from me, taking his eyes away from the road longer than I was comfortable with. His mouth moved silently with what I was fairly sure were curses. “And you’re sure that’s him?”
“Yeah, I mean, that’s how Ryan introduced him. Artem Symanski.”
“Son of a bitch,” he said.
21 Carson
This required a groupphone call. I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel while I waited for everyone to get on the line. “We might have a problem,” I said.
“What?” Eric and Wesley asked simultaneously. Their voices were crystal clear through the car’s speakers.
“I know Symanski. But that’s not his usual name. He’s the Dude. Jiri Dudacek.”
“Big Czech guy?” Ridge said. “Worked with Iskowitsch?”
“Yeah. That’s him.”
“Why didn’t he get taken down with the rest of Fatman’s crew?” Ridge growled, his voice dripping with venom. He’d had a personal vendetta against Bruce Wayne Iskowitsch, aka Batman aka Fatman. Of course, Iskowitsch wasn’t too thrilled with Ridge either. Probably because the thief had murdered his pedophile son. I’m not sure even Leo knew that fact about our most closed-mouth crew member. No one ever would. Miranda had made that file disappear. Now only Ridge, Miranda, and I knew, and it would stay that way unless Ridge confessed. “I thought we took care of him and his crew.”
“The Feds did,” Leo said. “I’ll look into it.”
“Knowing him, he probably flipped on Fatman and they let him walk,” Ridge said. “Not that he knew shit. He was just a heavy for Fatman.”
“I guess he’s expanding,” I said. “Between Charlie’s death and Iskowitsch’s arrest, there has been a bit of a power vacuum.”
“You think he’s expanding?” Leo asked.
“I think he’s trying,” I said. “Neo, can you do a read on him?”
“Sure thing. Give me a few minutes.”
I turned to Eric. “What do you know about this guy? Did he contact you or Ryan first?”
“Ryan brought Symanski, uh, that Dude guy, to Eric,” Danny said. “He told me.”
“Is that Danny?” Eric asked.
Oh, I had a lot of explaining to do. Later. “How did Ryan meet him?” I asked Eric.
He shrugged, his eyebrows drawn together in concern, and there was a deep furrow between them. “He never said. But, well, Symanski knows who you are. I mean, he knows Carson Grieves and knows you’re him.”
“Fuck. Are you sure?”
“Ryan came to me. Yesterday. Told me that Symanski had told him all about you and that I should be careful.”
“Fucking Ryan,” Danny said. I don’t know what Ryan had ever done to Danny to make him hate him, but I appreciated the show of solidarity.
It was my worst nightmare. If he knew Carson Grieves was really Jake Karlsson from La Crosse, my family was potentially in danger. “You’re sure?”
Eric nodded. “I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” I said. “So my big revelation wasn’t exactly a surprise to you?”
Eric looked guilty and conflicted. “It’s not as if I believe Ryan unconditionally. It was more like when he said that about you, it just made sense. It explained a lot.”
“It did. And I assume you were waiting to see if I would tell you myself before confronting me?”
He nodded.
“It’s what I would have done in your place,” I said.
“Okay,” Wesley said, coming back on the line. “There isn’t much. Just some message board stuff, some inquiries. Seems this Dude guy was expanding his reptoire beyond beating up deadbeats. He’s started loaning money himself. I’ve got some guys in Nevada keeping an eye out on him. He’s been pulling together some smaller guys.”
“Gambling?” I asked.
“Gambling,” Eric echoed. “Who? Symanski He’s a gambler?”
“No, he’s the one who loans money to the gamblers. This kind of a move isn’t his style.”
“Ryan gambles.”
“Ryan owes a shit ton of money,” Wesley said. “Like two hundred k.”
“How do you know…,” Eric started to ask. “Never mind.” He was learning.
Suddenly I was hit with another epiphany. It seemed to be the day for it. “Ryan is in on it. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“Oh shit,” Ridge said. “I bet he is.”
Eric looked at me, eyes wide. I shook my head, to tell him I’d talk to him when we were alone. “I got to go talk to Eric. Ducky, what is Ryan doing today? Tomorrow, I guess.”
“I don’t know,” Davis said.
“Eric, what’s Ryan’s schedule tomorrow?
“I don’t know,” he said. “I can call him if you want, but it’s kind of late.”
I checked my watch. Damn it. “Okay, we’ll have to deal with this tomorrow. Ducky, find Douchy, and stick to him like a tick. Flirt with him. Get