“What do you think it’s about?”

Turning my head, a man dressed in a navy suit stared at the painting with his hands clasped behind his back. He seemed familiar.

“Do I know you?” I asked.

He glanced at me and a chill ran down my spine. His eyes were the color of soot. “I thought you might, but let me reintroduce myself.” He stuck out his hand. “I’m Nigel.”

The last thing I wanted to do was shake his hand. I felt like if I did, I would be making a deal with the devil. Ignoring his gesture, my gaze wandered the room, searching for Andrew.

“Your boyfriend is on the patio,” Nigel said. “He can’t always protect you.”

“What does that mean?”

An ugly smirk stretched his thin lips. “So naïve you are.”

“Whatever.”

I turned to leave, but people on all sides blocked my exit. Shit. I didn’t want to stand next to this creepy guy longer than I had to. Nigel looked as if was enjoying my plight.

He casually sipped his champagne and eyed me over the rim. “Your mother would be disappointed in you, H.”

My body jerked as if an electric wire struck me. Nobody else called me that nickname except my mother. Who was Nigel really? Angered at being cornered, my hand lashed out and aimed for the champagne glass. He grabbed my wrist mid-air, his fingernails digging into my skin.

“How dare you show up here, whoever you are,” I whispered ferociously.

“You really don’t remember me?”

My lips curled. “What can I say? Your face isn’t memorable.”

Instead of showing anger, Nigel broke into a gap-toothed smile and dropped my wrist. It was then the missing puzzle piece snapped into place. Nigel, otherwise known as Gums, used to be Big Ted’s right hand man until he was arrested and sent to prison. I hadn’t seen him in almost ten years. His complexion had hardened, but those cold merciless eyes remained the same.

“I love how feisty you are,” Nigel purred as he leered at me. “And those boobs you have grown into aren’t so bad either.”

Disgust crawled over my skin as I slapped my hands over my chest. “You always have been quite the pervert, Gums.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It wasn’t. Now let me guess why you’re here.”

Nigel reached into his pocket, pulling out a small envelope. “I’m not here to play guessing games with you, sweetheart. What we want is pretty cut and dry.”

Big Ted had the tenacity to stick one of his goons on me after he torched my apartment. He was lucky nobody died or else I wouldn’t be standing here talking calmly to Nigel. Blood would be splattered across Andrew’s painting, ruining his art show.

“Tell Big Ted it was the wrong move to set my apartment on fire.” I looked around and lowered my voice. “He is fucking with the wrong girl.”

Confusion flashed across his face. “What fire?”

“I thought we weren’t playing games.”

Nigel blinked at me as if he had no clue what I was talking about. Was it really a case of bad luck and faulty wiring? Jesus, if so then I needed to break about ten wishbones and hope my luck improved.

Nigel rubbed the back of his neck. “That sucks, girl. My apartment once burned to the ground. Of course it was my own doing, fell asleep smoking a cigarette. Almost didn’t get out alive.”

Getting sympathy from a convicted conman named Gums wasn’t very soothing. I changed the subject. “What’s with the envelope?”

“Oh, right.” He shoved it into my hands. “Big Ted says you have twenty-four hours. You can drop off the money at his house eleven sharp tomorrow morning.”

There was a threat attached to the end of that sentence. Nigel blended into the crowd before I could ask what additional debauchery Big Ted had up his sleeve. My finger ripped open the envelope. Inside was a used heroin needle. My pulsed raced in my ears and the crowd dimmed to a low buzz. The threat became clear—twenty-four hours until Sumiko ended up dead the same way my mother did—by overdose.

My favorite fairy tale as a child was the one about how my mom and dad met. My mom would turn off the lights, sit at the end of my bed and weave a story fraught with romance. Back then her melodic voice was as clear as a bell. I would lay in bed entranced, hanging onto her every word. I can still recount the story verbatim.

It was a scorching August day and my mom was working at the convenience store as a cashier. She was trying to save up enough money to leave Dayton, Ohio for New York. She dreamed of becoming a Rockette even though her mama told her she danced like a donkey. No amount of criticism would stop my mom; she had stars in her eyes. Ringing up an order, the bell tinged over the door. She glanced up and saw a man who looked like he belonged in an old western. Dirt dusted his hair, cowboy boots decorated his feet, and his emerald green eyes twinkled with mischief. My mom knew in that moment she had to have him. Call lust, call it love, whatever it was knocked her sideways. The cowboy perused the aisles, settling on a Twinkie and a packet of corn nuggets. He dumped his haul on the counter.

“Hot day out there, huh?” he drawled.

“Yeah, it’s suppose to reach hundred degrees today.”

“Your the only woman I have met who makes the heat look good.”

My mom laughed as she rang up his order. “Is that so?”

The cowboy watched a bead of sweat travel from the hollow of her throat to the v of her cleavage. Aware of his interest, she caught his eye and blushed.

“That will be three dollars and five cents,” my mom said.

He slid the money across the counter and winked. “Keep the change.”

Before, my mom had a chance to utter another word; he strolled out of the convenience store. Dejected, she glanced down and saw his number written on the five-dollar bill.

The ending was the part I hated because that was when my mom reminded me of how nine months later I was born and her dream had died. Of course if my dad had worn a condom and they didn’t act like horny teenagers, an unwanted pregnancy could have been avoided. As far as fairy tales went, my mom’s was short-lived with the moral of the story being the definition of Sex Education 101. Nonetheless, it was the only shred of evidence I had my dad existed. Throughout my life, I always wondered if my other family was somewhere out there looking for me. If they were caring, salt of the earth folk who had Sunday dinners of fried chicken and mashed potatoes. If so, would they welcome me with open arms and fold me into their daily routine? Leaving behind a city filled with my mother’s mistakes for the wide-open air of the country.

I threw the envelope into the trashcan and stepped outside. Sitting on the curb, I felt overwhelmed by my sister’s fate resting on my shoulders, angry with my mother for leaving this mess for me to deal with, and furious for letting it overshadow Andrew’s big night. For once, I wished the curveballs would stop getting hurled at me. My elbows rested on my knees, then switched to a more lady like position. Otherwise, the cars driving past would get a view reserved for Andrew. I needed five minutes to gather my thoughts before I ventured back into the party. A light rain drizzled on my bare shoulders.

“Hey, what are you doing outside?” Andrew opened an umbrella over our heads and stretched his legs out next to mine. “I have been looking for you.”

“Sorry I….” My sentence broke off as my mind whirled.

He peered closer at my face and whatever he saw sparked concern. “Are you ok? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Do ghosts have criminal records and nicknames like Gums, because if so then yes I did.”

“Explain.”

I rubbed the chill from my arms, which prompted Andrew to drape his jacket around my body. Curling tight into the warmth, my mouth opened and the story spilled forth. “Big Ted’s goon paid me a visit tonight. He brought an envelope that contained an used heroin needle and the message I had twenty-four hours left to pay.”