The Trouble Boys Page 16

  11

  Everything changed again in December when Ronan McDuff got killed. There had been a war a month before, a month after Colin had dinner at Johnny’s. Tito Bernal and his Tigers versus Tom and his Salthill men. Ronan got caught up in the middle. One night he was drinking with Colin and Jarlath at Deegan’s, and the next night he was found face-down on the sidewalk in front of the place. Six bullets in the back. Only cowards shot someone in the back.

  Tom and everyone else in the gang swore revenge so Colin did too. Colin wondered how Johnny could have let something like that happen. They’d had a drink together only last week at Colin’s apartment, and Johnny hadn’t mentioned anything telling. Colin questioned his own allegiance. If Tom sent out an order that might get Johnny killed or harm him or his family in some way, would Colin warn him beforehand? Johnny had been his childhood friend, but that was long ago. Still, they had been close. On the other hand, Tom was Colin’s boss, and the man he aspired to be someday.

  Ronan’s niece Maggie was at her uncle’s funeral, cute Maggie from back when Colin had shown her around the Bowery when she was an eighteen-year-old girl. Colin talked to her for a while at the reception, and she mentioned she was attending college in Yonkers. But she had become conceited and wasn’t interested in him or his life anymore. She made Colin feel like an old man. He gave her his condolences and offered to buy her a cup of coffee later in the week, and she declined and said she “didn’t get into Manhattan much anymore.”

  He told her she never had.

  “We’re going to get them.” Tom pounded his fist on the table at the funeral reception at the McDuffs’ building, causing the delicate Waterford crystal bowl filled with white-and-red mints to move. He steadied the bowl with his hand.

  Both had liked Ronan, but while Jarlath grunted in approval, Colin remained quiet in his seat.

  Tom looked around at his men seated at the table in the private room. “Things shouldn’t have ended like this for Ronan.” His face flushed a deep red, and his blue eyes were aflame. “It starts tomorrow.”

  When Tom dismissed the men from the meeting, Colin stood in a corner with Jarlath at the reception. Mrs McDuff bawled on the couch, and everyone else got drunk, including Colin and Jarlath, who drank from the flasks of scotch they’d brought with them.

  “I always knew something like this would happen to Ronan,” Mrs McDuff told the woman comforting her. “This is why we never had children. I didn’t want them to have to go through this.”

  “What’ll happen to Ronan’s wife?” Colin asked Jarlath.

  “Her family’s well off. Still, Tom will look out for her. We all will. That’s usually how things are done when one of us dies. Can you imagine she survived polio as a child and now this?” Jarlath paused. “You’re friends with that Garcia bloke who leads with Bernal, aren’t you?”

  “Many years ago we were friends.”

  “Is that going to be hard for you?”

  What choice did Colin have but to say no? It wasn’t as if he could opt out on this one. “No. You guys come first. Always.”

  “Thanks, Colin. You know, Tom’s pretty much a mess over this whole thing. In our life this shite happens but I guess he never thought Ronan would, you know.”

  “I know.”

  “Of course, Ronan was his top man. That’s bound to have him mad as hell. Ronan was a top man in spirit too.”

  “He was.”

  “Still, it’s not so surprising how it ended for him. It’s not like this is the kind of business most are able to retire from.”

  Colin wondered about their own fates and was glad he had the scotch to take the edge off.

  Someone’s glass fell to the floor. Jarlath and Colin both turned around at the same time. For a moment Colin had thought it was Errol, because he’d always dropped things when he was drunk. Then he remembered Errol was dead as well. The man who had dropped the glass got on his knees and picked up the pieces.

  Later, as Colin left the reception with Jarlath and Little Bill, Tom followed them outside and said, “I want to see you all at ten in the morning. Come at ten or don’t bother to ever come near me again.”

  “Is that ten tomorrow or ten today?” An intoxicated Little Bill joked.

  Tom glared at him. “Ten today.”

