“How?”
Hammer shook his head. “I ran CIA. I don’t have a clue how they handle their business over at ATF. FBI either. But my advice? Shut it all downuntil this blows over. Because the heatis on now. Big time.”
Mick understood. And then he stood up. “Thanks,” he said, and the two men shookhands. “And Hammer?” Mick added just ashe was about to leave.
“Yep?”
“Fuck around on my sister and yourass is mine.”
“You mean,” Hammer said, “don’t doAmelia like you do your old lady? Don’tworry.”
Mick wanted to kick Hammer’s ass foreven going there. But Hammer wasn’t theonly person who thought of Mick as incapable of being faithful to one woman,and Mick knew it. “You treat Millie theway I treat my wife,” Mick said, “you’ll get no trouble from me. Asshole,” Mick added with a slight smile,Hammer laughed, and then Mick got off of the plane.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The Bentley drove up to the GrahamTalent Agency and Roz, the owner, stepped out. She was sipping her coffee with one hand and carrying her briefcase withthe other hand when she entered the lobby. Teegan Salley, Roz’s secretary, was waiting by the reception desk assoon as she walked in. She hurried overto Roz.
“Hey, boss,” she said as she took herbriefcase.
“Hey.”
“Mark’s in conference room C.”
Roz frowned. “Mark Reynolds? What’s he doing here?”
“Says he wants to explain to you whathappened.”
“He got his ass fired,” Roz said,“that’s what happened. What’s there toexplain?”
“And Jemilla’s in conference room A.”
“Jemilla? Why?”
“She says she’s quitting theshow. She says she can do better thanthe CW. She wants to be on one of thetop three network shows.”
Roz rolled her eyes. These spoiled-behind, so-called actors weregetting on her last nerve. “I’ll seeJemilla first. Tell Mark I’ll talk tohim another day. I am too busy.”
“Instead of seeing Jemilla first,”Teegan said, “you might want to go to your office first.”
Roz looked at her. “Why would I want to do that? Jemilla wants to leave a successful show Ibusted my butt to get her on, and to do what? To maybe get, perhaps get gig on some network shows that don’t give adamn about diversity, and you don’t think I need to see her first?”
“You need to see her, that’s a fact,”Teegan said. “But you might want to seeBilly Lancer first.”
Roz stopped in her tracks. “Billy Lancer?”
Teegan smiled. “The great Billy Lancer is here, Boss!”
Roz couldn’t believe. “Stop playing with me, girl. I am not the one!”
“I’m not playing! He’s here. To see you. He’s right upstairsin your office right this very minute waiting for you!”
Roz’s heart soared. She and Billy went way back, when they wereboth young, struggling actors on Broadway. Roz went on to have good success as an actress, but Billy went toHollywood and became one of the greatest movie producers of a generation. She handed her coffee to Teegan. “I’ll be in my office,” she said as she beganhurrying for the elevator.
“Yes, ma’am,” said Teegan, grinning.
“But tell Jemilla to keep her asshere,” Roz ordered. “I’ll see hernext.” And Roz got on that elevatorexcitedly, and kept punching the button until the doors closed.
The receptionist, who heard theentire conversation, was grinning too. “I haven’t seen the boss that happy in a long time.”
“Wouldn’t you be happy if BillyLancer was in your office?”
“I guess so,” the receptionistsaid. But then she looked atTeegan. She knew about actors andactresses in Hollywood. She knew nothingabout producers and directors. “Who’s Billy Lancer?” she asked.
Teegan looked at her as if she wasthe sister from another planet. Then sheshook her head and headed for conference room A.
Upstairs, as he sat in front of Roz’sdesk in her office, Billy Lancer’s hands were sweating. He couldn’t believe it. His hands were sweating as if he was thestarlet about to meet the big producer. He pulled out his handkerchief and wiped his hands. What on earth was wrong with him? Yes, he’d liked Roz ever since he first laideyes on her, but back then he figured he was out of her league. And then, when he made it so big that shewas out of his league, he met Natalie, and didn’t give Roz a secondthought. And then Roz became tangled upwith Mick “The Tick” Sinatra, that slimy gangster, and that was the end ofthat.
Until his wife died. And Mick the Tick was responsible.
Until he realized that even a tickingtime bomb might explode in the wrong direction, if you tampered with it right.
He smiled as he put his handkerchiefback into the pocket of his suit. Because he wasn’t just tampering with that bomb. He had the power to make sure there weresevere consequences, when that bomb blew.
And when that office door opened, andRoz Graham walked in, his tampering began. He turned toward her, smiled even greater, and stood to his feet.
“Roz!” he said happily, his armsoutstretched, when he saw her beautiful face. And they ran into each other’s arms.
CHAPTER TWELVE
They walked up the six flight ofstairs as if they belonged there. Micksuited up in his long white custom-made coat, his black trousers, his blackturtleneck, and was walking alongside Teddy, who wore jeans, a brown leatherbomber jacket, and a skull cap. Theylooked like two heavies in that rundown apartment complex in Rome, coming tonegotiate their boss’s business, except they were the boss and the underboss,and Mick Sinatra was not there to negotiate a damn thing.
That was why, when they made it to thesixth floor and walked over to apartment 2-16, they didn’t knock. They didn’t ask whomever was inside to openup. Mick leaned back, lifted hisexpensive shoe, and kicked that door down.
Pauley Jay, Mick’s man in Rome, wason the sofa getting head from some woman, and he immediately reached for thegun he had beside him. Until he realizedwho it was. And he was stunned. “Boss? What you knocking my door down for?” He quickly pushed the woman away and put that thing back in hispants. And hurried to his feet. “Boss, what’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?” Mick asked as Teddygrabbed the still-clothed woman and flung her out the door, tossing a hundreddollar bill at her. The woman grabbedthe
