They parked two houses down, across the street, from Phillip Valtone’s suburban home. Mick was behind the wheel, and Amelia was on the passenger seat. Just the two of them on this run. It felt wonderful and scary to both of them.
After nearly half an hour of no activity, Amelia looked at her older brother. “I’ve got a secret,” she said.
Mick stared at her. “What is it?”
Amelia smiled. “I’m what do you call it? Pregnant,” she said.
Mick was surprised. He glanced down at her stomach, and realized she always wore big coats around him. Which bought him to the most crucial question. “Who’s the father?” he asked her.
Amelia looked away, as if the answer to that question was why it was a secret.
“Look,” she said, motioning as a school bus drove past them.
Mick looked, too. “What’s that about?” he asked, as the bus stopped in front of the Valtone home. It was one of those short buses generally reserved for students with disabilities.
“Phil’s daughter is in a wheelchair,” Amelia said. “That’s just her school bus.”
“Maybe we’ll get to see her father,” Mick said.
“I doubt it,” Amelia said. “Connie, that’s her name, is very independent. She’s not going to allow anybody to assist her.”
And Amelia was right. Although the bus driver got off of the bus and pressed the button for the wheelchair ramp to come down, the door to the home opened and only Connie Valtone, in her wheelchair, came out. And it wasn’t an electric chair, either. She rolled the wheels herself as she made her way down the driveway to the bus. She rolled her chair onto the wheelchair lift, and the driver pressed the button again, easing her and her chair into the empty bus. She was his first pickup.
“We should see Phil shortly,” Amelia said, as she continued to look toward the house. “He usually leaves for work soon after Connie leaves for school.”
But when the driver got onto the bus, and began driving off, Mick cranked up and began following him.
Amelia was astounded. “What are you doing?” she asked him. “What are you doing, Mick?”
“That bus driver,” Mick said.
“What about the bus driver?”
“He wore a bulletproof vest.”
Amelia was astounded. She knew how to spot such a thing, but it didn’t even occur to her to look. “A bulletproof vest?”
“Didn’t you say the Valtones are notorious for wearing bulletproof vests?”
“Yes,” Amelia said. “But what does that have to do with Phillip?”
“You saw that driver,” Mick said. “He had on a baseball cap, a beard, and his collar was turned up, keeping his profile shielded. If I didn’t want anybody to see who I was, that’s the getup I would have worn.”
Amelia looked at Mick with renewed respect. “So would I,” she said, as Mick continued to follow the bus.
“But why would he go through the process of commandeering his kid’s bus, and picking her up himself in disguise? What’s the point?”
“We are,” Mick said as the bus began to pick up speed, and he did, as well. “His ass probably just found out what happened in Europe. Now he’s trying to get away. But he wanted to take his daughter with him.”
“For sure,” Amelia said. “He loves Connie.”
But Mick didn’t call it love. He called it need and greed. A need to keep his family together, and unable to keep his family together. Now, he had no choice but to run.
And as the bus began to drive faster and faster, as if the driver knew somebody was on his tail, Mick kept pace.
“Slow down, Mick,” Amelia said. “He’ll know we’re on his tail.”
“That’s exactly what I want him to know,” Mick said. “A man like him, rusty at the game, will make all kinds of mistakes when he’s under pressure. I want to keep the pressure on.”
And Mick kept the pressure on. So much so that, by the time they were on a long stretch of highway, the bus was speeding wildly, and Mick was keeping pace. But then, the bus turned down a side road, and stopped.
“What’s he up to now?” Amelia asked, as Mick drove up behind him, and stopped too.
Then Mick saw exactly what he was up to. “Duck!” he yelled when he saw the driver, with the butt of a gun, crack open the back glass of the bus and began firing. Mick covered Amelia as they ducked down, and as the windshield of the Dodge crashed open.
Mick quickly placed the Dodge in reverse. He backed away, but quickly placed the gear in Drive and drove around the side of the bus until he was in front of it. He and Amelia jumped out as the driver ran up front. Mick went to the side of the bus, kicked the door in, just as the driver fired on him. Mick ducked, and fired back, hitting him, not in the heart, but in the head. Knowing the driver wore a bulletproof vest, Mick knew he had no choice. The driver fell against the front seat, and died.
The little girl, on the back of the bus, was screaming. Amelia quickly ran back to her, and pulled her into her arms. She knew Connie. And Connie knew her.
But when Mick turned the driver over, he did not appear to be the same as the photograph form the Internet Amelia had shown to him.
Mick stood erect. “Amelia?” he asked.
Amelia looked up at him.
“Come here.”
Amelia broke away from the little girl, and hurried up front. “What is it?”
Mick motioned to the dead body. “Is this Phil Valtone?” he asked her.
Amelia removed the cap off of the man’s head, and the fake beard from his face. “No,” she said. “I know him, though. He used to work for Bulldog.”