  Tom called Colin aside on the street. Colin watched Jarlath and Little Bill as they started to walk downtown in the middle of the quiet, dark road, not bothering to check for cars, their bodies swaying with the power of the drink.

  Colin hesitated then faced his boss under the streetlamp’s glare. Even in his drunken haze he sensed Tom wanted to discuss Johnny, and it filled him with dread. He had been anticipating the talk for the entire day. He knew Tom might make him prove his devotion.

  Tom didn’t want to talk on the sidewalk or on the steps of the McDuffs’ building so they went back inside where it was warm, and cigarette smoke and anxious chatter permeated the room. Liquor didn’t stay long in glasses before it was swallowed. The reception had been tense the entire night, but Colin recognized it even more so now that he’d gone outside and then returned.

  “Want another drink?” Tom asked.

  “I’m all right, thanks.”

  “I’m going to get one for myself.”

  Tom’s eyes seemed kind but Colin knew better than to fall for that.

  As he waited, he looked around the reception at those who remained. Were they the dedicated few? Were they the ones who had loved Ronan McDuff the most, and that’s why they’d stayed? Or just the souls who wanted more free booze? Were they the ones who didn’t have friends or family to go to the pub with, the ones who wanted someone to drink with?

  A girl in a dark blue dress stared at him. She looked very young, around fifteen or sixteen years old. She had curly dark hair and soft green eyes. Colin winked at her and she frowned. Then he was disgusted with himself, and he wondered if he should go over and apologize to her, explain his behavior was due to his drunkenness.

  Tom returned with a glass of what looked like whiskey. “Were you dreaming?” He smiled.

  “No.”

  Tom seemed like he didn’t believe him. “I’m sure you can catch up with the other lads at the pub later. The reason I asked you to stay behind is I understand one of Bernal’s top men is an old friend of yours, the one you told me about. A while back, you mentioned him and I asked you to try to get information out of him.”

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get anything substantial for you. This fellow is smart. He caught on to me. About this guy, we were friends a long time ago when we were boys. Like I said, that was a long time ago.” It stung for him to refer to Johnny with such indifference.

  Tom drank from his glass. “Is this going to be an issue for you? This is a war, and people die in wars.”

  Colin felt Tom watching him and started to sweat. He cleared his throat and closed his eyes for a moment. Was this a war? It wasn’t the same war Danny had been so eager to fight in Europe and the Pacific. What really defined a war, and if Tom’s war wasn’t a war then what was it? A game?

  Colin opened his eyes to find Tom staring at him. “There’ll be no trouble from me. I’m with you and that comes first.”

  Tom nodded and patted his back. “It’s settled, then. You’re going to the pub now, like the rest of the lads?”

  “Yeah.”

  Tom chuckled. “I don’t know how you young lads can drink that much well into the morning.”

  “It isn’t too hard,” Colin said under his breath.

  Snowflakes fell outside on the sidewalk. Ten days until Christmas. Colin remembered how before he’d gone to prison he’d walk past the Christmas trees for sale in the street and smell the pine. His family never had a tree because there wasn’t enough money to buy something non-essential, and he vowed the family he’d start someday would have a tall tree every year. Would he ever start that family?

  When was the last time Colin had celebrated Christmas? His first year with Tom they’d ha
d a Christmas party. Tom had given everyone at the party an entire crate of English cigarettes. That crate was long gone now. It had only lasted Colin a few months.

  He didn’t head to the pub but he didn’t return home. It seemed pointless sleeping when he’d be working so soon. He contemplated seeking the services of a prostitute then he chuckled to himself when he remembered how many numbers he had. He could call any of those girls from a drugstore phone booth, and he knew five who’d come there that instant to meet him in the middle of the street. But he didn’t want that tonight. Maybe he just wanted to go to the pub after all, where those who had gone earlier would be more than drunk by now, and slurring and ranting, and maybe even crying about the death of Ronan McDuff. But he couldn’t imagine any of those guys with tears.

  “Hello? Hello, I’m talking to you!”

