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CHANCE THOUGHT SHE heard the splash of Franko being tossed off the wharf. It was unlikely, but the thought of it made her sick to her stomach.
Thomas looked at Carlos. “Do you mind if I have a quiet word to my friends here?” he asked.
Carlos shook his head and left the room.
Tony cocked his head. “Still respectful to a fault,” he said.
“Can’t get respect unless you earn it,” Thomas told him. “You can get fear and demand obedience but respect is something you got to earn no matter who you are. Something you folk still need to learn.”
“Did I hear you correctly?” Chance asked. “Your people keep The Folk away from here after dark?”
“That’s a bit of a stretch of the truth,” Thomas smiled. “The Folk don’t come here after dark because they got other things on their minds somewhere else. Besides, we’re buying the companies that’s making the ships here.”
“You’re involved in the war?”
Thomas smiled and shook his head. “What’s that war to do with us? White folk killing white folk over territory that’s going to belong to black folk. It’s why you pink-arses got that land, we couldn’t stop fighting among ourselves. We did the pink-arses job for them by killing each other. We should almost be grateful. It taught us a hard lesson about keeping together. You could say your invaders brought us together. Maybe when they’re finished their killing, and we take back the land that was taken from us, you might see the value in pulling together for yourselves. Then maybe we might both be ready for the next lesson, the real lesson.”
“And what lesson is that?” Chance asked.
Thomas struck the back of his hand. “Skin don’t matter,” he said. “It won’t be while we’re living. It won’t be while our children are living. There’s too much hating on each other for that. But maybe their children will see how fucking stupid we are, or maybe their children instead.”
“We can only hope,” Chance said.
Thomas shook his head. “Don’t hope, speak. Have it in your gut. Don’t go along with the hate and stop caring about what kind of skin covers a man or woman; start caring about what kind of man or woman that skin covers.”
“You don’t need to preach to Chance,” Tony said.
Chance put her hand on Tony’s arm. “It’s alright. He can say that,” she said.
“Damn right I can. I had friends hanged by your pink-arsed Folk. I decided then I’m not going to be no victim. They went quiet. I won’t, and I never will.”
“You’re very quiet with the casino.”
“You reckon? Carlos, Andy, most of the others. They know the colour of the hand that feeds them, and they’re alright with that. They’re quiet because I tell them to. The day’s coming when there’s going to be an awful noise, and it’s The Folk who’ll be swing from ropes on gallows, not trees, and it’ll be legal.”
“I hope to see that,” Chance said.
“I hope you don’t,” Thomas said.
“Why?”
“Because that day won’t be safe for any pink-arse. Not at first. Lay low, come out late. That’s what I want to talk to you about.”
“What?” Tony asked.
“Come back to the casino. Work for me again.”
“No,” Tony said.
“Why not?”
“You know why.”
Thomas took a deep breath. “That was Carlos’s call, but I’m the one who agreed. If it wasn’t Carolos who done it, someone else would. He killed himself. He just used us to do it.”
Chance saw a tear in Tony’s eye. This was the thing she wasn’t to ask about, the thing she now knew too much about.
“You got someone else to look after,” Thomas said. “Someone as much a pain in the arse?”
“More so,” Tony said. “More to me than anyone has ever been.”
“I got a job for her too. Something that’ll keep you both safe.”
Tony looked at Chance.
Chance looked at Tony, then to Thomas. “Thank-you,” she said. “But if Tony says no, then I’ll say no too.”
“Don’t decide right now,” Thomas said. “Give me a couple of days to clean everything up, then see Carlos with your answer. If you decide to hop a ship to the islands, at least send the casino a postcard when you get there.”