CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

The entire Sinatra and Gabrini clans dropped everything and flew to Philly to stay at Mick’s enormous compound until Aristotle was found and eliminated as a threat to the family. Everywhere they looked Mick’s estate was saturated with his capos as they walked around with their long rifles and with helicopters buzzing above providing air support. Nobody was infiltrating that space in that time.

While their children and parents were in a separate wing of the estate, all the heavy hitters of the families were assembling in Mick’s home office to discuss next moves. Mick, Charles and Jenay, along with Teddy and Nikki, Sal Gabrini and Monk Paletti, were already in the office. Deuce was at the estate too, but he was on the grounds double checking and triple checking outdoor security. Reno and Tommy were in the hall outside of the office trying to keep Roz and Trina from going inside. Grace and Gemma were out there as well, but they weren’t the pushy ones.

“If Nikki is in there,” said Roz, “I should be allowed to be in there too. She’s a woman.”

Reno frowned. “What are you talking, Roz? Nikki is the underboss of the most powerful organization in the world. She earned a right to be at the table.”

“Jenay’s in there too,” said Trina. “What did she earn?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Reno asked his wife. “She came back to life, that’s what she earned. I want your ass to try that trick.”

“Just get my husband out here,” Roz said. “Trying to handle me. Just get my husband out here now, Reno!”

Reno didn’t want to open that door, because he knew Mick was going to bark at him for doing so, but Roz was just as bigger a barker as Mick was. He was damned if he did, and damned if he didn’t. He opened the door. “Uncle Mick?”

They all heard Mick yell what in that angry voice they all knew.

“Don’t yell at me. Your wife is out here refusing to take no for an answer.”

“Fuck you, Reno!” Roz said angrily.

“She wants in,” Reno said, and they could hear Mick say the word dammit in that pissed off way of his.

“Babe, come here,” Tommy said to Grace. He knew how vicious Mick could be to anybody in his eyesight, and he didn’t want him lashing out at Grace. The family said Tommy overprotected and cuddled his wife and kids way too much. Tommy disagreed. To him he was just doing what a husband and father was supposed to do.

Grace walked over to him, like a dutiful soldier, Trina thought, and he placed his arm around her narrow waist and whispered in her ear. “I want you to go to the other wing and look out for our children. I don’t want you caught up in this.”

“That’s where I was headed when I heard the commotion.” Then she looked at him and spoke in a low voice: “Don’t you get caught up in it either.”

They both knew she meant for him to lay low when it came time to bring in Aristotle. And although Tommy nodded, she also knew he was going to do whatever was required to help out his uncles.

And Tommy spoke for his kid brother Sal, whom he knew wouldn’t want Gemma in that meeting either, or Mick barking at her. “Gemma, you go with Grace to check on the children.”

Gemma, like Grace, was just hanging around to see if Roz and Trina got their way as usual, so she had no issue with going with Grace. Both ladies left.

And then Mick came out into the hall with a fixed frown on his face. “What is it? I don’t have time for this bullshit.”

“What bullshit?” Roz asked. “Reno and Tommy won’t let me go into that meeting. Tell their asses I’m going in.”

Reno and Tommy both knew Mick was going to make it clear to Roz that she wasn’t going into any meeting, but he didn’t do as they just knew he was going to do.

It was obvious he didn’t want to let her in, and he was looking at her as if he was warning her not to push it too far, but to their shock he didn’t fight her. “Go on in,” he said to her. And Roz, smiling, although she was shocked herself that it wasn’t a battle between them just to get inside, hurried on in.

Reno looked at Mick as if he had lost a pair. “What the fuck?” he said, astounded.

“Don’t start,” Mick said, warning Reno, and then he went back into his office.

“Now can I come in?” Trina asked Reno.

“Hell no! You better go check on the children like the rest of the sensible wives.”

“Boy if you don’t let me in there I’ll knock you through that door and step over you like they did when you fainted.”

Tommy laughed out loud as that comment pushed Reno’s button just like Trina knew it would. “I didn’t faint, what are you talking?” Reno insisted. “I fell. You ever hear of somebody falling before? It happens. People trip and fall all the time!”

While he was explaining his “fall,” Trina slipped past him and went on into the office.

Reno tried to grab her, but Tommy stopped him. “You’re going to lose that battle every time, buddy,” Tommy said with a grin.

Reno looked at Tommy and shook his head. “I’ll trade you Trina for Grace.”

Tommy laughed. “No thanks. And stop lying to yourself. You wouldn’t trade her for the world anyway.”

“No I wouldn’t. But that damn woman gets on my last damn nerve every day of my life! Why can’t she be like Grace?”

“The same reason you can’t be softspoken. That’s not her and that’s not you,” Tommy said.

Reno smiled. He couldn’t disagree with that!

They both moved toward the office door, to go inside, but Reno stopped his cousin and best friend. Seeing Jenay alive and well brought back nostalgia for Reno. He and Tommy used to be so close. Now they barely saw each other. Reno missed him. “What happened to you?” he asked him.

Tommy stopped and looked at Reno. “What do you mean?”

“We used to be close. Tell each other everything. Now I hardly ever see your ass. You’ve changed.”

Tommy considered Reno. They were so unalike that it was as stark as night and day. Tommy, known as Dapper Tom for his unmatched great looks, his pristine clothing, and his appearance, paired against Reno in his always expensive but always rumbled-looking suits because of his hard-driving work style as the owner of the largest hotel and casino in the world, could not look more different. Or behave more differently. “I haven’t changed,” Tommy said.

“Come on man! You’re talking to me. You used to be a whore. Straight up. Worse than any of us. And we all were whores, let’s face it. Remember those days? Remember Shanks and all those other psycho bitches you fooled around with? Now you’re all this perfect dad and husband and shit. What happened to you?”

Tommy laughed. “Grace,” he said, and then he went into the office.

“ Grace ,” Reno said, mocking him, causing Tommy to glance back and laugh again. Then he went into the office too.