6. Chapter Six #2
I offered a quick grin to show no hard feelings. “Where’d you hear it?”
“It was a joke. My mom told me the story when I was in high school. Her oldest sister allegedly dated Ramon Blanco when she worked at a restaurant on The Hill. She said the guy had moves. He had, like, a jillion kids by a bunch of different women. I figured there must be something to the story.”
“He get her pregnant?”
Eve shook her head. “That’s just part of the St. Louis folklore when people try to claim they have a gangland past. Some people believe there are five families in St. Louis, just like there are supposed to be in New York.
Come on. You don’t believe that shit. I did it as a joke, Justin.
Hell, I thought Kirk was interested in you, and if he learned of your pure nature, he’d jump at the chance to deflower you.
Honey, I think you’re making it so much bigger than it has to be. ”
Hell, I wasn’t happy to hear that. I mean, I thought maybe Kirk was interested in me until I found out about his boyfriend. It didn’t sound as if Eve knew about their relationship, and it certainly wasn’t my story to tell, so I kept my mouth shut.
I had enough to worry about with a possible demon possessing me. Or the fact that I’d had a mental breakdown. Neither option was good for me.
Come on, Kid. You can take a couple of days off and go to Dirty Lou. It’s not like you’re gettin’ any action here in town. I know some guys I’ve wondered about. I’ll dangle you in front of them and get my confirmation.
I wanted to gouge out my gray matter with a rusty ice pick. Since that fever dream I’d had the previous day, I’d stayed up all night doing research, and unfortunately, I was learning enough to tell me something more had happened back in 1996.
Never had I researched, read, watched a documentary, or even been curious about the gangs of St. Louis. I didn’t even think there were any.
St. Louis was the Gateway to the West, for crap’s sake.
I had no idea the Eastern side of the state had such a checkered past with rumrunning, robbery, murder, extortion, and union busting.
The old-school shit the Egan Rats did was straight out of Mafia history—except for the members of Irish and Italian heritage.
That was a new chapter of St. Louis history.
According to my research, labor unions were still tagged with a lot of corruption, though general contractors, garbage disposal companies, and politicians still had a presence on the corruption scene with lots of pending lawsuits and few details regarding the outcomes.
There was a booming maritime business in St. Louis, what with the Mississippi River still being a huge thoroughfare for barge traffic all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Where New Orleans thrived. Where all my troubles began.
“I can’t take time away from work. I’ve found out a lot of shit by doing research.
You died in 1996, but technology has made a lot of advances since then, and I’ve found four of your five daughters.
Your youngest is thirty. She might have married and/or changed her name.
Your three sons are my next searches, though if you didn’t marry their mothers, I’ll need the women’s names if you followed in your father’s footsteps. ”
I had to ask a stupid question. Or maybe it was brilliant? “Can’t you track them through supernatural forces? I mean, come on. You have to have contacts, right? If I’m to believe I’m not dreaming this in a coma state, you have to know how to track your loved ones.”
You’re a mouthy bastard, ya know? The boys’ mothers hated me the most. Those three were hellions, just like me, and while I tried to do right by them, their mothers didn’t want me around. I know why, but it still tore me up.
“Do you know their names? Why didn’t they want you around?”
I can’t remember the mothers’ names. The boys? They might have changed their names, anyway. Forget about them. Well, except for Nico. His mother’s name was Esposito.
That was a bit cagey. Was he fucking with me? Was this all a huge cosmic joke? I wasn’t going to St. Louis for him if he didn’t give me more information. No way. He’d already invaded my life in ways I could never have imagined. I had to keep some control.
I can tell you where to go. It’s just an hour on a plane, or a few hours in a car. What the fuck else you got goin’ on? You can stop in Sterling City to see that cute farmer.
“After what you did when I went with Clay to breakfast? Fuck no. I’d be too embarrassed to even talk to the man again. I turned over Clay’s files to Steve. I’m out of the loop as far as that man is concerned.”
It was no shit that I was out of Clay Fines’ life. I’d nearly attacked the man at breakfast, though it wasn’t my fault. I wasn’t about to embarrass myself again by stalking the man.
Ramon laughed. Seriously? Hell, I love the ladies, but that blond guy was a hot piece of something. I’m not sure what you gay guys say, but he was damn good looking. I’ve enjoyed a blonde chick or two in my day. Three of my daughters have blonde mothers.
I laughed. “So, you chose your partners based on hair color?”
Ha! No, Kid. I like the curves and the junk in the trunk. Is that similar to how you pick your... Shit. Sorry. Anyway, car? Train? Plane?
“I’m not sure I need to go there to help you, Ramon. You need to give me some names to do more research to find your family or whoever you want me to check out who might have been your killer. If you want me to help you find them, you need to give me something.”
Whatever thing or parasite that had taken residence in my brain, I was prepared to dig it out with a fucking ice cream scoop. I couldn’t live that way any longer.
Ramon laughed. I can hear inside your head. When you fuckin’ decide to scoop out your brains, I’ll still be in there.
Great. How lucky was I?