped Myka to rise and led her into Peter's office. She reached into a hidden cabinet and took a bottle of brandy and poured some in a glass, which she then handed to Myka, who drank it in one gulp. Amanda sat next to her and took her hand in hers. "Are you feeling better?"
Nodding again, Myka replied, "Yes. Thank you."
Placing the now empty glass on the table, Amanda questioned, "What happened to you?"
"I'll tell you in a moment. First I'd like to know something." Meeting her friend's eyes, she demanded, "Why didn't you tell me that Sam owed you money?"
Amanda frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Myka told her the whole story. Once she was done, Amanda stormed out of the office and went to get her husband, dragging him back into the office. Quickly relaying what Myka had told her, she demanded, "Is it true?"
Pete did his best impression of a lost puppy. "I'm sorry, honey. I should have told you sooner, but Sam made me promise not to tell anyone."
Amanda's head was spinning at the information. Smacking her husband on the arm, she growled, "Four hundred dollars! Are you insane? We could lose the paper!"
"Don't worry, I've been careful!" Smiling brightly, Pete added, "As long as Mike Wells supplies us with his great stories, we will be fine. I've started to assemble them into a book and I have a potential publisher in New York. Everything will be alright, I promise."
"You can't publish a book with Mike Wells' stories without his permission!" Myka protested.
Pete threw his hands up in the air, defending, "I need to do something to save the paper!"
Amanda walked up to her husband and pulled his ear. "You need to stop playing poker! And Myka's right, you can't publish that book without Wells' permission!"
Pete started to squirm to get out of his wife's ear-clutch. "I will, I promise!"
Amanda let him go and Pete hurried out of his office. Myka gathered her things to leave. "I have to go. I need to find Miss Wells. Do you know where she lives by any chance?"
Pursing her lips, Amanda questioned, "Helena Wells you said?"
Myka nodded.
"I think I heard someone mentioning her the other day" Snapping her fingers, Amanda added, "Have you tried at Mrs. Donovan's boarding house?"
"That's a good idea." Smiling, she requested, "May I place an ad in the paper to look for customers?"
Amanda's smile brightened. "Sure. I'll take care of it."
Returning the smile, Myka offered, "Thanks Amanda."
Myka walked to Mrs. Donovan's boarding house slowly. The brandy was still affecting her and her sleepless night was starting to take its toll. She was welcomed by Mrs. Donovan's young daughter, Claudia, who always had ten times the energy of a regular person and was constantly trying new projects and inventions. She was spending a lot of time with her best friend, Steven Jinx, and Myka knew that Mrs. Donovan was hoping it would end in a wedding, but she had the feeling that the young people were strong friends and no more.
Smiling brightly, Claudia called, "Hello Mrs. Martino! How are you?"
Forcing a smile she didn't feel onto her face, Myka replied, "I am well, Claudia, thank you. Is your mother home?"
Shaking her head, Claudia answered, "No she went to see Joshua and Amy for a few days. They just had a baby, you know."
"No I didn't know. That's great news!" Glancing around the room Myka asked, "Who is taking care of things here while she's away?"
"Me. I know how it works." Straightening her back defensively, Claudia inquired, "Can I help you with something?"
Sighing, Myka inquired, "Do you know a woman named Helena Wells?"
Claudia became immediately suspicious. "Depends on why you're asking."
"She came to me last night offering me a job as a seamstress." Indicating the sewing box in her hand, Myka tacked on, "I would like to tell her that I accept."
Claudia looked at her for a moment, trying to decide if she was sincere or not.
"I will let her know that you came by," she finally said.
"Can't I talk to her now?" Myka asked.
"She left very specific instructions not to be disturbed during the day, and she's paying good money for me to respect her wishes. I will let her know that you came by when I see her tonight. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a bicycle to repair."
Myka was left alone with her sewing box and her thoughts as Claudia ran outside. She was exhausted, and she still had to go home and prepare Sam's lunch before he got home. Turning around to leave, she stopped in her tracks when she felt someone watching her. She turned back around to see who it was, but she was alone. She waited for a moment, then left.
