The sputtered sounds that left the clouded leopard echoed off the dank alley walls. The growl that rumbled out of her assailant as he squeezed the dancer’s windpipe shut barely reached her ears. With another feeble gasp she felt her vision going fuzzy, the last thing she saw before the darkness engulfed her was the wicked sneer of the brute as he gave her a violent shake.
“Look darlin’ if I tell you a duck can pull a truck then shut up, and hook the sucker up!” Daric grouched as he threw his worn hat on the ground in frustration. “Dee you know I don’t understand your…charming little southern colloquialisms so please, in plain English: Why can’t I go down to the pawn shop off 3rd street?” Jezebel fussed with the slightly crooked bun on the top of her head as she waited none too patiently for the answer. “Beverly, now trust me, I know what I’m talkin’ ‘bout. That place ain’t fit fer a lady of yer caliber.” Daric went back to unloading the newest shipment of booze and Jez inched towards the door. “Yes, well I so appreciate your concern Dee but I really need to find some new jewelry and Evelyn said they’ve got some quality pieces.” She continued to shuffle towards the exit, hoping the equine wouldn’t notice. He let out a long sigh before pausing in his work to adjust the grip he had on the wooden crate. “Look, hows about I escort you to the shop after I finish up here?” He glanced over his shoulder at the nonplussed look Beverly shot him. “I guess so,” She caved after a long pause, “Thanks a bunch Dee, you’re a swell guy.” She blew a kiss in his direction before walking back inside the grand hall of the Spiked Tiger. Beverly stopped to look one last time at the bouncer before making a beeline for the main entrance. There was no reason for the Appaloosa to accompany her to the pawn shop, after all there was no way he could find out exactly what her visit was for. She stuck her manicured hand into her beaded purse and palmed one of the smooth gems at the bottom of the bag. With another glance around the room to make sure no one was watching her she sntched up her Claudia cloche hat, pulling it over her honey brown locks, before barging through the door into the chilly afternoon air. She hailed a buggy and muttered the address to the driver who shot her an incredulous look before shrugging and pulling away from the curb. The ride across town only took about 20 minutes in the late afternoon traffic. Beverly exited the car after handing a handful of bills to the driver. She flipped up the collar of her long coat as she weaved around sketchy characters and loitering thugs, making sure to avoid eye contact. Beverly started to wish she had heeded Dee’s warning as she passed a leering doberman who whistled at her. Lucky for her it wasn’t long before she reached the pawn shop. The bell above the door jingled a welcome as she entered signaling a stout warthog to emerge from the backroom. He was dressed sharply in well fitted pants with suspenders stretched over a pale blue striped button up shirt that strained against his round belly. He gave the leopard a warm smile as she approached the counter, her nerves settling slightly at the kind face of the store owner. “Welcome to Paulie’s Pawn Shop! I’m Paulie, how might I help you today ma’am? Buying or selling?” He removed the monocle from his left eye and cleaned the lense before replacing it. “Selling.” Beverly replied with a small smile of her own. She placed her purse on the counter before turning it over, the contents spilling out before them. The warthog let out a soft snort of surprise at the handful of precious gems that lay before him. He shot the leopard a look of suspicion as he reached under the counter for the loupe. Paulie examined the jewels one after the other, his greed become more and more apparent with each jewel he inspected. Once he had finished he looked up at Beverly once more. “Might I ask where you obtained such fine specimens?” Paulie asked looking her up and down. “No, you may not,” Beverly gave him a coy smile and batted her eyelashes. She placed a hand on the counter and leaned forward, pleased when she noticed Paulie subconsciously do the same. “So how much do you think I could get for them?” “Well these are very high quality pieces, I’ll be honest, you’ll probably get much more for them if you went to a proper jeweler.” The suspicion in Paulie’s voice and demeanor grew every second as he continued to examine the leopard in front of him. 