“Few days,” I said. “Until she ain’t scared.”

Wolfson nodded.

“Because you’re concerned for my best interests,” he said.

“Sure.”

“And that’s why you’re looking out for her like this,” Wolfson said.

“Nope. I’m looking out for her ’cause I’m softhearted,” I said.

Wolfson looked at me maybe. His off eye made it a little hard to say for sure what he was looking at.

“Still ain’t carrying her weight,” he said.

I nodded.

“Take it outta my pay,” I said.

“Christ,” Wolfson said. “You are softhearted.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Didn’t seem too softhearted when you blew a hole in Koy Wickman,” he said.

“That was business,” I said.

“And this ain’t,” Wolfson said.

“No,” I said. “This is softhearted.”

“Well, it’s business for me,” Wolfson said. “I’ll take it outta your pay until she’s back at work.”

I nodded.

“Fuck her if you want,” Wolfson said. “You’re paying for it anyway.”

“Too young for me,” I said.

“Says she’s twenty,” Wolfson said.

“You believe her,” I said.

“No.”

8.

Three days later I had another whore complaint. A customer had tied Short Sally to the bed and left her. One of the other girls had come in to borrow something and found her and cut her loose, and she come running to me.

“Said he wasn’t through with me yet,” she said. “Told me he was going out with his friends and when they came back, all of them would finish me up.”

“He in the room?” I said.

“Finish me up, Everett,” Short Sally went on. “That’s what he said, finish me up.”

“See him in the room?” I said.

Short Sally looked around. She wasn’t scared like Billie had been. She was ripping.

“That’s him, the fucking pig, there playing faro,” she said. “The fat one dressed kinda fancy.”