Knock Knock Who's There? Read Online Free Page B

bound a man, but he was fond of her and wouldn't want anything to happen to her.
    He lit another cigarette. In the street below a child yelled, a woman called across the street to another woman, the car crawled by in low gear, making a racket of noise. Listening to the noise, he thought of the sea in the sunshine and felt the breeze against his face. His hands closed on the spokes of the tiller and he heard the murmur of the powerful engines. Patience, he told himself. Two or three years and he would be afloat.
    Every Friday night he took Melanie out to dinner and then to a movie. This night—he glanced at his watch—he would be taking her out. Next Friday would be different, but he wouldn't tell her tonight. He would jump it on her. Although she wasn't a talker, if she knew beforehand that next Friday was going to be special, she might worry.
    He spent the next two hours going over his plan again and again, then finally, realizing the futility of this constant rehashing, he got up, stripped off and took a shower.
    An hour later he picked Melanie up outside her apartment and drove her to Luigi's restaurant.
    They had a good Italian dinner. They didn't have much to say to each other. Melanie always seemed to be hungry and when the food was placed before her, she ate happily and in silence while Johnny, now thinking of Friday 29th, pushed his food around on the plate and didn't eat much. He kept looking at her. His eyes took away her clothes and saw her olive-skinned, lush body naked and he thought of the wasted three hours ahead of them when they would sit in a stuffy movie house and watch some goddamn film before he could lay her on her back on the big double bed.
    "Have you something on your mind, Johnny?" Melanie asked suddenly. She had devoured an enormous plate of spaghetti and was sitting back, eager for the next course, her big breasts forcing themselves against her cheap skimpy dress.
    Johnny jerked his thoughts back to her and he smiled.
    "Just looking at you, baby," he said and put his hand over hers. "Right now, I've got the hots for you."
    She felt a hot rush of blood to her loins.
    "Me too. Let's skip the movie tonight. Let's go back and have a real ball."
    That was what he wanted and his fingers closed tightly over the back of her hand.
    "You have yourself a deal, baby."
    Then a shadow fell across the table and Johnny looked up.
    Toni Capello was standing there. He was wearing a black suit, a yellow-and-white striped shirt and a yellow kipper tie. He looked very dressy, but his flat snake's eyes remained snake's eyes.
    "Hi, Johnny," he said and his eyes shifted to Melanie and then back to Johnny. "The boss wants you."
    Johnny turned hot with anger. He knew Toni was almost as good as he was (had been?) with a gun and he hated Toni as he knew Toni hated him.
    He sensed Melanie was scared. He glanced at her and saw she was looking at Toni with wide, frightened eyes.
    "What do you mean . . . he wants me?" Johnny demanded.
    A waiter hovered to change the plates, then moved away.
    "Like I said . . . he wants you and pronto."
    Johnny drew in a long deep breath.
    "Okay. I'll be along. Where?"
    "At his place and right now. I'll take the doll back to her pad." Toni smirked. "A pleasure."
    "Get the hell out of here, you cheap punk," Johnny said quietly and dangerously. "I'll be there, but in my time."
    Toni sneered.
    "Okay, if you want to cut your throat . . . that's fine with me. I'll tell the boss," and he walked out of the restaurant.
    Melanie turned, her eyes wide.
    "What is it, Johnny?"
    He wished he knew. He had never been called to Massino's house before. He felt cold sweat start out on his forehead.
    "Sorry, baby," he said gently. "I have to go. Suppose you finish your dinner, then take a taxi home and wait for me."
    "Oh, no! I . . ."
    He got up and was moving around the table.
    "Do it, baby, to please me," he said, a hard note creeping into his voice.
    There was something now about him that frightened her. He had