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  "Oh my God, Charlie, your own apartment. You have got to check it out." Elle's excitement was pissing me off.

  I buried my face in my hands and tried to make enough sense out of everything to make some kind of decision. Obviously I had some kind of legal obligation that I needed to see through, but I was certain that I wanted no part of whatever my biological father had his hands in. "Just do what you have to do to get my name off of things."

  The lawyer scratched his head and looked confused again. "Well, there is one last thing you need to know before I move further."

  "What's that?"

  "John Thomas may not be your brother, but Ryan McNally is and right now he is without both of his parents."

  I stood up and looked right at the guy. "What are you talking about? A child? Where is his mother? What am I supposed to do about it?"

  He held his arms up again and started to laugh. "Forgive me, I just never thought that today was going to be going like this. I just assumed you knew your father, or at least something about him. You see, your father liked helping people. Around five years ago, he helped out a woman when her husband was beating her. He thought of it like he was repenting for his past sins against your mother. I know you probably don't care, but he fell in love with her and they had a child. Unfortunately, she went back to her old ways and the state awarded your father full custody. In the meantime, his biological mother was sent back to jail on drug charges. The child lost the only parent he's ever had."

  I cut him off. "I'm sorry, but are you trying to make me feel bad or something?" Maybe I was being rude, but this was just not getting any better. Not only did they want to ruin my life with a rundown bar, but I was supposed to take responsibility for a small child too? No, I don't think so...

  "Ma'am with all due respect, this child is going to be sent into the same foster system that you were in. I know it isn't always the best of conditions."

  I stood up and grabbed Elle's arm. "Thank you for having me here today. In light of everything I've learned today, I will be in touch regarding the property."

  I pulled my friend out of that office before she could stop me. By the time we made it to the car, I collapsed against the steering wheel and started bawling my eyes out.

  "If you're going to throw up, at least open the door, so you don't make me sick." I grabbed my purse and slapped Elle in the arm.

  "Unbelievable! My whole life just got turned upside down. Can you please just not joke for ten seconds?"

  "Sorry, but I don't see the problem. You just inherited a freaking tavern with a studio apartment. Do you have any idea how amazing that is? I mean, I would give my left nut for that shit."

  I cocked my eyebrow. "You don't even have a left nut."

  "Well if I did, I would give it up." She corrected.

  I got out of the car and started pacing around the lot. This was a clusterfuck!

  Elle hopped out and leaned against the car. "Charlie, are you really going to be okay with knowing that you have a real blood relative out there and you did nothing to protect them from living the same kind of shitty childhood that you had to?"

  I leaned against the car and threw my hands in the air. "What am I supposed to do? I don't know the first thing about taking care of a kid or running a bar."

  "Maybe not, but you know what not to do and that's a good start. Look, I can't tell you what to do but, you're going to regret not at least getting to know that kid. At least give it a chance before you say no." She was going to keep pushing me, like she did with everything I wanted to do or not do.

  "I didn't ask for this, Elle."

  She put her arm around me and kissed my cheek. "No, you didn't, but you got it anyway. This could be good, if you just give it a chance. Look at it this way, you don't have to get to know the man that gave you up. That makes it ten times easier to begin with."

  "I hate how you twist things around to sound better when they really aren't. This kid could be awful. He could have something wrong with him. His mother was an addict for Christ sakes."

  She put her hands on her hips and looked right at me. "Stop making excuses and walk your ass back in there. Tell that hottie lawyer that you want to meet your brother and take a look at the property. Oh, and give him my number before you come back out. I'd love to see what he looks like out of that suit."

  "You are a terrible friend." I said as I walked back into the building.

  One week later I was moving into my new life and taking on the responsibility of raising my little four year old brother, Ryan. Elle had been right, he was the cutest little guy and after spending five seconds with him, there was no way that I could have let him go into the same system that tortured me for years.

  The tavern was easy to reopen, but after the first week, everyone quit on me. I had no idea how to run it on my own. I was left with one employee that was at least eighty years old. This guy loved Joe so much that he hated me for being so angry over everything. He worked the day shift four days out of the week and the rest was up to me. Thankfully, he did take the time to give me a brief training so I didn't set the building on fire, or poison someone, but I was struggling to say the least.

  After my first week, things got even worse when these two thugs came in asking for money that I didn't have. They claimed my father had taken out a fifty thousand dollar loan and never paid. The guy he borrowed from wanted the fifty G's and interest for the arrears. Since I didn't have it, they came back a few days later asking again. If it hadn't been for that damn guy interfering, I don't know what would have happened, but one thing I did know was that his stupidity had caused me to fear for mine and Ryan's safety. Yeah, he was hot...and a definite player, but I didn't have time for jerks in my new life. I had a kid and business and now people were after me. If I never saw that guy again it would be too soon.

