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“I have to get that money back.”
“I’m telling you how to get your money back, kid. That’s all. You got a pretty wife, new baby. You’re young and you got your health. Everything to live for. I can help you. Your timing is right on the money, believe it or not.” Tony leaned toward Ma
Ma
“You know basketball. You know the line on tonight’s game at the Garden, right?”
Ma
“Go double or nothing tonight.” Tony crumpled the empty bag and made a nice arcing shot into the can.
“You’re kidding.”
Tony chuckled. “Serious as cancer. Listen to me. I’m the smartest guy you know, remember?”
Ma
“Tonight’s the Co
“Not a chance.” Ma
“So what? You think life’s random? It all runs in cycles, kid, even the NCAA tournament. I do the charts. It’s a technical analysis, see? It’s all in the cycles. Let the cycles call the shots and you can bank on them like you can bank on the stock market.” Tony raised a brow and stared Ma
“This is my house we’re talking about. The down payment on my house.” Ma
“How long have we been doing this and how many times have we won? A lot, right? So you had a temporary slump. You’re only a loser if you take yourself out.”
Ma
Tony stood and slurped the last sip from his straw. “I gotta get back to the sports desk. What’s it go
“Can you front me the money?”
“What do I look like, your father?”
Ma
Tony snorted. “That wouldn’t cover the vigorish.”
Ma
Tony snapped up the jewelry and fingered the pieces in his palm. “I’ll do you a favor this time, kid. I’ll check these at Sal’s, and whatever he gives me, I’ll put that down for you.”
Ma
Tony grabbed the bottle. “Forty-five cents a pint?” Bright green liquid sloshed around the bottom. “What the hell is this?”
“Thirty percent alcohol. That’s what. A giant Yankee julep.”
Tony handed it back. “Looks like puke and backwash to me.”
“Thanks.” Ma
“Don’t worry about it.”
“And don’t forget the pawn ticket. I gotta get the jewelry back once the deal is done.”
Tony smiled. “Have I ever let you down?”
On the way back to the newspaper office, Tony stopped at Sal’s Pawnshop by the deli a few blocks uptown.
The pawnbroker buzzed him in. Flashy in a Vegas sort of way, Sal overdressed most of the time, and today the pits of Sal’s shirt were circled in sweat despite the cool spring weather.
“What can I do you for?” Sal’s double chin jiggled as he stood up from the stool behind the counter. “How’s your pretty mama?” He reminded Tony of a Cuban pimp he once met on a hot Miami Beach, ru
Tony crossed to the glass display case where Sal was leaning. “Yeah, I told her.” He smiled as nicely as he could with his grotesque mouth. “She says hello.” He lied. “She’s just so busy with the charities and all. Too busy to socialize much outside of church.” He sca
Sal raised his brows. “If one’s good, two is better.”
Tony forced his jaw open so he wouldn’t grind his teeth. He took a deep breath and said, “I got twenty grand says UCLA wins with the points tonight.”
“Long shot.” Sal laughed. “So what do you want me to do about it?”
Tony shrugged. “I gotta lay off the bets.”
Sal raised a brow. “Street says you can’t pay your medical bills since they diagnosed your tumor. How do I know you’re still good for it?”
“I guess I better be, right?” Tony let out a nervous laugh before producing the bracelet and gold band that Ma
Sal ambled back to his desk to get a loupe. Then he got personal with the diamond bracelet. A minute passed, and Sal grunted. He scratched his chin and took another look.
The ca
“Good.” Sal’s gut jiggled as he chuckled. He put the loupe down and sat on his stool. “ ’Cause this is some kind of joke.”
Tony nodded. “I swear I’m good for it, Sal. Help a guy out.”
Sal examined the bad side of Tony’s face. “If I help you out, it’s only ’cause I like your mother.” He pushed the cloth away and waved his hand at it. “Two grand would be generous.”
A bead of sweat raced down Tony’s spine. “Then we have a deal.”
Sal licked his lips. “I gotta warn you.” Spittle flew from the corner of Sal’s mouth. “My brother isn’t happy with you. You still owe for last time, and you’re a credit risk what with the cancer. Can’t let you slide on this one.” He tapped the loupe on the countertop. “Remember what happened to your reporter friend who thought he was cute and tried to renege?”
Tony nodded. “Mack never came back to the sports desk.”
“Right. And don’t let it slip your memory.” Sal reached underneath a case and brought up an envelope that he pushed across the glass to Tony.
Tony took the envelope and leafed through the bills to count them.
“We get the cash back tomorrow.” Sal buzzed the door open. “That gives you twenty-four hours.”
Tony smiled and hurried out the door. “Thanks, Sal.”
The morning after Ma
Ma
Inside, his footsteps echoed off the marble as he walked to the island in the middle of the lobby, where he greeted the receptionist, who watched him closely. “Hello, sweetheart.”
Young and attentive, the Latin receptionist spoke into her mouthpiece, pushed a few buttons on the switchboard and followed his fidgety fingers with her eyes. “May I help you?”
His grin felt so big that he was sure he looked like a mental patient. “I came to see Tony the Ear.”
“Tony Morelli.” She looked down and ran a finger down her clipboard, then shook her head and picked up a pencil. “Mr. Morelli hasn’t come in yet. Would you like to leave a message?”
Ma