'Just my luck, I went to the one honest pawnbroker in the city of New York'. Beverly looked off to the side as she considered her options. She really didn’t need anyone digging into where she acquired the gems but she also didn’t want to keep them on her person for any longer than absolutely necessary. The sooner she could dump the off on someone the better. Bev reached for the stones but before she could grab them the warthog snatched them back up. “Now, now I didn’t say I wouldn’t buy them, I just wanted to make sure you knew you had options.” He smiled at her, his tusks giving it a sinister twist. "Well I just need to get rid of them." Beverly offered honestly. Paulie nodded and he told her to wait while he appraised them. The leopard took the time to glance around the store, admiring some of the jewelry that was on display. She briefly thought about buying a rather gaudy fringe necklace imagining everyone’s surprise when she strutted around stage in only that and a pair of heels. She was chuckling to herself when Paulie returned with a slip of paper in his hands. Beverly accepted the offered paper and her eyes widened when she read the amount on the check. "Is that acceptable?" Paulie asked as he slipped his thumbs under his suspenders, though he already knew the answer to the question. "I’ll say." Beverly stuffed the check into her purse and turned to leave. As she exited the shop she glanced around, a bit more paranoid now that she had a fat check in her purse. She hustled to the end of the block, her ears twitching when she heard the faint noise of footsteps quickly approaching. She only had time to let out a squeal as she was grabbed and dragged into a dirty alleyway.
When Beverly came too she was draped across a rather plush lounge chaise. She groaned as she glanced around the lavishly decorated-and very unfamiliar- room. Her hand flew up to her sore throat and she rubbed the place where her attacker’s hand had been. Beverly sat up slowly rolling her stiff shoulders, she shot up when one of the double doors to the room opened up to reveal a familiar face. “Ike?!” “Thank god, Bev I thought you’d never wake up.” He rushed over and captured her in a tight hug, burying his face into her bruised neck. “What happened? Where am I? I’m just all balled up.” She pulled back and looked into his deep blue eyes, worry clouding them before a flash of anger lit them up. “You’re damn lucky Dee noticed you left without him and I went after you! What were you thinking?! A ritzy broad like you wandering around the wrong side of town, hell even I don’t go there alone. What were you thinking?! That oaf could have killed you!” Ike resisted the urge to shake his friend as she avoided his heated gaze, a sheepish look on her face. “Pipe down! It’s not like I was trying to get into trouble.” Beverly muttered, fighting back tears. “Yeah well trouble has a funny way of seekin’ you out.” He growled, pulling Beverly in for another hug. Beverly missed the fear flash in his eyes as he thought about the close call. “You’re telling me,” She sighed before glancing around the room, trying to locate her personal effects. “Did that thug get my purse?” “No he didn’t, meno male*.” He walked over to the lowboy that was in the corner of the room and grabbed the small purse that was set on top of it. He handed it over to Beverly who opened it to see if the check was still there. She huffed a sigh of relief when she saw it was. “I sure hope it was worth it Bevs.” Ike grumbled, earning him a pointed glare from the leopard. “Oh, stuff it.” Beverly hissed at him as he nudged her in the direction of the door.
The two of them exited the room and Beverly paused to admire the grandiose foyer, Ike had to drag her out and into the waiting car. As the drove away from the magnificent mansion Beverly turned in her seat to gawk. “Say Ike, whose house did you say that was?” She asked realizing he never answered her earlier inquiry. “A friend’s. Don’t worry about it.” He turned her around to face forward as he gave the driver directions to his apartment complex. Beverly wanted to press him about it but decided against it, she was already in hot water and would get an earful from Dee and probably Evelyn once she returned to work tomorrow. She absentmindedly rubbed at her contused neck as she thought about the close call. ------------------------ Something tells me this isn't the end of Beverly's 'close calls'. She sure is lucky that Ike showed up, though I wonder who's house that was. Must be some friend to let a perfect stranger recover in his (or her) abode. *: Thank, goodness