  Chapter 6

  Jammer

  Maybe I should have told her that I was John, but she had herself in a nervous wreck over those guys. I don't know what Joker could have been involved with to get people showing up to threaten a poor girl, that didn't even know her ass from her face. I guess since the economy was bad, he must of had to borrow money to stay afloat. Unfortunately, I know all about that business since that's what my father did behind closed doors. He claimed he was helping out the community, but that was a bunch of bullshit.

  Baltimore was a huge city with enough banks to fund any project or consolidation necessary. Even the people with bad credit could find ways around using my crooked father to save their business. In fact, they were never saving it, they were prolonging the inevitable. After time, three quarters of them couldn't pay and would have to hand over the business to people like my dad. It was ridiculous, but because he had built such a reputation doing it, nobody spoke up and did anything to prevent it from happening to anyone else. The vicious circle of small business takeovers in Baltimore continued happening right under everyone's noses.

  I drove to a bar across town and already recognized a shooter’s car in the parking lot. Timothy (Tippy) Savage was a year younger than me and also a Baltimore native. We didn't grow up together, but we did have several friends in common. Like me, pool kept him occupied and out of trouble. He didn't travel around from state to state like I did and he played people fair. They knew before they started that he was a good ass shooter.

  I walked into the bar and as the door jingled, I saw a few guys looking up at me. "Look at what the cat drug in. Jammer, what the hell are you doing in here? Thought you were all big time, hustling in Atlantic City and shit."

  I walked up and shook hands with Tippy. It was actually good to see his scrawny ass. "Don't get all scared I'm not going to take all your money, I came back to see someone."

  He patted me on the shoulder. "Did you knock someone up? Come back for a paternity test?"

  I shook my head and scrunched up my face. "Fuck you, man, I keep my shit double wrapped. That's never going to happen. I came back here to see a guy I used to live with. The one that taugh
t me everything I know."

  "The one that taught you how to be gay?"

  "Fuck you, I'm not like you. I like pussy."

  "Touché." Tippy bent over and made a straight in bank shot. "You come here to lose some money, or run your mouth all night?"

  "You can't hang at my level. Hell, you can't even make a kick shot. Who else is in town? Any big shooters?" I looked around the bar and didn't see anyone else that I recognized.

  "Nah, I got a match lined up for ten tonight. You should hang out. You might learn something." I liked how he thought he was the world’s greatest player, but refused to play me for even a hundred.

  "Yeah, I'd love to watch you get a beat down."

  "Shit, I guarantee I am going to leave here with full pockets, bitch. I don't know why you keep doubting my skills."

  I started walking away from his table. "I guess we'll find out if you've improved at ten tonight." I preferred the back table to every bar. It gave me the best vantage point of anyone coming in and always a little more privacy than being surrounded by tables. Nowadays, if I wasn't playing someone for money in my pocket, I was just shooting around for fun. It was important that you never show your real skill level when shooting around on a practice table. Doing that could be the death of the hustle. If the wrong person saw your ability then word would travel and nobody would be willing to play.

  It made sense. I mean, who wants to play when they know they don't have a chance at winning?

  I'd been shooting random shots for about a half hour when my mind went back to the girl that was running Joker's bar. She was clueless. I almost felt sorry for her and I knew those douchebags would be back to threaten her some more. If she was really that oblivious to what those thugs were about, then she could really be in danger of losing everything.

  Joker never once mentioned having a daughter, in fact he didn't talk about his past very much at all. I wondered if he knew he had a grandson, if the kid belonged to the girl. It wasn't like me to worry about anyone other than myself. I'd been on my own too long to be tied down to someone or anything. The fact that it was still on my mind was a new one for me.

  Then there was the fact that she knew my real name. I had to know why she mentioned me.

  After grabbing a quick bite to eat at a fast food joint, I headed back to the bar to watch Tippy's match. He was funny when he shot, because he was this little scrawny guy that had to take some shots on his tippy toes. That was how he got the nickname, Tippy.

  Most players had some kind of nickname they went by. When I started shooting pool, I didn't want people knowing my real name. That was one of my rules. Keep my real life separate from what I did for a living.

  Tippy was telling the truth when he said that he had improved. The guy he was shooting was pretty good. You could tell he didn't have any training and was just a straight shooter. When I started shooting, I didn't understand the difference. Straight shooters shoot pool for fun. They can make shots, but have no skill about running out a rack. Half of what they do is luck and not skill. A professional pool player learns the ins out of making shots, learning angles, ball control, and positioning. It's strategic and takes concentration with every shot. You stand up too fast after your stroke and you miss. It's as simple as that.

  The guy he was shooting was one hell of a shot maker, but he was also pulling shit out of his ass. They were playing nine ball in a race to seven. Tippy was up three with two break and runs, which meant after the break he ran out all of his balls without giving the guy a shot.

  The following rack he broke and scratched, meaning his cue ball went into the pocket creating a foul. The dude he was playing ran out that next rack.

  As the set continued, I noticed some little Sugars coming into the bar. The two of them were probably my age or younger. We didn't have to turn around to know they were there. They were drinking beers through straws and smelled like cotton candy. Tippy nodded at one of them, so I assumed he knew who they were. Since he lived locally, I wouldn't have been surprised if one of them was his real girlfriend. There were some guys that had a problem with using women like I did. My feelings on the subject were if they were willing, then I was up for giving them a good time.

