“Didn’t I tell you about that?” Mario asked him. “Didn’t I tell you about that nervous nelly bullshit?”
“But you need to know this,” Joey said, still anxious to tell the news.
“And you need to know not to come at me like that,” Mario fired back. “Now calm your nervous ass down. And then talk. Calmly. Like you’ve got some sense.”
Joey settled himself down.
When Mario saw the difference, he nodded. “Now talk,” he said.
“They picked up Reese,” Joey said.
Mario continued to eat at first, but Joey could see the change in his eyes. Then Mario removed his napkin, stood up and tossed it on the table, and headed for the diner’s backroom. Joey looked around. Only a handful of patrons were inside, and none were watching them. He headed in the back too.
Once in the back, it was Mario who was now concerned. He stood in the hallway as Joey walked up to him. “Who picked him up?” he asked.
“Some of Reno’s guys,” Joey said.
“Where is he?”
“They took him to the airport. They put him on Mick Sinatra’s plane.”
“Mick Sinatra’s plane? Mick the Tick in town?”
“Yeah.”
“Why they using Mick’s plane? Why not Reno’s plane?”
“I don’t know,” Joey said, shaking his head. “But here’s the thing, Boss: they all got on Sinatra’s plane. Reno, Sal, and even Tommy Gabrini flew in from Seattle and boarded Sinatra’s plane too.”
Mario frowned. “Heading where? Where them fuckers going? Did you get their flight manifest?”
“It took some doing, and a lot of cash, but yeah, I got it.”
“So where are they taking him?” Mario asked.
“To Maine. To Jericho, Maine.”
“To Big Daddy’s house?” Mario asked.
“He’s the only game in Jericho.”
Mario placed his fingers to his forehead as if a headache had already come.
“What are we gonna do, Boss?” Joey asked him.
Mario looked at him. “What do you mean we?” he responded angrily. “You’re gonna get your skinny ass back on the street to find out what you can find out. And it looks like I’m going to make a phone call.”
“But is Reese worth it, Boss? Is he worth beginning a war with the Gabrinis, and with Mick Sinatra?”
Mario was annoyed. “What are you stupid? We’re already at war, you fool! This ain’t no beginning! We were nearing the end. It just wasn’t supposed to have this detour.” Then Mario exhaled. “Hit the streets,” he ordered. “I’ll be in touch.”
“Yes, sir,” Joey said, and left.
Mario squeezed the bridge of his nose and shook his head. How could Trevor Reese have fucked up like this? But he knew he had to make the call. He dreaded it. It could be his ass in the sling for this major fuck-up. But he pulled out his cellphone, and made that call.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
When Jenay got out of the tub and entered their bedroom, Charles was lying across the bed half asleep, half awake, but all parts drained. First her accident, and now this so-called “kill” list that included his beloved baby brother and nephews? She knew it was getting to him.
After drying off, she wrapped the towel around her naked body and walked up to her husband. He was lying on his back, with his feet on the floor, and she sat on him and straddled him. When he felt her weight on him, he opened his eyes. Seeing her beautiful, sincere face again made him smile. “You’re done?”
“Yep.” Then she added: “You didn’t join me.”
“Their plane should be arriving shortly. I’ve got to go meet it.”
Jenay stared at him. “You think my accident is connected to that kill list. Don’t you?”
Charles looked into her beautiful eyes. “Unfortunately, yes.”
“But your name wasn’t on that list, and neither was mine. Why would they target me?”
Charles didn’t have any answers right now. So he didn’t respond.
Jenay could see the stress all over his face. He needed relief like she needed answers. She began to unbuckle his pants.
Charles felt a sense of relaxation he hadn’t felt all day when she pulled out his inactive, sleeping penis. But as soon as her tongue touched it, there was an immediate reaction. By the time she had licked up one side of it, and then the other, it had lifted up. By the time she placed it in her mouth, and went down midway, and then all the way, his erection was as stiff as hardness itself. And she perfected her love, moving her mouth up and down along his shaft with that smooth, masterful way he adored.
