“We’ve got shit going on up in Boston. Colleen needs to stay here with Lannie,” Sal explained. “Need you to watch over your cousin.”
“My cousin?” King looked surprised. He hadn’t talked much about Sal or any family he might still have in Boston.
“She’s your uncle Duane’s daughter,” Duncan explained.
King stared at Duncan before looking at Sal.
“You ok, brother?” I asked. It seemed every time the Mob entered this room, bombs got dropped.
“Not sure. Hadn’t really thought about any other family aside from Sal.”
Sal sighed, and King ignored him. I couldn’t begin to understand what he was feeling. I had other family out theresomewhere. Never gave them a thought until something like this brought up my own family. Still, I didn’t wonder about them. It was just a fleeting thought that passed through the air like dust floating around. It was just there.
“You have an aunt and another cousin in Boston. My sister Caity and her daughter Maddie.” Sal looked at Blade. “Same for you.”
Blade looked up quickly. “Fuck, I’ve got more family?” He turned to King and grinned.
“We didn’t get much time to talk back in December,” Sal stated. “Haven’t talked much since I left either.”
“There’s been a lot of shit going on. Not much time to catch up with long-lost fathers,” King snarked, glaring at the son of a bitch. He acted like he was the center of the fucking world.
“No fuckin’ doubt you two are related,” Duncan mumbled. “Look, there’s more. I want to talk to you about your mom.”
“My mom died when I was ten.” King turned his glare to Duncan.
“Look, kid, I know you got dealt a shit hand. But my sister was your fuckin’ mother. She did what she did trying to protect you. Don’t fuckin’ disrespect the sacrifice she made.”
“Fuck you,Uncle,” King sneered. “I don’t know she made any kind of sacrifice. For all I know, she was no better than my niece’s mother who was a selfish, petty bitch who kept her from growing up with a father who loved and wanted her.”
Duncan’s hands clenched on the table. We all sat alert, ready to move. He ran his hands over his face, but it was one of the other ones that spoke next.
“We have information about your mo—about Darcy. If you’re interested,” Cian said, correcting himself before King had to.
King leaned forward, crossing his arms on the table. No one said a word. We sat quietly and observed, ready to move if we had to.
“What information?” King asked carefully.
“Duane found her,” Cian informed.
“Where is she?”
“We don’t know,” Sal answered.
King looked at Blade. “The Mob always talk in fucking riddles?”
Blade smirked at Sal. “Yea,” he said as he sat back in his chair. “Sal doesn’t give out information freely. Plays it closer to the vest than you do.”
“Look, King. We believe my brother knew where she was, but he was killed before he could tell anyone.”
“What about Maureen?”
“She didn’t know anything. But Colleen did. Duane told his daughter he had found Darcy. But didn’t tell her where,” Duncan explained.
“We think Tyran killed Duane after he got the information about Darcy’s location. He went to California shortly after Duane was killed.” Sal added. He focused on the table for a moment before looking up at King.
I saw the hurt and anguish on his face as he said the words, “I’m sorry, Son. Tyran said she died seven years ago.”
No one said a word. King didn’t talk about his real parents. Not Sal or Darcy. But I imagined it had to be hard, knowing he would never get a chance to meet her.