Helena slowly retreated from her shadowed corner to her dark room. What was it with this woman? What made her so...desirable? When they had first met, Helena had merely seen her as a food supply, but after she had tasted her blood... Helena had tasted countless people over the centuries, but there was something about Myka that made Helena want her; to want something more than just her blood. She knew she would have to be careful if she wanted her plan to succeed.
When Myka arrived home, Pete was waiting for her on the front door steps. Myka gave him a tired smile and invited him inside. "Would you like a cup of tea?"
Frowning, Pete replied, "I'd prefer a cup of coffee, if it's no trouble."
"No trouble at all. I have to make some for Sam anyway." Turning to her stove, she questioned, "What can I do for you?"
Myka started to prepare the coffee and Sam's meal as Pete offered the reason for his visit. "I came to apologize for not telling you about Sam owing me money. You and Amanda are friends, and I think I can consider you and I as friends too. So I apologize. I should have told you Sam was in trouble instead of helping him the way I did."
Myka put a cup of coffee in front of him. "Thank you for saying that. I will pay you back in full."
Pete took a sip of the dark beverage. "Mmm this is good. You make a great coffee Myka."
Sighing to hide her yawn, Myka replied, "Thank you, Peter."
"Pete." Offering a dashing smile, he added, "I think you can call me Pete now."
"Very well, Pete." Myka went back to her cooking while Pete finished up his drink.
"Now, why don't you tell me why you're really here?" asked Myka while she was finishing cooking the meat.
Twisting nervously on his chair, Pete retorted, "What makes you feel I came here for more than an apology?"
An unladylike snort escaped her. "Please don't take me for a fool."
"Alright, fine." His shoulders slumping, Pete said, "I came to offer you a deal."
Frowning, Myka turned from the stove. "A deal?"
Nodding enthusiastically, Pete said, "Yes. Please have a seat."
Myka remained at the stove and started mashing potatoes. "I don't have time, Pete. I need to get this ready before Sam arrives."
Pete got up and put his mug in the sink. "Alright then, listen to me for a moment. I would like for you to sew a few dresses for Amanda, and a new costume for me."
Myka kept mashing. "Pete, a few dresses and a new costume won't be enough to pay back what we owe you."
Nervously chewing his lip, Pete stated, "And I want your permission to publish Mike Wells' book."
Myka stayed on task; the potatoes were now close to a liquid state. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Please don't take me for a fool!" Clearing his throat, Pete added, "I've known you were Mike Wells for quite some time now. And I haven't said anything to anyone."
Myka stopped, closed her eyes and in a disappointed tone, whispered, "Amanda."
Pete put a hand on her shoulder. "She didn't say anything, I swear. Give me a little credit, alright. You were always around whenever I got a new story. It didn't take me long to figure it out."
Myka looked at him. "Why didn't you say anything?"
Quirking an eyebrow, Pete replied, "For the same reason you chose to publish under a man's name. Look, I don't care who writes those stories. They're good, so I publish them. So what do you say to my proposal?"
Myka took a moment to think. "What if the book earns more money that what we owe you?"
Puffing out his chest, Pete answered, "If it comes to that, we share the profits fifty-fifty."
Myka had to intention of being ripped off. Raising an eyebrow at his audaciousness, she countered, "Ninety percent for me, ten percent for you."
Pete shook his head. "Sixty-forty for you."
The eyebrow went up again. "Eighty-twenty."
Growing agitated, Pete tossed back, "Seventy-thirty."
"Seventy-five-twenty-five, final offer." Smiling calmly, Myka added, "Take it or leave it."
Relief filled Pete's face. "Deal."
"I have, however, one condition." Meeting his eyes, she stated, "The name of the author shall remain Mike Wells."
More relief filled Pete. "Of course! The name Mike Wells is the draw as much as the stories."
Myka put the meal together on a plate and placed it on the table. "Very well. You have my permission to publish Mike Wells' stories in a book... Which reminds me that I have a new one that I forgot to give to Amanda this morning."
Before she could get the sheets from her handbag, Sam arrived. As he was about to demand what was going on between his wife and his poker partner, a loud scream was heard from the street.
"Oh my God, he's dead!"