And when it looked like he could cum in her mouth, he lifted her from his penis, removed her towel, tossing it aside, and placed his own mouth on her breasts.
As he sucked her, moving from one nipple to the next, and as he rubbed her naked ass, Jenay kept her hand on his penis, working it hard. She needed him to cum. She needed him to have a release. Because he was stressed out. And the fight, whatever form it might take, was still ahead of them.
But when her hand nearly fulfilled its task, Charles lifted her slightly and guided his penis inside of her. And he went in deep.
She gasped as he went straight in, and his fullness and strokes caused her to grab his shoulders and hold on for the ride. She was on top of him, but he was the one taking the ride. And he rode her. Hard. He pushed his penis further and further and deeper down into her. And within mere minutes, she was the one cumming. She was the one who couldn’t bear his penis hitting her every sensitive spot another second. She was the one who came first.
But she came by Charles’s design. He understood what she was doing. He understood that she wanted to relieve him. And she did, because he came directly after her.
He came with a hard release. So hard that it caused him to sit up and grab her into a bear hug as he came. He continued to fuck her as his white silkiness poured into her. And she held onto him as the feelings became so strong that she wanted him to pull out. She didn’t think she could bear it. But he kept fucking her as he always did, and she loved it and took it as she always did. Because it was that oneness for them. It was the feeling that the world might rise up against them, but they would rise back together.
When it was all over, Charles carried her to the bathroom and sat her on the double sink vanity. And it was clear to him that he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t leave her behind.
He grabbed a damp cloth and began to wipe between her legs. “You’re coming with me,” he said as he wiped her.
Jenay looked at him. “To meet their plane?”
Charles nodded.
But she didn’t understand. “Why?”
“Because I don’t know what’s going on,” Charles said. “Because I know somebody already targeted you. That accident was no accident, I know that. So you’re staying with me. You’re not leaving my side. Brent will stay here with the girls and Donald. I trust him with my life.”
Jenay couldn’t agree more. “As do I,” she said. “But I’ll be okay here, Charlie. We can’t let them change us like this. Whoever’s up to something, we’ll get to the bottom of it. But for right now, we’ve got company coming. I need to get some food on the table.”
“Get Ashley and Donald to take care of the food. You’re coming with me.”
Then Charles let out a frustrated exhale. Jenay pulled him into a bear hug. “Stop worrying,” she said. “We’ll be okay. I promise you.”
Charles smiled, but when he looked at Jenay, he saw concern in her eyes too. “Tell me,” he said.
“I know you,” she said. “You’re making me go to the airport with you because you believe my life is still in danger. That whoever tried to harm me before, is going to try again.”
Charles looked at her. “Hell, yeah, that’s what I believe,” he said. “Why wouldn’t they try again?”
It had never crossed Jenay’s mind that way. But he was right. Why wouldn’t they?
When he saw her continued distress, he placed
his arms around her waist. “It’s going to work out,” he said. “You trust me, right?”
Jenay held him as tightly as he was holding her. “With all my heart,” she said.
He smiled, but it couldn’t reach his eyes.
Less than ten minutes after Charles and Jenay left for the airport, Donald was looking out of the front window. “Brent, look,” he said.
Brent, who was sitting around the living room with Carly and Ashley, went over to the bay window too. He saw two SUVs drive up.
“Who are they?” Donald asked.
“Probably Uncle Mick’s people,” Brent said. He went to the front door and opened it.
The men began to unload as the leader of the pack got out and extended his hand. “Brent?” he asked.
“Yes, sir,” Brent said as they shook.
“Mick Sinatra sent us. Your uncle?”
“Right.”
“Have they made it from the airport yet?”
“No, not yet.”
“Okay, good. We’ll set up a perimeter out here, if that’s okay with you? To make sure everything’s covered.”
“Yeah, that’s fine,” Brent said.
“That’s the way Mick told us to handle it. Or maybe I’m lying,” the man suddenly added.
Brent didn’t quite understand. “Excuse me?” he asked, reaching for his gun.
