Breathing fire

Chapter twelve

The night approached.She waltzed through the streets like a ghost.She got out of the factory.All workers had left at this time.Ruth worked till late and was now back on her way to home

When she reached home,she could see Alfred standing at the doorstep.Ruth parked the car getting out of it with a smile to see him again but when she got close,she saw the look of worry on his face

Her smile dropped from her face when she approached him

"Alfred?What is it?"

"Mr Shelby is on the phone,it seems urgent"he said.Ruth looked confused,she nodded and got inside the house.She heard her phone ringing loudly in her office inside

She picked up the phone immediately

"Ruth"his voice sounded urgent,panicked

"Tommy?"

"Close all your doors,all the windows and stay inside Ruth"

"Tommy what's going on?"she started to get worried.Tommy stopped abruptly.She didn't know

"You didn't check your post?"he said on the other line.

"No why?"she held the phone with the support of her shoulder and picked up the bundle of envelopes on her table.

She ruffled through the them but she stopped when she saw a particular one.Italian stamp.

She opened it immediately,seeing a white coloured card in it.She opened it stopping immediately

Ruth's face went white as a ghost,her throat drying up,air being forced out of her lungs immediately.

"You have it too?"he said,his heart dropping in his chest.He couldn't let this happen.

"Ill meet you soon amore mio.For old times sakes

Luca changretta and family"she read the card.It dropped from her hands

Tommy could heard her mumbled 'no' again and again.Tommy suddenly remembered something.When he talked about johns death he mentioned the Italian mafia

He remembered the look on her face when he said Luca's name.Realisation hit him all together

"I asked you that day,how you knew him.You didn't tell Ruth.How do you know him?"

Ruth's legs were giving up on her.She sat down on the chair and closed her eyes.She stayed silent for a while and Tommy sat down waiting for her to speak

"We were in love"

..••..America 1925..••..

The Grand Opera House

She walked out of the car,her driver holding the door for her.People staring at her,men with admiration and women staring at her with jealousy lingering in their eyes

Why wouldn't they be?

Everyone knew about her

She was the one woman who had everything but little did they know

Ruth as always walked past those looks.She wore an elegant gown,white and long,a cut in the middle of it with puffy sleeves and a deep neckline.Her hair were down and she allowed them to take shape as they wanted

Her heels clicked against the marble floor of the beautiful and grand lobby.A big chandelier hanging on top with all kinds of rich men and women waltzing around.