CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“Quit lying, Reno,” Sal said. “Why you lying?”

“I’m not lying.”

“Everybody saw it with their own two eyes. Your ass fainted.”

“I tripped and fell,” Reno said. “How many times do I have to tell you that?”

Sal looked at Charles, Mick and Tommy. But they were just amused by how easily Reno and Sal could push each other’s buttons. “Did you’s or did you’s not see Reno faint?”

“ You’s is not a word, Sal Luca,” said Charles. “How many times do I have to tell you that?”

“But did you see him faint, Big Daddy? Just answer that question for me please.”

They were in Charles’s mancave downstairs, which looked to everybody else more like a workspace than a place of relaxation. There was a huge desk down there and bookshelves and file cabinets and property maps galore on what they counted was at least ten different bulletin boards. Even a conference table where they all sat was down there.

Some mancave was their first thought. But then they realized it was Big Daddy, the workaholic of workaholics, and it didn’t seem so odd to them.

“Did you see him faint, Big Daddy?” Sal asked him again. “Please tell the people.”

Charles looked at Sal. “Why is it so important to you to know that answer when you already know it?”

“Thank you!” Sal said as he hit his hand on the table.

“What thank you?” asked a frowned Sal. “All he said was why does it matter so much to you? Trying to humiliate me. That’s why it matters to you. I didn’t faint. I fell. Everybody knows that.”

“Whatever, Reno,” said Sal, disgusted by the whole thing.

“What’s your read on what’s going on, Big Daddy?” Tommy asked.

“On that did he fall or did he faint shit? I don’t have a read on that.”

Mick leaned his head back and shook it. “I’m sure he’s not talking about that, Charlie.”

“Oh!” Charles realized his level of concentration was off. He had Jenay back and she was all he could think about. “We need to find who pulled the strings that caused all of that pain to Bella and Ursula, and what almost happened to Roz. And Jenay of course. We’ve got to find that Aristotle character. That’s all there is to it. We’ve got to know who’s pulling the strings.”

“What about you, Uncle Mick?” Reno asked. “Why you figure even the government can’t find this guy?”

“They’re looking in the wrong places. I read everything Hammer gave to me.”

“Which is probably not even half of what he truly knows,” said Tommy.

“Half my ass,” said Big Daddy. “Not even one percent knowing Hammer.”

“However minuscule, I read it all,” said Mick. “All Hammer’s focused on is his spy networks and his operatives and his sources and methods. As if this Aristotle guy was from his world. But the picture I’m getting is no spy or anything near it. He’s a straight up gangster in my view. He’s from my world.”

“But what kind of gangster, Uncle Mick?” Tommy asked. “Are we talking crime family? Are we talking Cosa Nostra?”

“No,” Mick said clearly. “I’m talking thug. I’m talking a one man band with a whole lot of minions doing his bidding. There’s no family. No made men. No wise guys. Just him and his money.”

“So where do we begin?”

“ We don’t begin anywhere,” said Mick to Sal. “You, Reno, and Tommy are going to go back home to your families and wait until I have more to work with. That’s when I may have to pull you three in. But I don’t know shit yet.”

“But you said those bastards infiltrated our companies,” said Reno. “I pay people top dollar to make sure that never happens, but you’re telling me it already has.”

“And Hammer already pulled them out of your companies.”

“But who were they?”

“He’s not telling us that yet,” said Big Daddy. “He doesn’t want any blowback on his operatives in the field. So don’t go snooping around and asking questions guys. Let us get some answers first, then we’ll know where to look.”

Tommy nodded. “That’s fair,” he said.

“I don’t know how fair it is,” said Reno.

“Me either,” said Sal. “But we’ll go along with it for a minute. But if you don’t get any answers soon, we’ll get’em ourselves. Now let me rephrase my question: Where are you going to begin? What’s the game plan?”

“I’m going to begin where I always begin,” Mick replied. “At the beginning. The guy that shot Jenay came all the way to Jericho. Who was he beyond Jumbo Fourtaine’s son? That’s where I’m going to start.”

“He’s in prison. We should pay him a visit.”

“We will,” said Mick. “But not in prison. He’s not there anymore.”

They all looked at him. “What you talking?” Reno asked. “He is in prison.”

“Hammer allowed him to break out for questioning. He’s in one of my off-the-map safe houses here in Jericho.”

Reno smiled and shook his head. “Hammer. That guy has too much power,” he said.

“That’s why you never trust him,” said Mick.

“If he’s here,” said Charles, “let’s go get those answers right now.”

“Want us to tag along?” Sal asked.

“No.” Mick was firm. “I want you to get back on your planes and get back to your families. When I see a pathway forward, I’ll let you know.”

“Will your family be safe if you and Big Daddy are out playing cops and robbers?”

“Cops?” Mick was offended.

“Robbers then,” said Charles. “That suit you better?”

Mick gave his brother a hard look. Reno, Sal, and Tommy suppressed laughs.

“The family will be safe,” said Charles. “Frankie Paletti is staying back with Ashley, and Mick’s got this place surrounded like it’s the White House. Between The Monk and Mick’s guys, there’s no worries in that department.”

The Gabrinis were satisfied with that.

“But we’ve gotta keep a tight ship,” Charles added. “I don’t want any of you telling anybody about Jenay. Not even your children yet. Not until we capture the people that tried to harm her. Not until we find out why they targeted her and if it’s connected at all to what happened with Mick’s baby mamas.”

“What about your kids, Mick? Do any of them know?”

“They know, yes. Ted and Nikki are covering the home front. They have the twins under their thumbs, and Bella and Ursula are under lockdown for now as well. Gloria and the baby’s home, but I have tight security on them too.”

“Where the hell is Oz?” asked Reno.

“He’s back in Greece. He’s useless.”

Then Mick stood up. “I knew how much you guys care about Jenay. That’s the only reason I brought you here. But I need you to go back home as if there’s nothing to see here. You were just checking on Charles. No further moves until I say so.”

They all nodded. They had businesses to run and couldn’t argue with getting back to it.

And Charles and Mick left.