But it was too late. “I’m done talking,” the man said, pulled out a revolver, and shot Brent Sinatra through the forehead.
“Brent!” Carly cried as Brent fell back into the house, but not before pulling his gun and shooting the gunman and the two men behind him, and kicking the door shut.
“Run!” Donald yelled to his sisters, as he ran to Brent. But Brent was unconscious now and the other men outside opened the door quickly. Donald picked up Brent’s gun and fired it, remembering the shooting lessons his father taught him. That caused them to back out, and he locked the door.
Carly and Ashley ran, not to the back of the house, but over to assist Brent and Donald. As the men outside were ramming the door, attempting to break it down, the Sinatra siblings began dragging their oldest brother across the room behind the sofa.
“I want you guys to run,” Donald said nervously, “while I cover you.” The door suddenly gave way, and the gunmen outside ran inside.
“Run to the back of the house and hide,” Donald said to his sisters, and as soon as they took off, he began shooting.
But instead of shooting toward him, the gunmen began shooting toward his sisters.
“No!” Donald cried and ran toward Carly and Ashley. He was firing as he ran, which provided some cover, but the bullets were still coming and the men were still progressing. When one of them had a direct aim on Ashley, Donald jumped in front of her. He was shot, not once, but twice, and fell.
Ashley screamed, and froze. Carly grabbed her, and tried to get her out of there.
Outside of the home, Robert and Tony drove up in Robert’s Police Chief Pickup truck. When they saw the two SUVs in the driveway, and heard the gunfire, Robert unbuckled quickly and pressed the radio on his shoulder. “Officer needs assistance,” he yelled. “The Sinatra Estate. Shots fired! And get ambulances out here too!”
“Wait here!” he yelled, jumped out of the truck with his gun drawn, and headed for the house. But Tony wasn’t about to wait. His family was in that house. He reached into the glove compartment where he knew Robert’s spare gun was located, grabbed it, and jumped out too.
By the time Tony made it inside of the house, Robert was already in a gun battle. He heard Ashley scream, and he saw Carly fall. Tony took cover as Robert shot one, and then another one, and was able to avoid rapid fire from a third gunman. But just as Robert stood to fire back, the gunman, who had been waiting for him to show himself, was poised to take him out. But Tony fired the one shot he fired, and took out the last gunman.
“Wait here!” Robert yelled again to Tony, as he hurried to make a sweep of the house. He didn’t have to tell him twice. Tony, who saw Brent’s body, and Donald’s body, and Carly’s body, was too stunned to move.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Charles and Jenay leaned against Charles’s Jaguar as Mick and the Gabrinis made their way across the tarmac. All four men were on that list, but it pained Charles specially to see Mick’s name there. Not because he couldn’t handle it. But because Mick had gone through enough this year. He didn’t need any more problems.
“It took you guys long enough,” Charles said with a smile as they approached him.
“What are you kidding us?” Reno asked. “Our asses got here faster than you could have gotten to us.”
“I can’t afford a private plane like you clowns,” Charles said. “I live in the real world.”
“You want a plane?” Mick asked, his arms wide open. “All you have to do is say so. Your wish is my command.”
“No thanks,” Charles said. “I like living in the real world.”
They hugged, brother to brother, and Charles lingered holding Mick. While he did, the Gabrinis gave Jenay hugs.
“What about that accident?” Reno asked her when they stopped embracing. “The way Big Daddy described it you would have thought surviving was impossible.”
“If you see my car,” Jenay said, “you would have thought so too.”
“But you got out without a scratch,” Sal said. “That’s a blessing right there.”
“I agree,” Jenay said.
“Hey, Sister-in-law,” Mick said when he and Charles stopped embracing. He hugged Jenay too. “You look great.”
“Thanks, Mick. I feel great.”
“I understand your former in-law is in town.”
Jenay nodded. “Yup. He owns a house here. Claims he’s owned it for a few years.”
“That is a lie,” Mick said, and everybody looked at him.
“What do you mean?” Charles asked him.
