Burned

5

            Louise showed up at work the next day. Her face was plastered over, stuck in a stony expression. She wore a black dress as if to drive the blade further into Alfie's chest. She didn't ignore him; everything had to do with business though. Her voice was dull and emotionless. She wouldn't show him any weakness.

It crushed Alfie far more than he expected. Once the day finished, he was worn out even though he hadn't gotten much work done. He was too preoccupied with Louise's behavior. He wondered if he could ever make it up to her or ever have her the way he wished he could. Smiling and happy on his arm. Making him seem like a better man than he really was. Heartless. She couldn't love a man who was heartless.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hello?"

"Tommy, it's Alfie." The gangster boss muttered. It was about eight at night and had begun to rain. Alfie didn't want to return home, he was afraid that without any distractions he would drive himself mad.

"Something you need?" The Shelby asked curiously.

"I want you to come pick up the money you gave me, the half of Louise's inheritance."

Tommy went quiet. He knew it had to have something with Alfie murdering Daniel. "You should give it to her if you really don't want it, eh?"

"Doubt she'd take it from me. Fucking hates me guts now, don't she?" Alfie's hand tightened around the receiver of the phone.

"Just add it to her paycheck then." He suggested. "I don't want to take it." The man didn't think it was right to take more money from the woman.

Alfie grunted. "I fucked up, Tom." His voice lost some of its usual sternness.

"I know." He wasn't going to sugar coat it. "Can't take it back now though."

"She'll hate me. Thinks I'm this soulless thing. Fucking evil of the Earth, exactly what everyone else thinks." It was a rare thing for Alfie to let his outer shell crack. But he knew Tommy had been in love and could sympathize even a little bit.

"You could try to right it. Can't buy yourself out of it though like everything else," He warned. "Woman can see right through that, especially women like her."

Alfie rested his elbow on his desk, putting his head in his hand. "She's got my bollocks in a vice, she does. Haven't even told her what I feel for her but she's fucking got me wrapped 'round her pinky like I was nothing but a toy."

Tommy was a little surprised he was being so honest. It showed the most humanity he'd ever seen in Alfie and it made him downright uncomfortable. "Well, you can figure it out, right? You know her better than me."

"Don't know." Alfie lifted his head and scratched the nape of his neck. "Still...you won't take the money?"

"No. You'll find something to do with it if she doesn't accept it."

"Don't want the fucking money."

He wanted her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

That same night, rain spattered against the windowpane. Alfie had finally gone home. He sat in the parlor, trying to read. But he'd been stuck on the same paragraph for a while. His brain couldn't absorb the information so he kept rereading.

A banging on the door interrupted the struggle of his thoughts. Alfie set his book aside and heard Evelyn trotting down the stairs.

"S'alright, Evelyn, I've got it." He didn't want the girl opening the door so late at night. He walked to the door and opened it.