CHAPTER 13
“Tell that bastard Bugsy he can shove his damn flowers up his ass! The only daisies I wanna see are the ones he’ll be pushing up from six feet under!”
Stella chuckled under her breath as Mamma threw the flowers back in my face.
We were standing in the middle of Mamma’s warehouse. Her goons had been hauling crates of booze and bullets from one truck to another when we entered, at which point Mamma put her fingers to her lips, whistled like a Mississippi riverboat and hollered, “Boys, vamoose, would ya? I got me some company.”
Two minutes later, the red roses slapped me in the face.
In a pathetic attempt to ignore it, I blew a petal off my bottom lip and held up the card. “It came with a note. Bugsy wants to meet you at Ginger’s at six tonight. He wants to—”
Mamma snatched the card out of my hand and ripped it into confetti. “I told you, I ain’t interested in anything Bugsy’s got to say to me, unless it’s ‘I surrender.’”
“Actually, that’s not far off the mark. He’s willing to call a truce and end the street war between you.”
Mamma arched one eyebrow. “He is? I don’t believe you. ”
“It’s true. He said the two of you have a common enemy in Howard Hart’s German allies.”
“He ain’t wrong there,” Mamma sneered. “Those damn square heads have been trying to muscle in on the weapons trade ever since they arrived in town.”
“Which is why he thinks it’s time the pair of you pointed your guns at them, instead of each other.”
Mamma’s eyes narrowed as she pondered my words. “Are you sure this ain’t some kinda trap?” She looked to my assistant. “Stella, I can trust you. Is Bugsy tryin’ to pull a swifty or is this deal on the level?”
Stella shrugged. “I ain’t spoken to Bugsy myself, but if Buck says it’s legit then I believe him.”
With an uncertain humph, Mamma crossed her arms. “I wish I had your faith in people. But I divorced my ex-husband for good reason, namely the fact that he’s a lyin’, cheatin’, two-timin’, double-dealin’, triple-crossin’, baloney-boned skunk… and that’s him on a good day.”
She turned and started walking away when I pulled out the only ace I had up my sleeve. “There’s one other thing. He told me the truth about who I am.”
Mamma Marlow stopped dead in her tracks.
Slowly she turned. “Now I really know you’re whistlin’ Dixie.”
I gulped, surprised that I was about to admit everything out loud. “He told me I’m his son. And since the two of you were married, I can’t help but think maybe… just maybe… there’s the possibility that you’re my…”
I couldn’t finish my sentence.
I didn’t have to.
Within seconds, Mamma Marlow’s brash, battle-hardened exterior crumbled. A wave of emotions—a lifetime of regrets—washed over her face, turning her signature scowl into a quavering look of heartache and shame, guilt and grief.
Her chin crumpled and her eyes glassed over. “He… he really told you?”
My own vision splintered, my voice faltered, and all I could do was nod.
“Oh, Buck. My baby, Buck. Our secret is finally out.” With tears running down her face she rushed toward me.
I wasn’t sure whether to defend myself or open my arms.
Fortunately, Mamma wrapped me in the tightest, most tender motherly embrace I’d ever experienced.
The tremor of her body seemed to ripple through mine as this cast-iron woman—this fortress of a female—melted against me.
“Oh, my dear boy. I’m so sorry we did what we did. I never wanted to abandon you, I only wanted to give you a better life. Bugsy and I, we were falling apart. We thought having a child might mend things between us, but all we did was put you in the middle of the fight. One night, Bugsy and I almost killed each other. That’s when I knew I had to leave you on the doorsteps of St. Agatha’s to keep you out of harm’s way. No matter how hard your life might have been in the orphanage, I knew it had to be easier than living with me and Bugsy.”
I sighed. “I’m not so sure about that.”
She pulled out of our hug but kept a hold of me, her fingers gripping my shoulders as though now that she had me, she never wanted to let me go. “I know you probably don’t believe me, but I’ve been watching you from afar all these years. I know when we’ve met in the past, I pretended to be a stranger. But I’ve never stopped watching you grow.”
“Really?”
She nodded, setting more tears in motion. “I’ll forever regret letting you go. But I’ll always be proud of the man you’ve become, and you did it all on your own. Oh Buck, you must hate Bugsy and me for what we did.”
“Actually, I don’t.”
She looked surprised .
I shrugged, her hands still on my shoulders, and sniffed back a tear of my own. “If you hadn’t taken me to Hell’s Bells, I never would have met Harry. Or Holden as everyone else knows him.”
“I know who Harry is. And I know what he means to you.”
“He’s something of a big deal. At least to me he is.” I gave a coy smile, like a son admitting to his mother that he was in love for the first time… which was precisely the case. I couldn’t help but add. “You’ll like him.”
“Please tell me he’s nothing like his father.”
“No. Sometimes. But not when he’s around me.”
Mamma wiped away a tear. “Well, let’s hope you’re nothing like your father too. And thank God you didn’t get his nose.” She took my chin in her hand and turned my face left and right. “In fact, now that I can get a closer look at you, it seems you got all your looks from me.” She drew a breath and said, “Maybe I will say yes to a rendezvous with Bugsy. For old times’ sake. Besides, fuck knows I could use a cocktail after this.”
Suddenly the sound of someone sobbing uncontrollably echoed through the warehouse.
Mamma and I both looked down to see Stella blubbering like a baby.
“Stella, you okay?” I asked.
She nodded through her tears and the bubbles of snot popping out her nose. “I’ll be okay. I just wasn’t expecting such a beautiful moment between the two of you. Can someone please adopt me? I’m feeling kinda left out right now.”
Before anyone could think of a reasonable answer to that request, the doors to the warehouse flew open and one of Mamma’s goons raced in. “Mamma! The cops are swarming around the riverbank. Something’s going down at the old docks.”
Quickly Mamma composed herself, swiping away her running makeup. “What is it, Lenny?”
“Apparently they’re pulling a body outta the river.”
“It’s not one of our boys, is it?”
“No, Mamma.”
“Is it one of Bugsy’s?”
Lenny shook his head.
“Then who is it?”
“Word on the street says it’s Howard Hart’s limo driver.”
I gave Stella an urgent look. “We gotta go.”
Hurriedly we turned to leave, but Mamma tightened her grip on my shoulders. “Buck, be careful. I’ve heard rumors that Hart’s new friends are shipping in more than just firearms. My boys have spotted crates carrying the sort of stuff you need to build a bomb. I know you think Harry is the bee’s knees, you just need to be careful you don’t get stung. Don’t get too close to what’s happening at Hart Industries.”
I felt my jaw tense. “I’m afraid it’s too late for that.”