“Miller Franklin doesn’t own shit in Jericho. I checked when you gave me his name. He’s renting that house on Elm Street.”
Jenay was floored. “Since when?”
“A week ago,” Mick said, and Charles and Jenay looked at each other.
“A week ago?” Charles asked.
“A week ago,” Mick said. “So Mister Innocent R Us, he is not.”
“But why would he lie?” Jenay asked.
“I’ll find out,” Charles said. “I know that.”
Suddenly, a police cruiser began driving toward them so fast that everybody looked in his direction.
“What’s wrong with that fool?” Reno asked as they watched.
“One of these yahoos trying to show off probably,” Sal responded.
“Isn’t that Blake Myersen?” Jenay asked Charles, as the cruiser came nearer.
“Yeah,” Charles said. “With his scared ass.”
“I guess he’s wondering what’s with this little get together,” Sal said. “Every time I come to this town I get curious cops trying to give me a hard time.”
Charles looked at him. “You told Brent about it?”
“The first time I came to this town,” Sal responded, “Brent was one of the ones giving me a hard time.”
Charles smiled. “Now that’s tough,” he said.
But Reno and Tommy didn’t know this town like that. They placed their hands in their pockets, ready to draw their weapons if necessary. But Officer Myersen, the man behind the wheel, jumped out with such horror on his face that they knew he wasn’t a threat.
“Mr. Sinatra! Mr. Sinatra!” Myersen ran toward them. “Get to your house, sir. You need to get home now!”
Charles leaned up from his car. “Why?” he asked, his heart hammering.
“They shot’em, sir. They shot’em!”
“They shot who?” Jenay asked, her heart hammering too. “Who did they shoot?”
“Your children. All of your children!”
Charles and Jenay looked at each other with pure terror in their eyes, and then they jumped into the Jaguar
.
“I’ll stay here with Reese,” Tommy said quickly as Mick, Sal, and Reno jumped in the Jaguar too. And they were off. With Charles behind the wheel, they were flying away. By the time Officer Myersen got into his cruiser to give them a police escort, they were already gone. They were already out of sight.
Tommy hurried back onto the plane after they left, barking orders to Mick’s men to secure the perimeter.
“Nobody comes near this plane,” he ordered as he entered. “I want half of the men outside, half inside, and I want this vessel on lockdown.”
The men, knowing Tommy Gabrini’s word was as if Mick was speaking it to them himself, jumped at his command and did as they were told. Half of the men ran outside, to secure the perimeter, while the other half stayed inside to keep Reese, their valuable cargo, secured. All of the men were on their highest alert.
Tommy sat in front of Trevor Reese like a man on the verge of losing it. But he maintained his composure. What that officer said floored him too. All of Big Daddy’s children had been hit? That couldn’t be! But that officer didn’t look as if he’d seen hell itself for no reason. He didn’t run out here with that kind of fantastic story for no reason. And the only man who could know what was going on was the man now sitting in front of him. Big Daddy wanted to take a turn at him. He understood that. But that was then.
Trevor didn’t know what was going on, but he saw that police cruiser drive up and then he saw Charles Sinatra, with Mick, Sal, and Reno, drive off too. Now Dapper Tom was sitting in his face. Now suddenly the man they had ignored, had flown him all the way to Maine without telling him shit, was front and center once again.
But Tommy wasn’t known as a cool cat for nothing. He crossed his legs and gave Trevor the stare down. But Trevor, a cool cat himself, stared back. He was not the one to intimidate. But something drastic had apparently happened. He was as curious to get answers as Tommy was.
The Gabrinis and Mick Sinatra fascinated Trevor. Except for himself, they lived in both worlds better than anybody he’d ever known. They married good women. Their children were too terrified of them to do any wrong. And all of them were always dressed like the most conservative of businessmen, like paragons of virtue, which was laughable to Trevor. Especially Mick the Tick Sinatra, that heartless sonafabitch. But what, he wondered, was going on?
Big Daddy Sinatra: Papa Don't Play Page 9