Page 14 of A Shared Mind

“A favor? A. Fucking. Favor?” My heart was pounding as the adrenalin coursed through my veins. Jesus, what the fuck was happening?

Ramon huffed and brushed his thumb over his nose. “Okay, so maybe not a favor. Allow me to rephrase. If you want me to go, you’ve gotta do somethin’ for me. I ain’t anxious to go back where I came from, but the powers that be are looking for me. So far, they haven’t found me, but it’s only a matter of time. I need you to investigate somethin’ for me.”

“Investigate? I’m a financial planner, not a detective.” Was he daft?

“Hear me out. I wanna make sure my kids are okay. I don’t want them followin’ me into the bullshit I got into. I need to know they’re behavin’ themselves and takin’ care of their moms.”

“Moms? How many mothers? How many kids?” Mothers? Good lord.

“You don’t pay attention, do ya? You one of them eggheads who thinks nobody says anything important besides them so you don’t listen? I can’t count how many of ya are floatin’ in the Mississippi, Missouri, and Meramec Rivers, tongues cut out for gettin’ cute.” He shook his head like he couldn’t believe I’d dare to talk back to him.

“How many?” My exasperation was reaching the blow stage.

“Five women. I was only thirty-six when I got whacked. I was a capo and the boys expected me to be named underboss after Louie Figs got killed in a fire. My ma was a Blanco, and I was her only. Johnny Fucking DeLuca didn’t marry her or take care of me as I was growing up. Thankfully, he did right by me when I got my button in the family and was later made a capo. ”

My brain rewound to the first time I watched the Godfather Trilogy. I remembered thinking that shit was only plausible in the movies. The FBI and the Secret Service took care of the crime and corruption by alleged Mafia bosses and street gangs, didn’t they?

“If there’s any credence to this bullshit of you being a mobster, when were you killed? I should be able to look this up, shouldn’t I?”

I needed facts to verify I was having a mental health emergency. After I couldn’t find anything on the endless rambling of my poor divided brain, I could find myself a top-notch therapist and extra strength meds to help me get my mental health in order.

“1996. Got shot in St. Louis on The Hill as I was comin’ out of our social club. Right there on Mackland at Dempsey. Somebody got a cheap shot.” He seemed disgusted.

“Who do you think ordered the hit?”

Ramon laughed. “Look at you, goin’ all gangster on me? I thought it was Paddy Egan who put out the order. I, uh, tapped one of his girls, and I don’t think he liked it when she popped up with my baby girl, but the more I thought about it, I’m wonderin’ if it was somebody on my own crew who got to me. Jealousy makes a man do stupid things. I wanna know for sure who took the lucky shot because I didn’t see anybody comin’ my way, and that’s not like me.”

I sighed. “Okay, let’s never do this little exercise again. I can hear you just fine in my head if I must. Let me out, and I’ll do some research,” I said.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

I opened my eyes and was surprised to see Eve standing next to my car, which was in the garage. Parked in my spot. My head was a scrambled mess, I swear.

I got out of the car and smiled at Eve. “What brought you down here?”

“One of the security guards called me. He said you were in the garage, just sitting in your car. He was worried so I came to check on you. Didn’t you hear me knocking on your window?” Eve had her hand planted against her hip, but something occurred to me.

“Yeah. Question. Where did you ever hear that story about Ramon Blanco?”

Eve’s brow furrowed for a moment before she laughed. “You’re still dwelling on that? Please don’t be mad. I need you, Justin. You’re my best friend, and I’m sorry if I upset you with the shit in New Orleans.”

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.