And on that Dark Summer Evening

By: Riley Buckingham

The room went quiet when Walker entered. “Take the back door,” his partner Robert had said. “Don’t gather attention.” Naturally, Walker didn’t listen. 

The problem was Walker was addicted to attention. He quickly sneaked through the front door and found himself in the speakeasy. 

He watched Robert’s eyes go big in the corner. Robert sat his glass on a table and quickly walked up to Walker.

“Why did you come in the front?” Robert whispered. “I told you to not gather attention.”

“Relax,” Walker replied. “It’s not like anyone saw me.” 

“What the hell are you doing here?”

Walker smirked at Robert before turning around. “Ah, Alex,” he said. “I must say, I’m surprised you made the guest list.” 

“You what?” Alex spat through gritted teeth. 

Walker glanced around, noticing every pair of eyes in the crowd glued to him. “Take my coat for me, will you?” he said, slipping the long red garment off and tossing it towards Alex.

“You’re insufferable,” Alex shouted as he tossed the coat to the ground.

“No, darling,” Walker said, rolling up the sleeves of his white button up, which sat above a black turtleneck vest. “I’m unpredictable.” He winked and wandered off.

Walker had asked months ago to join Alex’s operation- an underground speakeasy. It would have brought in lots of money. But Alex told Walker no, calling him “unpredictable”.

Then Walker decided to be a thorn in Alex’s side. And unfortunately for Alex, that involved crashing his grand opening.

Walker had to admit that the venue was spectacular. Loud swinging music, glittering dresses and suits, the clink sound of glass on glass, the bubbling laughter that filled the air. People crowded around the bar, shouting for a drink. 

Walker began to promenade, moving slowly between people in the crowd. He was sure Alex and Robert were on the hunt for him, spread out around the room. Walker grinned at those who glanced his way, enjoying their occasional stares.

They all knew he wasn’t supposed to be there. They knew the issues and arguments between Walker and Alex. Word spread fast on the streets of Virginia.

Walker spotted someone in the corner: a man by the name of Charlie, one of the men who followed Alex around like a lost dog. He wore large glasses, his normally small eyes magnified by the lenses. 

Fortunately for Walker, Charlie was a man who would give people the information they wanted, for a price. And it was a price Walker was willing to pay.

“Evening, Charlie,” Walker said.

“Walker,” Charlie responded. He stood mostly still. The only movement was his fingers tapping against his leg. “Surprised to see you here.”

Walker laughed. “I think most people are.” He slipped a wad of cash into Charlie’s hand. “Do you have any information for me?”

Charlie looked around, his fingers going still. Seeing no one, his voice dropped to a whisper. “Alex has a new member. Came in a few days ago.”

“Who is it?” Walker asked. “Who does he have?” 

Charlie looked up with pity in his eyes. “He has Anna Margaret.”

The name chilled Walker. Everyone who was anyone knew of Ann. She had already been arrested a few times. On top of being the best rum runner in the state, she was completely anonymous. No one knew who she was except those who worked closely with her.

“What’s Alex’s purpose with her?” 

Charlie scoffed. “What do you think? She gets him the drinks to keep this place running, and he gets to keep his hands clean. She’s willing to kill anyone who gets in their way. Alex isn’t.”

Walker knew where Charlie was going. “You’re saying Alex is going to get Anna to kill me tonight?”

Charlie shrugged. “I’m not sure about tonight, but she will eventually. Watch your back.” And with that, Charlie walked off. 

The music began to crescendo and people flocked to the dance floor. Walker put his hand in his pocket, finding the shape of a cigarette box. He slipped from the crowd and out the front doors.

The alley was dark and damp, puddles lining the ground. It was bathed in a slight orange light as Walker lit his cigarette. Music and muffled conversation drifted out the door, traveling down the empty alley in an echo. 

“Lovely evening, isn’t it?” asked an unrecognizable voice. 

“Indeed it is,” Walker said. And he made the mistake of turning around. 

He was pushed against the alley wall, his cigarette falling to the ground. The faint speakeasy lights shone from behind the human, making them a dark shadow of a silhouette. One arm was held across Walker’s chest, preventing him from moving. A knee was pushed into his stomach. He felt the cool barrel of a gun pressed on his temple. 

“What the-” Walker coughed out. He tried to move, but he was held firmly in place. “Who are you?”

The speakeasy doors opened slowly and Charlie stepped out. “Walker, meet Anna Margaret.” Charlie laughed. “Good luck.” He walked back inside and closed the door. Apparently Walker didn’t pay him enough.

Walker jerked his shoulder in another feeble attempt to free himself. It didn’t work. He sighed and leaned his head back against the column. 

“I’ve gotten a lot stronger since we last met,” Anna said.

“I’ve met many people, darling. You’re going to need to be specific,” Walker commented back, doing everything he could to make his tone seem bored. 

Walker sensed movement and looked down, finding Anna’s hand reaching into his pocket, pulling out his cigarette lighter. She held it between the two of them and flicked it open.

Oh no.

“Is this specific enough?” Anna asked, her tone short. 

Walker recognized her . It was more than recognition, though. Walker knew her. 