Mick was floored. “Why all of this subterfuge? Where could he be?”
Amelia hurried to the back, with Mick hurrying behind her.
“Where’s your father?” Amelia asked Connie. “Where’s Daddy?”
“He left just before my bus came,” the preteen said. “He said he had some unfinished business he had to take care of.”
Amelia looked at Mick. And then Mick suddenly understood. “Rosalind,” he said as if he was discovering air, and his heart began to hammer.
“You go,” Amelia said. “I’ll stay with Connie.”
And Mick took off. He ran off of the bus and toward his car, pulling out his cell phone as he did. He called Roz first, but her phone went straight to voice mail. He called Teddy next. To Mick’s relief, Teddy answered.
“Pop, you okay?” Teddy asked before Mick could say a word.
“Where’s Rosalind?” Mick asked anxiously as he opened his car door.
“She’s here at the house.”
“Where at the house, gotdammit? Right there?”
“Yeah, Pop, she’s right here. Why?”
“A Valtone may be coming after her,” he said, as he got in the car. “I want you on the highest alert.”
“I am already, but I’ll do more.”
“Put Rosalind on the phone.”
She came on quickly. “Mick, what’s wrong?” Roz asked.
“Thank God you’re okay,” as he pressed the Start button and drove away. “Phil Valtone may be heading your way.”
“Why? Why would he come for me?”
“Because I offed his father, for starters,” he said. “He told his daughter he had . . .”
“He had what, Mick?” Roz asked.
But Mick was stunned. “That he had unfinished business.” Then he thought about it. “Oh no.”
“Mick, what?”
“Stay safe!” Mick yelled, threw the phone down, and then hooked a U-turn and headed back to the bus.
But Phillip Valtone had already tiptoed onto the open door of the bus. Amelia was seated in the back with the little girl, and still comforting her, when Phil walked on. But Amelia’s back was to his, while his daughter faced him. Phil had his finger on his lip, urging her to keep silent, as he walked.
The rope in his hand was thick and he was wrapping it around his fist over and over. He wanted the grip to be tight. Amelia start
ed them down the rabbit hole to his grandfather’s destruction, his father’s destruction, his son’s destruction, and now it was her turn.
When he tiptoed his way up to Amelia, he didn’t hesitate. He took the rope and flung it around Amelia’s throat. Amelia had a gun in her hand, for protection should something turn sideways, and she attempted to use it. She managed to shoot him in the gut, but he wore a bulletproof vest.
And his grip tightened. Amelia tried to loosen his grip, but she couldn’t. While they tussled, and while Connie began screaming again, Amelia fought for her life.
But Phil won the fight. Amelia was growing faint, and was losing air. And he tightened the rope one more time, to end it for good. “You’re going straight to hell,” he said to her.
But Mick ran up on the bus, and pulled his trigger, instead. And it was Phil Valtone’s hateful heart that ended up in hell. He slumped over. Dead.
Amelia jumped up, holding her neck, and saw that Mick had saved her from what she just knew was her certain death. She wanted to go to him, and show her appreciation for him, but the baby was crying. The little girl, who had just witnessed her father’s death, was in dire need. And Amelia, being Amelia, as Mick saw it, went to the girl, instead.
Mick nodded. For the second time in his life, he had a do-over. He failed his grown children during their formative years. But thanks to Roz, he got a second chance to be a father. He failed with his sister Sprig. But thanks to fate, he wasn’t going to fail with Amelia.
EPILOGUE
The tide rolled in and Mick moved over to avoid the water lapping onto his feet. He moved further over, so that Roz wouldn’t be affected, and held her hand even tighter as they walked along the beach. They were in Florida, at Mick’s beach house, and the late-night air gave them a sense of peace and joy. All of their children were with them, including the twins, and Charles and his wife Jenay had joined them, too. Amelia was also there, on Mick’s personal invitation. Life was good again for Mick and Roz, and they planned to keep it that way.
“I’m so glad we could do this,” she said as they walked. “After those Valtones and all of that craziness, I think we all could use this break.”
Mick leaned against her. “We have to do this more often,” he said. “Just stop working so damn much, and relax more.”
“Speaking of work,” Roz said, “I’ve been offered another play. This time in Paris.”
Mick knew it was a dream come true for her, but that didn’t mean he was pleased. The logistics of protecting her when she was out of the country for an extended period of time were a nightmare. “When?” he asked.
Roz looked at him. “Aren’t you going to ask if I accepted the offer?”
“That goes without saying.” Then he looked at her. “Doesn’t it?”
Roz looked ahead. “There was a time when I would say yes, there would be no question.”
“But?”
“But I have a life now. Our children. Our home. A life I love. And my business, something I built up, is flourishing. And you were right. I can’t do both, and I don’t trust anybody else to run it for me.”
“So, you’re done with your acting career?”
