At 9:30 on the dot my phone rang. I motioned for the guys to keep it down; when that didn’t work I stepped outside where the sound was kind of muffled.

Sheena called after me. “Where ya goin’, lover?”

“Just gotta take this call. Be back in a second, hot legs.”

“Don’t make me wait, handsome.”

I confirmed it was Matt, my getaway driver. Considering how this date was going, I would not need a bail-out. I gave him the agreed-upon code word.

“It’s all taken care of, Matt.”

The voice on the other end was frantic.

“It’s NOT taken care of Johnny! That girl you’re out with – she’s Iron Tony’s personal property.”

“Don’t worry, Matt. It’s all taken care of.”

“Are you INSANE? This is Iron Tony! I hear he’s livid! The last guy that even looked at his girl funny got to watch his own guts being taken out!”

“Don’t worry, Tony knows about us. He’s cool. We’re at his place right now.”

“Cool! At his place? What’s going on?”

“Sheena just broke up with him.”

“And he’s cool with that?”

“Well, cool-ing. She give him a half-dozen steel jacketed good-bye kisses. Now I gotta go. Sheena promised she’d save Ugly Mike for me, but she’s got an itchy trigger finger.”

Matt was silent for a moment before he spoke. “Uh, okay. Happy Valentine’s Day, Johnny.”

“Yeah, you too.” I closed the phone and stepped back into the massacre.