Now came the hardest part—bringing the wine to the men herself. She could not just show up and offer them a drink. They would smell a setup immediately and kill her on the spot.
She needed a story they would believe. Something that would explain why the victim had come to them with alcohol in hand.
Leah put on the most revealing outfit she owned. A short skirt. A fitted top. Heavy makeup. Then she picked up the bag with the three bottles and walked to the garages.
At around five o’clock she stopped in front of the right unit. Inside she could hear rough voices, drunken laughter, and the static hum of an old radio.
She took one deep breath of the freezing air and knocked hard on the metal door. The voices inside went quiet at once.
“Who is it?” Gene called out, suspicious and sharp.
“It’s Leah. You remember me?” she answered in a soft, careful voice.
There was a pause. Then came the scrape of a bolt being pulled back, and the door opened a crack.
Gene stood in the doorway, filling most of it with his body. Behind him were the other three, each holding a bottle of cheap beer, all staring at her in surprise.
“What do you want?” he asked, though there was already a greasy kind of interest in his voice.
Leah forced down the nausea rising in her throat and made herself smile.
“I came to say I was wrong about the way I acted that night. I shouldn’t have fought you. I’ve had time to think, and I know I handled it badly.”
Then she pulled the bottles from her bag.
“I brought wine. Sweet and strong. Thought maybe we could all have a drink and put it behind us.”
The four men exchanged looks. The visit was so unexpected that for a moment none of them knew what to say.
Victor broke the silence first, laughing loud and ugly. “Well, I’ll be damned. She came to us with booze.”
“Maybe she finally got smart,” Alex said.
He took one of the bottles and held it up to the light. “This isn’t poisoned, is it?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.
Leah gave a light shrug. “I’ll drink first if you’re worried.”
Gene thought it over for a few long seconds, then smirked. “If you came to make peace, come on in.”
They pulled her inside the dim garage…
