conversation. “Dad,” she said, “may I ask you something?”
Mick looked
at her. She was the spitting image of
her mother Bella Caine, which meant she was most attractive. But she also had her mother’s inquisitiveness
that sometimes veered too far from her business into his. A trait that irritated him. “You may ask,” he said.
“Why did you
beat Joey the way you did?”
Teddy and
Joey both were stunned that Gloria had asked that question. They couldn’t believe she had gone
there. But if anybody could get away
with it with their father, they also knew, it was Glo.
Mick could
have been upset, but to Gloria’s relief, he wasn’t. “Did your brother not tell you why?” he asked
her.
“He told us
what he wanted us to know.”
“Which was
nonsensical even to our simple minds,” Teddy added.
“None of
your business,” Joey interjected to both of his siblings. “That’s what happened!”
“Your
brother,” Mick said, refusing to go along with Joey’s attempt to end the
conversation, “participated in the kidnapping of Sal Gabrini’s son.”
Both Teddy
and Gloria looked at Joey with pure shock in their eyes. “He what ?”
they both asked in unison.
“If I would
have allowed Sal Gabrini to do to your brother what he wanted to do to him,”
Mick continued, “he would not have been scarred by a chain beating by my
hand. He would have been dead by a
bullet from Sal’s hand.”
“Damn right,
Joey,” Teddy said with a frown on his face. “What the fuck were you thinking? You fucked with Sal Gabrini? Sal Gabrini ? Are you fucking kidding me?”
Joey frowned. “It has nothing to do with you, aw’ight? Dad took care of it. I have the scars to prove it!” He held out his scarred arms. “So I don’t know why you’re tripping about it
now. It’s over.”
Gloria shook
her head. “You need counseling, boy.”
“Maybe I should
give him an ass-whipping too,” Teddy said angrily. “For being stupid!”
“Forget
you!” Joey said with equal venom, and looked out of the window.
Mick’s drink
arrived just as his cell phone began to ring. When he looked at the Caller ID and saw that it was Roz, he picked up
immediately. “Are you outside?” he
asked.
“I’m on
Tyler. Across from Glasco. I just rear-ended somebody, Mick. They just suddenly hit on brakes and I had no
choice.”
Mick’s heart
pounded. He immediately smelled a
rat. “Has the police arrived?” he asked
as he motioned for Gloria to let him out.
“No. It just happened. I haven’t even gotten out
of the car yet.”
“Don’t get
out until I get there!” he ordered. “Are
people around? Are other cars around?”
“No, not
really.”
A terrified
look appeared on Mick’s face. His
children had never seen him so unhinged.
“Drive away
right now,” he ordered.
“I tried
already,” Roz said. “My car won’t
crank. But I’ve got my gun out, it’s
loaded, and I’m going to shoot the first motherfucker who tries anything
stupid!”
Thank
goodness she had balls, Mick felt. “Good,” he said. “You fire on
those fuckers first and ask questions later. I’m on my way!”
“But Dad,” Joey said, astounded. “You’re going to just leave?”
But Mick was
doing just that. He was running out of
that restaurant. He was pulling out his
second cell phone, phoning his men to get to Tyler too, and running.
Teddy, who
knew the peril Roz could be in, tossed a hundred dollar bill on the table,
jumped up, and was running behind him.
“Let’s go
too, Joey!” Gloria said urgently as she grabbed her purse and ran behind their
father and brother.
Joey was in
a state of shock. He hadn’t had a chance
to ask their father anything he wanted to ask him. He hadn’t had a chance to get back in his old
man’s good graces the way his mother and Hillary wanted. Now they were off to the
Mick looked
at her. She was the spitting image of
her mother Bella Caine, which meant she was most attractive. But she also had her mother’s inquisitiveness
that sometimes veered too far from her business into his. A trait that irritated him. “You may ask,” he said.
“Why did you
beat Joey the way you did?”
Teddy and
Joey both were stunned that Gloria had asked that question. They couldn’t believe she had gone
there. But if anybody could get away
with it with their father, they also knew, it was Glo.
Mick could
have been upset, but to Gloria’s relief, he wasn’t. “Did your brother not tell you why?” he asked
her.
“He told us
what he wanted us to know.”
“Which was
nonsensical even to our simple minds,” Teddy added.
“None of
your business,” Joey interjected to both of his siblings. “That’s what happened!”
“Your
brother,” Mick said, refusing to go along with Joey’s attempt to end the
conversation, “participated in the kidnapping of Sal Gabrini’s son.”
Both Teddy
and Gloria looked at Joey with pure shock in their eyes. “He what ?”
they both asked in unison.
“If I would
have allowed Sal Gabrini to do to your brother what he wanted to do to him,”
Mick continued, “he would not have been scarred by a chain beating by my
hand. He would have been dead by a
bullet from Sal’s hand.”
“Damn right,
Joey,” Teddy said with a frown on his face. “What the fuck were you thinking? You fucked with Sal Gabrini? Sal Gabrini ? Are you fucking kidding me?”
Joey frowned. “It has nothing to do with you, aw’ight? Dad took care of it. I have the scars to prove it!” He held out his scarred arms. “So I don’t know why you’re tripping about it
now. It’s over.”
Gloria shook
her head. “You need counseling, boy.”
“Maybe I should
give him an ass-whipping too,” Teddy said angrily. “For being stupid!”
“Forget
you!” Joey said with equal venom, and looked out of the window.
Mick’s drink
arrived just as his cell phone began to ring. When he looked at the Caller ID and saw that it was Roz, he picked up
immediately. “Are you outside?” he
asked.
“I’m on
Tyler. Across from Glasco. I just rear-ended somebody, Mick. They just suddenly hit on brakes and I had no
choice.”
Mick’s heart
pounded. He immediately smelled a
rat. “Has the police arrived?” he asked
as he motioned for Gloria to let him out.
“No. It just happened. I haven’t even gotten out
of the car yet.”
“Don’t get
out until I get there!” he ordered. “Are
people around? Are other cars around?”
“No, not
really.”
A terrified
look appeared on Mick’s face. His
children had never seen him so unhinged.
“Drive away
right now,” he ordered.
“I tried
already,” Roz said. “My car won’t
crank. But I’ve got my gun out, it’s
loaded, and I’m going to shoot the first motherfucker who tries anything
stupid!”
Thank
goodness she had balls, Mick felt. “Good,” he said. “You fire on
those fuckers first and ask questions later. I’m on my way!”
“But Dad,” Joey said, astounded. “You’re going to just leave?”
But Mick was
doing just that. He was running out of
that restaurant. He was pulling out his
second cell phone, phoning his men to get to Tyler too, and running.
Teddy, who
knew the peril Roz could be in, tossed a hundred dollar bill on the table,
jumped up, and was running behind him.
“Let’s go
too, Joey!” Gloria said urgently as she grabbed her purse and ran behind their
father and brother.
Joey was in
a state of shock. He hadn’t had a chance
to ask their father anything he wanted to ask him. He hadn’t had a chance to get back in his old
man’s good graces the way his mother and Hillary wanted. Now they were off to the
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