You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Kills You Read Online Free Page B

scarlet.
    “Get out of here, Eddie,” she said.

Seven
    I STOPPED AT JACK Entratter’s office to check in. His girl gave me a nod and told me to go ahead. She had never liked me and still didn’t. I had learned to live with the disappointment.
    “Eddie,” Jack said, from behind his desk. “Have a seat.”
    I sat and asked, “Your nephew get in okay?”
    “Yeah, the boy’s here,” he said. “He’s visiting with my mother right now. What’s goin’ on with you and Dean?”
    “Dean took me to Tahoe to see a friend of his.”
    He held up his hand before I could continue.
    “And you’re not gonna tell me who the friend is, are you?”
    Dean hadn’t told me not to, but it had become a habit with me to keep the Rat Pack’s business to myself—even with Entratter. Besides, it had been my experience Jack always knew more than he was letting on.
    “No, sir.”
    “You know, Eddie,” he said. “This is about the only time I don’t admire your loyalty.”
    “Yes, sir.” I stood up. “I’ve got some things to do, so—”
    “Sit down, Eddie,” Entratter said. “I’ve got somethin’ to talk to you about.”
    I sat back down.
    “What’s up, Jack?”
    “You got a call while you were out,” he said. “I took it.”
    “So?”
    “It was from Brooklyn.”
    I hadn’t been back to Brooklyn in many years—more than a dozen.
    “What’s it about, Jack?”
    “Your mother died, Eddie.”
    “That’s interesting.”
    Jack looked surprised. “That’s not the reaction I expected.”
    “No, I wouldn’t think so. I’ve observed that you’re a real family man. You’ve even got your mother living here at the Sands with you.”
    “Well … she’s got her own suite.”
    “I know,” I said, “but if
my
mother was even living in the same town with me I’d kill myself.”
    “Don’t you at least want to know who died?”
    “I guess I don’t have much choice, do I?”
    When I left Brooklyn behind I left my family behind, too. There were good reasons for that. But when there’s a death in the family everybody rallies, right?
    After leaving Jack Entratter’s office, I knew I’d have to fly back “home” for the funeral. I also knew I had to call someone and let them know I was coming.
    But there was still a lot to do before addressing any of that. The funeral wouldn’t be until the end of the week. My family couldn’t have changed that much. So I had time to have dinner that night with Frank, Dean and Sammy.
    Hopefully, I’d also have time to get some info from Teddy Silver at the airport, and from Danny when he went to Tahoe.
    I took the elevator down to the lobby and made it to the casino floor before realizing I had automatically walked to my pit. It was three in the afternoon and even if I was keeping to my regular schedule it wouldn’t be time for me to report in.
    I decided I just had a lot on my mind at the moment and was kind of at a loss for something to do.
    Or maybe the fact that my mother had died was hitting me harder than I thought it would.

Eight
    I WENT TO THE SILVER QUEEN to get a drink. The bartender was new, aware of who I was, but unaware that this might be early for me to start drinking, so he just smiled and poured, which was good, because I probably would have bitten his head off if he’d gotten chatty.
    I was in a foul mood.
    I wasn’t mad at Dean for getting me involved with Marilyn’s problems. I wasn’t upset with Marilyn. She couldn’t help herself. I wasn’t even mad at my boss, Jack, for taking the phone call from Brooklyn meant for me.
    I guess the one I was mad at was my mother … for dying. And it wasn’t even really for dying. We all have to go sometime. I was pissed because now I had to return to Brooklyn and see my family. Certainly not something I was looking forward to. When I’d left more than fourteen years ago, I’d never looked back.
    I didn’t feel I should be put in the position to have to explain myself. As far as I was concerned, I had had