  The guy playing Tippy missed a nine ball combination shot that would have tied up the match. He took his stick and banged it against another table. This was a common amateur move that most players did out of frustration. A real player wouldn't do that when his stick was well over a grand to replace, or repair.

  As the guy checked for any dents that he had inflicted on his stick, Tippy bent over and made the straight in nine ball shot. I wanted to laugh as the guy cussed under his breath.

  Now, a common experienced pool player had no problem talking shit, also known as shaking. When money was on the table, it caused the match to become stressful. In situations like that, you take a random smartass who makes sly comments when you miss a shot or are bending down to take one. Tippy was famous for his, and I had all but thought he'd stopped until he sunk that shot.

  As he taunted the guy, he continued to miss shots, making him become hostile. His threats were increasing as Tippy kept his game constant. After he'd won four, the set was over. The guy took the nine ball before Tippy could shoot it and threw it into the pocket. It was a common move when someone was giving their opponent the match, or game. Tippy had a big ole smile on his face as he went to shake the man’s hand and collect his money.

  "Double or nothing, man?" The guy asked.

  "I don't know, it's getting kind of late and I got shit to do." Tippy looked over at the Sugars when he said it. I saw them leaning into each other and giggling.

  "Come on man, you gotta give me a chance to win my shit back. My wife's going to kill me for this."

  This was also common. These guys came in here thinking they could double their money easily playing a scrawny little guy for money. Unfortunately, they almost always lost because they weren't as good as they thought they were.

  "Sorry dude, I got two chicks waiting to have a good time. We will have to do this some other time." He went to slap him five, but the guy walked away and went into the bathroom. Tippy turned around to face me. "You learn something new tonight, son?” I hated when people from the city called each other 'son'.

  "I learned that you still have a lot more to learn, SON." I said sarcastically.

  "Whatever, dude. You going to come party with us? Rachel and I have a nice ass pad and her friend can be a little freak after she's had some drinks in her."

  I put my arm around him as we approached the girls. "Yeah, sounds like a plan. As long as I don't have to see your ass naked, it's a fun time for me."

  "Shit, you wish you were hung like me. Ladies love me, yo."

  I rolled my eyes and followed them out of the bar. The way I lived made it easy to live day by day. I could party when I wanted to and go when I wanted to go. Why some of these guys wanted to be tied down to one person, I just didn't know. It made no damn sense. Not when there was pussy in every city, just waiting for attention.

  We were driving down through the main part of town to get to where we were going and when we came up to where the tavern was located, I noticed two guys outside the door. All of the lights were off, and one guy had a crowbar in his hand. Now, I realized that the chances of me being in the right place at the right time was slim, so this had to be some kind of divine intervention from Joker, forcing me to do the right damn thing whether I wanted to or not. I cussed him under my breath before telling Tippy to stop the car for me to get out.

  I waited for them to pull away before walking up to the bar to confront the thugs. They had all been drinking and I didn't feel like owing someone for them getting arrested. The two guys had the crowbar in the door and were getting ready to pop it open. "Hey, dickheads, what do you think you're doing?"

  The crowbar dropped and they both stood up to my attention. "Yeah, so my buddy just called the cops and they are in route. You might want to high tail out of here before they
arrive."

  "Who the fuck are you?" One of them asked.

  "Let's just say I'm not someone you want to cross."

  They looked at each other and started laughing. "Unless your last name is Thomas, we don't have to do shit."

  This was it. This was exactly what I didn't want to do. Admitting who I was would for sure get back to my father and he would then know I was back in town. Still, I owed Joker and dead or not, this was what he built. "Then I guess you better start running, because my last name is Thomas. In fact, I believe you might know my father, Vincent Thomas."

  Their eyes got real big in the pale moonlight. "You're Vince's son?"

  I held out my palms. "Yep. So, I suggest you get your asses out of here and don't come back."

  "Well, that might be a problem, since your dad is the one who ordered us to do this."

  I held my composure but both of my hands went into a fist. My fucking father had ordered this break in and probably the thugs that came to threaten Joker's daughter. "You tell my father to back the fuck off. Now, get the hell out of here, before the police arrive."

  I watched them walk around the corner, before I started walking back to the other bar. I wasn't sure why they were there, but one thing I did know was that they were going to keep coming back and I was the only person that could do something to prevent it.

  Chapter 7

  Charlie

  I went from being in college and starting my new independent life, to raising a four year old and running a bar. I was in so far over my head I didn’t know what to do.

  I had to admit that the kid was easy to fall in love with. I was shocked when I first met him and realized how much he resembled me. Now, whenever we went somewhere he was always mistaken for being my son instead of my little brother.

  It was still hard for me to call him that sometimes. For so long I never had family and then all of the sudden I found out that I had a real half sibling out there.