CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Sitting at the dining table playing cards at Mick and Roz's, that phone of Mick's rang again. Charles "Big Daddy" Sinatra looked at his younger brother as if he knew better than that. "Turn that shit off, Mick, what's your problem? We're trying to have some fun for a change. It's already late thanks to you showing up late. Turn it off!"

Mick Sinatra picked up his cellphone from the dining room table and looked at the Caller ID. When he saw that it was Lucas Grimley, he ignored it and sat it back on the table, face down. And even though Mick was the owner of a Fortune 500 corporation and a vicious mobster from way back who was known to this day as the boss of all bosses in his other life, Charles was the only man on earth that could tell him what to do. But he still didn't turn it off.

And Charles was still pissed. "Any of my children sit at the dinner table with a phone ringing off the hook like that I'd knock them through a wall."

"Your children are afraid of you," said Mick, glaring at Charles. "I'm not."

Mick's wife Roz and Charles's wife Jenay looked up from their cards, glanced at each other, and smiled. Mick said he wasn't afraid of Big Daddy, but he never denied the main point: being one of Charles's children. They both knew that was mainly because Charles was the one who really raised Mick. And although they were close in age, their relationship was more father and son than brothers. And contrary to popular belief, both ladies also knew it was Charles Sinatra that was the real patriarch of the Sinatra, and Gabrini, families. But because of Mick's vicious reputation, the world and many in the family, assumed it was Mick.

"You've raised wonderful children, Charles," said Roz. "You and Jenay both raised them right. Every one of those kids turned out right."

"Thanks, Roz," said Jenay, "but those boys were all Charlie's doing. They were all grown when Charles and I got together. He was a great single father who didn't play with them. They love and respect him to this day because he was dependable. He was always there for them and never gave up on them."

Roz glanced at Mick. When Mick's older children were young, he neglected the shit out of them. Tried to do the same when Roz had their twins, but Roz refused to let him. He was even doing better, though not great, with his older children too.

"I agree with you," said Roz. "Charles did do a masterful job. Every one of those boys are successful. Bobby's a mayor. Brent's a police chief. Tony's a psychologist. And even Donald, who I thought wasn't going to amount to a hill of beans, is now richer than all his brothers combined!"

They laughed.

"But don't leave Jenay out of this success story," Charles said. "She raised our younger kids. She's the one who raised Ashley and Carly and Bonita. Don't forget that. While I was working my ass off, she raised our daughters. And they're all successful too. She did that," Charles said and looked at his wife lovingly. She'd had her health issues, and still wasn't one hundred percent, but ever since he first saw her working at a wedding, he knew he'd move mountains for her. "It's a blessing is what it is," Charles added as Mick's phone rang again.

Charles threw his cards on the table "For crying out loud, Michello!"

But when Mick picked up his phone and looked at the Caller ID this time, he knew he had to answer. "It's Millie," he said.

"Put her on Speaker," said Roz. "I heard the divorce is still on hold, thanks to Hammer's ass. I want to hear how she sounds."

Mick placed the call on Speaker as he answered it. "What's up, Mill?"

"Can you come?" Amelia didn't mince words.

They all found her request odd.

"Come where?" asked Mick.

"To my house."

"Why?" Charles took over. "What's happened? And don't tell me it's more of that Hammer bullshit."

"A guy broke into my house," Amelia said and every one of them sat at attention.

"Somebody broke in?" Charles, who was closest to his baby sister than anybody in this world, pushed his chair back from the table. "Who broke in? Where are they?"

"It's okay. We fought."

"And I take it you won?" asked Mick.

"I won," said Amelia. "He tried to kill me, but I won."

But it was a lot for all of them to digest. "Oh my Lord, Millie," said Jenay.

"Where is he now?" asked Charles.

"Upstairs. He's dead."

While Roz and Jenay voiced their shock, Charles and Mick glanced at each other. To hear that their kid sister had to fight for her life scared the shit out of them both. "Did you call 911?"

"What do I look like calling fucking cops," Amelia shot back. She just had to kill a man, but that didn't kill her feistiness. "But," she added, "can you come, Mick?"

Charles was already standing up. "We're coming now," he said.

Mick remained seated. "You said but. What's the but?"

They could hear Amelia exhale. "I know him," she said. "We all do. He's a United States Senator."

"A senator?" Jenay was floored. Everybody stood up when she said those words. "A senator?"

"And you're sure he's," Charles started asking.

But Amelia cut him off. "Yes, Charles, I'm sure. He's dead. Just get here."

"We're on our way," Mick said as Charles was already putting on his suit coat. "I'll call in a clean up crew."

"No, Mick," said Amelia. "Not yet. Get here first." Then she ended the call.

Mick and Charles glanced at each other again. That was super strange. Why would she want a dead body lying around in her house? There was more to this story. A lot more. "I'll suit up," Mick said as he began leaving.

"I'll get ready too," said Roz.

But Mick looked at her angrily. "No hell you won't."

"But she may need me too, Mick."

"No!" he said so loudly and angrily that they all could see the stress already on his face.

But that look worried Charles. Did Mick know something? "Think we need back up, Mick?"

"No. I don't think she's in danger. I think she fucked up and won't tell us how."

"I'm going too," Roz said again.

But Mick stopped and looked again. "I said you're not going."

"She may need me."

"I don't give a fuck what she needs. You aren't going. You're staying here with the twins. And I'm calling Nikki to come over as a just in case."

"Nikki?"

"Yes Nikki. I may need Ted."

"But why she got to come over here? I can protect me and mine. I don't need no Nikki or nobody else to be coming over here."

"She's coming. And your ass not going anywhere. Am I clear, Rosalyn?"

His sleepy eye was nearly closed, which Roz knew was a tell-tell sign that if she didn't want to end up through a wall she'd better back off. She backed off. And Mick got on his phone to give instructions to his pilot, as he left the room.

Roz quickly appealed to Charles, who was just ending a call himself. "I want to go, Charles. Millie may need a woman there with her."

"You heard what he said, Roz. What can I do?"

"You can tell him I'm going. You're the only person on earth that can make his stubborn butt do anything."

"Yes, I can make him let you come too."

"Then why won't you?"

"Because I agree with him! We don't know what's going on yet. You stay here with Jenay and the twins. And don't give Nikki a hard time when she gets here. She does what Mick tells her to do. Stay put. Until we know something."

Jenay looked at Roz. She was the only somebody in the family, other than Charles, who didn't let Mick handle her the way he handled the rest of them. But she backed down on this one. And Jenay knew why. They both were black women. They didn't take shit from anybody. But Sinatra women got tired of battling those Sinatra men. Everything was a battle! And Roz, as Mick the Tick's wife, had the biggest fights of them all.

When Mick reappeared, he was "suited-up" in one of his long white coats, black trousers, and a black turtleneck. And with he and Charles on their phones ordering Teddy Sinatra to be on standby; to get Nikki Sinatra over to Mick's house; to increase grounds security there in Philly but also in Charles's homestead in Maine too, they hurried out of the house.