“Nice to see you again, Ruth,” Walker said. “Or do you go by Anna now?” It took everything in Walker to keep his voice steady. He knew what this woman was capable of. He had never been at the receiving end of her wrath, and he didn’t want to break his streak then. 

Anna laughed. She had, months ago, been a member of Wilbur’s gang. They were small at the time- prohibition had just begun. She had a flair for the extreme, and Walker wouldn’t stand for it. He kicked her out, told her to move away. And he thought she did. But now she was back. 

“Came to kill me once and for all?” Walker asked.

Anna laughed. “Alex doesn’t want me to kill you today.” She flicked the lighter closed and slipped it back into Walker’s pocket. “He wants this to be a nice opening party, one where no one dies. But he hired me to do one thing, and that was to get rid of you.”

“So you’re going to murder me in the speakeasy alley and slip into the night,” Walker says, “never to be seen again.”

“That’s the plan,” Anna said. Walker felt the gun press harder into his head. Before Anna could shoot him, Walker pushed away from the column with all his weight. He grabbed Anna’s shoulders, spinning the two of them around. Anna was then trapped. 

“You were saying?” Walker laughed.

“Get off me,” Anna mumbled, trying to break free.

“You see darling, I would, except then you’ll try to kill me.” 

Anna’s face softened and her red lips smiled. “What if I promise not to?”

“What if I told you I don’t trust you for anything?” Walker said in the same sing-song voice.

Anna rolled her eyes. “I feel the same way about you.”

“Glad we can agree on something.” 

Before Walker could stop her, Anna pushed him away, and he fell face first to the ground. Walker felt Anna plant her knee in his back, holding his arms in place. He assumed the other was holding the gun above his head.

“It was a lovely reunion, Anna,” Walker mumbled into the ground. “I hope you enjoy the rest of your life.” 

“I will once you’re gone from it.”

Walker closed his eyes. But the pain never came. He didn’t feel the bullet hit his head. Instead, he felt the pressure of a leg removed from his back. 

“What the hell, Alex?” Walker heard Anna shout. He slowly stood up. He found the gun on the ground, feet away. Alex stood between Walker and Anna. 

“I told you,” Alex said slowly, “to keep him alive tonight.” 

“And I told you I didn’t want to,” Anna shot back. “I came here to kill him myself. If you wanted him dead, you could have killed him already. But you haven’t. So now he gets to die on my terms.”

Alex threw his hands in the air. “Then by all means, do it on your own terms! Just don’t do it at the entrance of my speakeasy!” 

“Then give me the gun and I’ll kill him behind the speakeasy.” 

“You’re not killing him tonight,” Alex said firmly. “Go back to the party, or go home.” 

“Since when do you tell me what to do?”

“Since I’m the one who hired you. I can fire you just as quick,” Alex shouted. “And if memory serves me correct, you don’t have any other places to go.”

Anna seemed to weigh her options. She realized she wouldn’t get what she wanted. She brushed off her dress and walked out of the alley. Alex watched her until she melted into the darkness, then turned his attention to Walker. 

Walker quickly put on a smirk, the one Alex could never stand. “My knight in shining armor,” he swooned, placing the back of his hand on his forehead. 

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Alex grumbled, bending down to pick up the gun. “Follow me.”

The pair entered the speakeasy together. Alex placed the gun on a passing drink tray as they cut through the crowd. Walker was led to a twisting staircase tucked away in a back corner. 

Walker followed Alex up the stairs. Once they reached the top, they found a small landing overlooking the room below. A set of double doors were closed across the landing. Alex pulled a gold string out from under his shirt. He leaned down to unlock the doors using a key that hung from the necklace. 

The doors opened to a small office, one that clearly wasn’t used often. It had a desk and two chairs, with a few half-empty bookshelves pushed up against the wall. Alex flipped a light on, and the room brightened up.

“Sit down,” Alex said, pointing to a chair by the desk. Walker did, kicking his legs up on the desk. Alex glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes, but didn’t say anything. “Do you have any cigarettes?”

Walker laughed. “I thought you would never ask.” He took the box and lighter out of his pocket and tossed them onto the desk. Alex sat down in the other chair, grabbing the two items. He tossed a cigarette to Wilbur and lit his own. 

“You need to stop,” Alex said suddenly.

Walker blew smoke into his face. “Be more specific, darling,” he mumbled. “I practice many bad habits.”

“You need to stop interfering with others' business.”

Walker leaned forward on the desk. “I’ll stop when you give me a cut of your operation. We could be good partners, you and I. You’re just too much of a coward to agree with me.” 

Alex slammed his hand on the desk. “I’m not a coward. I just know you’ll want to take me down from the inside.” 

“Then let me start small,” Walker suggested. “I’ll prove myself, and you’ll come to see how beneficial I am.” 

Alex seemed indecisive. “She’ll be back,” Walker continued. “She’ll be back, and she’ll come to kill us both. Neither of us can face Anna Margaret on our own. But together- together we’d stand a chance.”

Alex sighed. “You’re never going to let this go, will you?”

Walker smirked. “I will. But only if you agree.” 

Alex laughed. He put his cigarette in his mouth and stood up, extending his hand. Walker stood and grabbed it. 

And on that dark summer evening, Walker and Alex shook hands.