CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

The ambulance carrying Bella, along with Gloria and Nikki, drove around to the backside of Mick's estate where the makeshift hospital in one of his huge guest houses was located. A massive contingent of security personnel in three additional SUVs followed the ambulance in. But Mick, along with one of the security SUVs, didn't go around back. He pulled into the circular driveway at the main house instead. But it didn't matter which entrance anyone took. Security was so tight all around the vast property that it appeared to be an army of capos protecting it.

"Damn, Mick," Roz said when she saw just how many men were onsite, and a helicopter was buzzing above.

But just as they were getting out of the Escalade, Teddy, in jeans and a sweatshirt, was running out of the house with Trevor Reese, in his usual suit, rushing behind him.

Roz's heart dropped. "Is it the children?" she asked the two men frantically.

"It's my mom," Teddy said as he was running toward his Corvette.

"What about your mother?" Mick asked.

"I can't reach her. When I called her earlier, she told me she had just gotten back in town and was turning into her driveway. She said she'd call me back as soon as she got in the house, but she didn't call and I haven't been able to reach her. Now I'm panicking."

"Well hold on, Ted," Roz said. "Maybe she stopped to talk to a neighbor."

But Teddy was shaking his head. "That's not what this feels like. That's not what this feels like at all!"

"Where's Frankie?" Mick asked Trevor.

"He had to go back to Jersey to handle syndicate business. But he followed your orders. Ashley's still here."

"Keep her here," Mick said as he began hurrying to Teddy's Corvette too. "You're in charge. Including of my wife," Mick added, knowing how feisty Roz could get with anybody telling her what to do, and how reluctant everybody was to tell her to do anything. "Everybody on lockdown," he also said as he hopped into the Corvette where Teddy was already behind the steering wheel buckling up.

"Be careful," Roz yelled out, as Teddy and his father sped away.

Trevor motioned to the SUV that drove up behind Mick's Escalade to follow them, and Big Ed Bronson, the driver, along with Vincent LaGuardia riding shotgun, swerved around the other parked cars and took off behind the Corvette. Trevor wasn't mob: he owned an international marketing firm in Boston. But everybody in the Sinatra circles knew he was a longtime government assassin who did special ops missions for his brother, former head of the CIA Hammer Reese, and was not a man to trifle with. Mick didn't leave lightweights in charge of his wife.

Trevor opened his suit coat and placed his hands in his pants pockets. And he shook his head as they watched Teddy's Corvette speed out of the security gate before it could open all the way. "What in the world is going on, Roz?"

Roz shook her head too. "Damn if I know, Trevor. Damn if I know!" Then she looked up at that helicopter that was hovering, under Mick's orders, as air support security for their estate. Which meant Mick knew this was getting out of hand too. Which was beginning to scare even Roz. "Let's get inside," she said, and Trevor followed her in.