Tony was at one of his warehouses.  The one on the upper east side in East Harlem, not too far from his own home.  There was a new customer and Tony always liked to meet the people he was dealing with and see that the place was legitimate.  The club called the Rose Noir also had a bakery that acted as the legitimate front for the club.  The truck was loaded for the delivery but Tony had an odd feeling about going there.<br/><br/><br/>Picking up the phone he called the police station to talk to the chief.  After some small talk, he asked the coded question to see if there were any raids planned for the day and got the response that he was hoping for, that he was clear to make a run.  With it being his first delivery, there was a lot of stocking to do and he didn't want to get arrested with the quantities he had in the back of the truck.<br/><br/><br/>The feeling he had didn't leave him.  As he closed the door to the truck and started the big engine, he had to laugh that maybe it had something to do with all that black magic they have down in the bayou.  The trip didn't take too long and he pulled up to the door in the alley that gave access to both the bakery for the flour, salt, sugar and other spices he had imported from around the world.  It also gave him access to the club where he had exotic liquors and a couple barrels of beer.<br/><br/><br/>The door was open but had a screen to let the heat out of the kitchen and keep the flies out at the same time.  He stepped inside and heard some music to his left and that was the direction he headed.  The lights were up so he could see the layout of the club with a large band stand front and center and tables defining the dance floor.  A couple bars were set up for both walk up customers and for the wait staff to order drinks for the tables they took care of.<br/><br/><br/>The place was nice and he thought that he should maybe come back during business hours to see what it was like with the lights down low and the band stand full of instruments filling the night with the energy that drove the crowds to drink and dance.  He started walking to the band to ask about the manager.  That feeling from earlier had left him as he set his mind on work but then a woman that was sitting and listening to the music saw the musician turn to look at him, the woman followed his eyes and focused them on Tony.<br/><br/><br/>When her green eyes pierced his soul, it was like a bolt of lightning and the feeling he had of uneasiness earlier was amplified.  The man with the instrument had to ask him twice if he could help Tony before he came out of his trance and refocused on business.  Pushing the thoughts of the woman to the back of his mind, he was led to and introduced to the owner.<br/><br/>The bakery items came off first and Tony made sure to let the owner know that even though he made most of his income from booze, that the other products were also top shelf.  The vanilla was imported from Madagascar the cinnamon was from a small region in China.  Many ships came into the ports of New York and Tony made it his business to find the best products at the best prices.<br/><br/>That included booze.  He knew all the captains and was a buyer of large quantities.  The ship owners wanted their ships making run after run and not just anchored off shore so Tony was able to make good deals and move large quantities.  There wasn’t much help around the club at this time of day so Tony had to take off his shirt and start hauling the barrels, and cases in by himself.  He made a lot of money but wasn’t one that was afraid to get his hands dirty and do the work that needed to be done.<br/><br/>When everything was unloaded, they opened a few bottles and tapped the beer so they would be ready for later but also so the owner could sample the merchandise.  The smile on his face let Tony know that he was pleased with the quality of the products.  Most rum runners just bought and sold what was on the label.  Tony could talk for hours about the different types of booze and the quality.<br/><br/>The next hour was spent talking to the owner about the three different types of rum that he’d brought and some cocktails that could be made with each.  The owner took notes and when there was a pause to let him write, Tony’s eyes would glance to the band stand and the lovely lady with the enchanting eyes.<br/><br/>As he pocketed the cash and shook the man’s hand, Tony mentioned that he may stop by later to hear the band and try some of the drinks that the owner promised to put on the menu.  They both seemed pleased and there was hope in Tony’s mind that he might run into that bolt of lightning later that night at the club.<br/><br/>For now, it was back to the docks to close the books for the day and start his runs out to sea for the night.<br/><br/><br/><br/><div class="bbCodeSpoiler">
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