"I mean what I say, kid. It's possible. Lemme tell ya somethin about life, McCartney," I composed myself and looked her sharply in the eye. "A long time ago when Greyson raised holy hell in some Pennsylvanian town-- outside Philadelphia, I think, he palled around with a no gooder they called Renzo."

"Renzo what?"

"Whaddya mean?"

"What's his last name?"

"Tha's what made him special, he din't have no last name, an' if he did, nobody knew it. Now, this Renzo was out and out trouble any way you look at it. And he realized that with his determination and temper and Greyson's powers of manipulation and love of risk-taking, they'd make a great team.
"Snake Eyes was taken in easily and was up for a new challenge, so he agreed readily. There's somethin' I want you to understand, kid, he's done some stupid things in his day, but the boy's got a good head on his shoulders. I don't want you thinkin' any less of 'im because of what I'm gonna tell ya. It's just how he told it to me, so I don't know if it's all the truth, aright?"

She nodded her head and I seriously doubted whether to tell her or not. She seemed the type to agree and forget, but she did look like she needed another dose of reality, so I was gonna ram it down her throat whether she liked it or not.

"Well, word on the street had it that the police chief's son was trying to earn an honest buck and was working as one of the daytime attendants at this little general store. To keep their sources in check, they decided to do some experimenting. It wasn't the greatest stunt they'd ever pulled and it wasn't supposed to be any more than an attempt to get a headline in the paper: DAYTIME JOB DANGEROUS, POLICE CHIEF'S SON VICTIM OF ROBBERY. That's all- they were easily satisfied.
"Renzo and Greyson walked into the small general store on the corner of the block; a mellow, musty shoppe with some simple items spread out for sale and one man working at the time. Not really a man as he was a boy of about fourteen who was most likely the proprietor's son. He couldn't have been the chief's for good reason; he didn't have the look of arrogance that all members and relations of authority posess. Other than those three, the place was deserted."

I was staring at her, but not looking at her, I saw past McCartney and went deeper into my thoughts.

" 'May I help ye with somethin?' The boy asked Renzo. He was browsing in the back and turned his head at the question.
"Greyson saw the glare in Renzo's eyes and didn't quite understand it, but he played from what he could understand....always trusted everything from Renzo's eyes, it was how they operated.
" 'No, not me,' Renzo replied, staring at Greyson as he stood opposite. He set himself up.
" 'You can help me. I'm not very good at adding, and it would be a great help if you could help me count my money,' Greyson lied with a terribly fake tone of embarassment.
" 'My pleasure,' the boy replied, not so much out of politeness as it was the chance to rip him off.
"Marconi reached into his pocket for his money to set the plan in motion, but when that boy stopped in front of him, grinning that stupid grin, his hand found his knife much easier. Quicker than a hoofbeat, he spun the boy around, twisted his arm behind his back, pulled the knife from his pocket and held it to the boy's lily white throat. What he didn't notice was that he'd knocked his dice out of his pocket at the same time, and of course, them being rigged for snake eyes, they landed it."

I took a second to breathe. I indulged myself in my stories too much sometimes. I took my breath and continued to tell my story, still looking past Monkey-- I wanted to save her reaction for later.

"The kid grabbed Marconi's arm to try and pull it away, but it was no use.
" 'Wh-- what do you want from me?' he asked. Marconi says he could feel the boy's voice vibrating against the blade. That's when Renzo made his way to the cash register.
" 'How much is in it?' he asked.
" 'Surely not more than fifteen dollars,' the boy's voice was calm and he'd stopped struggling. Something had to be wrong. Nobody remains calm and stands still with a knife to their t'roat.
"Greyson heard a floorboard behind him give a soft groan and spun around to it with the boy still in his posession, nearly slicing his throat clean open and faced the tall, intimidating frame of the police chief holding his hick'ry stick in hand.
" 'Come one step closer an' I'll slit 'is throat,' Marconi threatened, holding his grip higher and tighter.
"Renzo panicked, and forced the register shut, ran for the door, slammed it shut and left the three alone.
" 'Let my son go,' the chief demanded, but he wasn't a forceful talker, so Marconi got smart with him.
" 'Oh, this is your son? Why ain't he out on a beat like yer s'posed to be?'
" 'Get your filthy hands off of him. He's just trying to earn a living.'
" 'Yeah, well, so am I.'
"Marconi thought he was home free, but the chief decided to get fancy.
" 'You're forgetting two things, boy.'
" 'I ain't forgettin' nothin'.'
" 'You're run-a-muck accomplice ran out on you, and...'
"He heard a small click and Renzo's distinct chuckle and then Renzo spoke, 'The run-a-muck accomplice has a gun,' a grin as dark as midnight twisted across his sharp features from the back doorway where the chief had been moments earlier. The small gun in his hand caught the light and the chief, being vulnerable, turned to face Renzo. Marconi panicked. He was great for panicking, and drew the knife across the boy's throat. It was to be a slow, painful death he had no intention on committing.
"Marconi ran to the street, dropping the knife in the gutter, and only looked back when he heard a gunshot. Right then, he was only hoping that Renzo wasn't the one shot.
"He didn't realize that he was even being followed until a blunt force knocked his back-- lost his balance, his knees buckled under him and he slid along the cobblestones. There weren't many gawkers. It was a Sunday and practically the whole town was at church. The bull on top of him pressed him into the gutter and grime. It was the police chief- Renzo shot him in the shoulder, but it hardly affected him... I mean, his sun was inside dying, a stin in the shoulder didn't make a difference. The boy died right next to Marconi's dice and they dubbed it the 'Snake Eyes Murder'."

"What happened then?" She startled me, I was enjoying hearing my own voice and it took a moment to figure out where the foreign sound was coming from.

"What?"

"Greyson, what happened to him?" Then I saw her face and the expression was awe-struck, it almost made me happy.

"I'll let you ask him that one," I said flatly and went inside to lay down. The boys and girls inside wouldn't mind, I mean, they had an extra bunk.