City on Fire (Danny Ryan, #1)(16)

Danny nudges Terri. “Let’s go down the beach.”

Trying to look inconspicuous but feeling self-conscious, Danny gets up and he and Terri sneak down the beach until the fog hides them. He pulls her down and unsnaps her jeans.

“Twice in one day?” Terri asks. “Some kind of record.”

“The baby ain’t gonna make itself.”

He doesn’t last long, and what with all the sun all day and the sex and the booze, they fall asleep.



She was fourteen years old.

Cassie was in bed reading a book, having fled from her parents’ party downstairs, when “Uncle Pasco” opened the door and slipped into her room.

“I came upstairs to use the bathroom,” he said, “and I saw your light on.”

“I was tired of the party.”

“I don’t blame you,” Pasco said. “A bunch of old farts. Nothing to interest a pretty girl like you. You are a pretty girl, you know that, don’t you?”

“I don’t know,” she said, suddenly feeling sick to her stomach.

“Yes, you do,” Pasco said. “You know you’re pretty and you know how to use it. I’ve watched you.”

He shut the door behind him.

Cassie can still smell him. Fifteen years later, sitting on the beach by the embers of the fire, her arms wrapped around herself, she can still smell Pasco’s cologne, the cigar smoke on his clothes, the red wine on his breath as he moved toward her on the bed, leaned over, took her chin in his hand, tilted her face up and kissed her. She can still feel his tongue swirl in her mouth, the spit from his mouth seep into hers.

“Don’t,” she said. “Please.”

He answered by running his hand up the inside of her blouse.

“Nice,” he said.

“No,” she said. “I don’t want this.”

“Yes, you do. You just don’t know you do.”

“Please, Uncle Pasco.”

His hands reached under her jeans.

“I’ll tell,” she said.

“No one will believe you,” Pasco said. “And if they did, what will they do? Do you know who I am? Do you know what would happen to your father, your brothers, if they came after me? You know what would happen, because you’re a smart girl.”

She knew.

Fourteen years old, she was wise to the ways of their world. She knew who her father was, who Pasco Ferri was, what would happen. So when he pulled her jeans down and then climbed on top of her she stayed silent.

Stays silent still.

It wasn’t long after that she started to steal sips from the bottles her parents kept in the bar. Or found guys to buy for her. Then it was grass, then it was heroin, because heroin gave her distance from that night, made it seem like just a bad dream.

When her mother asked her why, and her father screamed at her and called her a junkie and a disgrace, she held her tongue and never told because she was afraid that they wouldn’t believe her and more afraid that they would.

She never wanted to be touched by a man again.

And never has.



Danny’s out cold when he hears the shouting down the beach.

Pam’s voice, not so deep but still throaty.

“He grabbed me!”

Danny looks up and sees her, pretty drunk, staggering in the deep sand, coming toward him, walking back toward the fire that’s dim now. He zips his fly, gets up and, still groggy, asks, “What’s the matter? What’s going on?!”

It’s like a weird, bad dream.

“He grabbed me! That son of a bitch grabbed my boob!”

Now Danny sees Liam walking up behind her, this stupid grin on his face, his hands spread in mock innocence. “It was an accident. A misunderstanding.”

“Shit, Liam.” Terri’s on her feet now. She wraps Pam in her arms and Pam starts crying. “It’s all right. It’s all right.”

Terri looks at Danny, like Aren’t you going to do something? Then Danny hears people running toward them and then Paulie and Peter, Pat and Sal Antonucci, and Tony come running out of the fog.

Danny grabs Liam by the elbow. “Come on. Get out of here.”

Liam jerks his arm away. “It’s no big deal. I just brushed against her tit is all. Misunderstanding.”

“We need to get you out of here.”

“Where were you?” Paulie asks Pam. “I been looking all over!”

“I went for a walk,” she says. “To clear my head. That son of a bitch must have followed me!”

She points at Liam.

“Did he hurt you?” Paulie asks.

“He grabbed my breast.”

“The fuck, Liam!” Peter yells.

Sal starts to move in. That’s Sal, Danny thinks, he takes care of things for the Morettis. Pat steps between them. “Take it easy.”

“A mistake.” Liam smirks. “I was trying to find my way in the fog, I reached out and . . . tit. Oops.”

“Shut your stupid mouth,” Pat snaps.

Danny grabs Liam, holds him tight this time and pulls him away because Paulie is going apeshit.

“I’ll kick your fucking ass!” Paulie yells. “I’ll fucking kill you, you motherfucker!”

Liam yells, “You’ll try, asshole!”