Page 25 of Buck Baxter and the Mysteries of Love

CHAPTER 13

“Tellthat 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 atthem,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.”

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