  Colin turned around to see who’d shouted at him. Johnny’s wife stood behind him on the sidewalk. “What are you doing in this neighborhood?” he asked.

  “I’m going home,” Lila said.

  “From where? It’s dangerous to walk around here at night. Does Johnny know you’re here?”

  “What are you, some kind of detective? I didn’t follow you so don’t worry.” She smirked. “Johnny doesn’t get to keep a leash on me.”

  Colin winked at her. “I don’t doubt it.”

  “I’ve been out, trying to escape the commotion in my apartment with my mother and kid in there. Do you know what I mean?”

  “I don’t have children, and I haven’t seen my mother in years, but if I had, I think I’d understand.”

  “I’m sure the right woman for you will come along soon and you’ll have kids someday.”

  Colin smiled.

  “I’m sorry to hear about your mother,” Lila said. “Where is she?”

  “I heard she returned home, but I’m not sure. When I got out of prison, she was gone. The rest of my family were gone too.”

  “Johnny mentioned you were in prison for a long time.”

  “I was. Did you leave Johnny at home?” Colin didn’t want to get too personal with Johnny’s wife.

  “Heck no. My mother’s watching little Lila. Johnny doesn’t come home much anymore, and when he is home, he doesn’t stay long.”

  “I’m sorry, Lila.”

  She shrugged. “We weren’t in love. We never should have gotten married. My father pushed us into it.”

  He noticed her beauty more in the night, highlighted by the dim lights of the quiet city. Her wide-set brown eyes, and full lips painted the color of deep red. Her dark hair. When he first saw her he’d thought she was pretty, but tonight she looked beautiful.

  “Do you feel like getting a drink?” Getting to know Johnny’s wife wouldn’t help Colin make peace with what might happen to Johnny, but he reasoned he’d look after her and her child if something happened to Johnny, and it wouldn’t hurt to know her better.

  “Right now? With you?”

  “Sure. Why not?”

  “Are you hitting on me, Colin O’Brien?”

  “Of course not. You’re Johnny’s wife.”

  “And that’s all I’ll ever be anymore, Johnny’s wife,” Lila said bitterly.

  “Don’t think that way. It’ll only make you sad. You can be whatever you want.”

  She smiled up at him and entwined his large arm with hers. “Which bar are you taking me to?”

  Colin tried to think of a good place to take Johnny’s wife for a drink. There weren’t many pubs open at this hour and he didn’t want to take her some place too dodgy. He glanced up at the sky and the stars were blocked by the tall buildings of midtown in the distance. “Have you ever been to The Siren?”

  “No, I haven’t.”

  “It’s the most decent place that will be open at this hour.”

  “Decent? You sound like an old lady.”

  Colin chuckled.

  “Is it in the Bowery?” she asked.

  Colin shook his head. “It’s on Fifteenth Street. Is that too close to where you live?”

  “It isn’t too close. We’re just two friends getting a drink, right? We don’t have anything to hide.” She winked at him and he knew he was blushing.

  They walked the rest of the way in silence. Given the hour, inside The Siren was quiet.

  “We’re closing in ten minutes,” a woman called out without looking up from cleaning a table.

  “How about we stay for one drink?” Colin asked her.

  The woman sighed, but when Colin smiled at her, she said, “Hold on a second. Let me check.” She went into a back room and Colin could hear her talking to someone.

  “Should we leave?” Lila asked him.

  Colin patted her hand. “Let’s see what she says.”

  The woman returned. “The owner says you can stay for a little while.” She finally smiled.

  The bar was close to the door but she sat them at a private table in the corner. They were the only customers in the place. She gave them drink menus and then left the table.

  “This must be a ‘decent’ place if they have menus for drinks,” Lila commented with a smile on her lips.

  “I’m buying so please get whatever you want.” Colin put his menu down and watched her read her small menu with her beautiful eyes. He already knew what he wanted to drink.

  He ordered a martini, and Lila asked the waitress for a sangria.

  When they were alone once again, Lila smiled at him and he wondered what she was thinking. She didn’t speak.