“No. I can’t say that. But I can’t accept every offer. My babies are too young. I don’t want nannies to raise them.” Then she smiled. “There was a time when I would not have turned down a thing.”
“But that’s how it works. It’s your choice now. And if I’m hearing you right, you’ll choosing me.”
Roz laughed. “I didn’t say anything about you! I said our children.” Then she looked at him. “But yeah. I’m choosing you.”
Mick stopped walking, and turned to her. “Thank you,” he said. And then he moved slowly toward her mouth, and kissed her. He was about to wrap her in his arms, and do more to her, but Joey’s loud voice interrupted their moment.
“Dad! Mom!” he yelled. “Come quick! It’s happening right now! In the house!”
“What?” Mick asked, alarmed, but Joey had already turned around and was running back inside. Mick tightened his grip on Roz’s hand and ran with her as fast as they could as a couple.
When they got back inside the house, Jenay, Teddy, Gloria, and Joey were standing around in the living room. The twins were asleep in their cribs.
“Where is she?” Mick asked as soon as they walked in.
“In the back,” Teddy said, pointing toward the backroom.
“A doctor was able to get here this fast?” Roz asked.
“The paramedics are on their way,” Teddy said, “but we haven’t been able to find a doctor yet.”
“Then who’s with her?” Mick asked.
“My husband,” Jenay Sinatra said. “He made all of us leave the room. We weren’t helping, he said. Like he’s a regular mid-wife,” she added, and they laughed.
But Mick didn’t. He was too concerned.
Then they heard the cry. That wonderful cry of a newborn baby in the house. The entire group, led by Mick, hurried to the room in the back.
Charles was in shirtsleeves, handing a big, fat baby boy to Amelia, who was sprawled out on the bed.
“It’s a boy,” Charles said, and Roz and Jenay were especially pleased.
Mick was pleased too. He knew Amelia was pregnant. She had mentioned in to him during their stakeout at Phillip Valtone’s home. She started showing, so they all knew she was pregnant shortly thereafter. They also knew, when she came on vacation with them, that she was close to her delivery date. But nobody, including Amelia, realized she was this close.
“Have you named him yet, Auntie?” Gloria asked her.
“Yes,” Amelia said, staring lovingly at her first child. She was smiling, but Mick could see the sadness, too.
“What’s his name?” Teddy asked.
“Hannibal Joey Sinatra,” she said. Then she looked at her brothers. “At my brothers’ urgings, I’m going to take the Sinatra name. The Valtone name was never a name I chose to have. My mother died a Sinatra. The people I care about are Sinatras. Me and my child will be Sinatras, too.”
Everybody were pleased. Especially Mick, Charles, and Jenay. Roz and Gloria even had tears in their eyes.
Joey had tears in his eyes, too. But for a very different reason.
“Joey?” he asked Amelia, and everybody looked at him. “You said his middle name is Joey?”
Amelia nodded. “Yes. That’s what I said.”
“What? You have a friend by that name, or his father has that name?”
Amelia smiled, and shook her head. “No, Joey. He’s named after you. He’s going to be strong and caring, just like you.”
Joey’s heart soared. He couldn’t believe it. Nobody, not ever, had honored him with such kindness. He burst into tears. Gloria, crying too, went to her brother and embraced him.
Roz was touched, too. “You picked the perfect middle name, Amelia,” she said.
“Now everybody out,” Charles said. “The paramedics should be here soon!”
“Yes, Mr. Mid-Wife,” Jenay said, and they all laughed. But they did as he ordered, and left the room.
Everybody, that was, except Mick and Roz.
When they all had gone, they looked at Amelia. “Who’s the father?” Mick asked her. He’d asked her once before, but she did not give him an answer.
Amelia stared at her son. “Hamilton,” she said.
“Hamilton?” Mick asked.
“Although,” Amelia added, “all of his friends call him Hammer Reese.”
She looked at Mick and Roz. They both were floored. “Hammer Reese?” Roz asked. “Trevor’s brother?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
Mick frowned. “But that fucker used to run the CIA, Amelia!”
“I know.”
“What were you thinking?”
“I wasn’t thinking, obviously.”
“But I thought he was spoken for,” Mick said. “I heard he had a thing for that crazy-ass Reggie Dell.”
Amelia nodded. “I heard that,
too,” she said.
“But you slept with his ass anyway?” Mick asked.
“Why?” Roz asked, as the sirens of the ambulance could be heard.
Amelia looked at her son again, and then looked at Mick and Roz. “Everybody wanted him. He wanted me. Why wouldn’t I?”
Mick stared at his sister. Then he leaned down, as close to her as he could get. “Because you’re a Sinatra now,” he said. “And Sinatras don’t eat anybody’s seconds.”
Amelia smiled. “Yes, sir,” she said, and then she laughed. Mick and Roz laughed, too.
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Mick Sinatra: Love and Shadows Page 17