  Lila was still quiet when the drinks arrived. “How is yours?” Colin asked as she sipped.

  “Wonderful. Thanks. Where were you coming from tonight when I ran into you?”

  “I was at a reception for a funeral I attended this afternoon.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Was it for a relative? I hope not.”

  “No.” Colin drank his gin martini. He didn’t want to drag Lila into the troubles between Tom and her father. “It was for a friend named Ronan McDuff. You or Johnny might’ve known him from around the Bowery. Johnny knew of him, I’m sure.”

  “He was Irish?”

  Colin nodded. “He worked for Tom McPhalen.”

  “Like you do.”

  “Johnny told you?”

  Lila shrugged. “Everyone knows.”

  “How are things between you and Johnny these days?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “That time I went to your place for dinner—”

  “Do you mean, does my husband still hit me? What do you think?”

  “I hope he doesn’t.”

  “Your hope is incorrect.”

  “I’m so sorry, Lila.”

  “He wasn’t like that when I first married him. You should’ve seen him when he begged me to teach him Spanish. He was a sweet man. Working for my father changed him. Maybe he’s been using some of the drugs they sell.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” Colin signaled for the waitress to come to their table. He ordered another martini. “Do you want another?” he asked Lila.

  “Weren’t we only supposed to stay for one?” she whispered to him.

  Colin shrugged. “They don’t seem to mind.”

  The waitress smiled at him and lingered for too long. “She likes you,” Lila said after the waitress had left.

  “Who?”

  “Our waitress, she likes you. You don’t seem to notice.” Lila laughed.

  “She doesn’t.”

  “Then why has she been smiling at you the whole time we’ve been seated?”

  “She hasn’t been.”

  “She has. Every time she’s come to the table, she’s smiled at you. She’s never smiled at me once. You can’t see her now, but she’s smiling at you now too, behind you. You’re blushing. I bet a lot of women feel that way about you. You’re tall, strong, and handsome, and I’m sure you won’t like me saying this, but you’re kind of sweet sometimes, like a tall, lumbering boy.”

  Colin chuckled and imagined he was blushin
g quite a bit more. “I mean that in a good way,” Lila said. “I’m sure you have had— have—lots of women. But here I am, thinking what an interesting man you are and how if I wasn’t married, maybe we’d . . .”

  “Maybe you’d date me?”

  “Yes.”

  “What’s wrong with now?” he teased.

  “You’re kidding? I’m married to your friend.”

  “You know more than anyone that Johnny and me aren’t friends these days.”

  “You must be a lonely man, handsome, but lonely, to be chasing after a woman who is married to your boyhood friend.”

  Colin shrugged because he couldn’t admit she was right about him.

  “Are you lonely?” she persisted.

  “I’m not.”

  “It can’t be easy leaving prison and coming back to everyday life. I would imagine it’s quite difficult.”

  Lila talked smart, and Colin felt like he could actually talk to her.

  “It is,” he admitted after a while.

  “My younger brother got out last year. He’s had similar problems.”

  “Problems?”

  “Problems interacting with women.”

  Colin laughed. “I don’t mean to sound rude, but I have no problems interacting with women.”

  “Sorry, but you do. You’re with me, and I can tell.”

  “You’re a lovely woman.”

  “You’ve already told me that. Tell me something else.”

  “Like what?”

  “Something other than about my looks.”

  He stared at her for a moment. “When I’m with you, I’m fine. When I’m not, it’s like I have a terrible headache.”

  Lila watched him in silence as she smiled. “Colin, you hardly know me. You’re hardly with me.”

  “I know. That’s why most of the time I have a headache.” She laughed. Then she glanced at her watch.

  “Do you need to go home? It’s getting late,” he said. “I think they probably want us out of here so they can leave.” The waitress had stopped smiling at him.

  “Yes. I didn’t realize how late it was. I’ve been having such a good time with you.”

  “And I’m having a good time with you. Let me walk you home. It’s late. It isn’t safe.” Colin got up after Lila had.