“Did the guy who paid you have aname?”
“If he did he never told it tome. He just gave me the script. Told me to make that phone call and read itword for word. And that’s what Idid. That’s all I did. He didn’t even want. . . .” She paused. “And he paid me.”
Mick exhaled. He knew she had nothing to give. And then he stood up. And began heading out. Roz followed him.
“Keep her here,” he said to the guardat the door, “until I’m sure she’s not lying to me.”
“Will do, Boss.”
“Mick?” Charlotte called out.
Mick and Roz both turned back towardher. “What?” Mick asked.
“Could you help me out? All that money’s gone and I need some helpright about now. If you let’em get mesome, I’ll suck their dicks.”
Mick’s jaw tightened. Charlotte used to be a high-class whore. Now she was just a junkie, blowing dicks forblow. He turned back toward theguard. “Get her what she needs,” he saidas he and Roz began leaving again. “Butno payback,” he added.
“Yes, sir,” the guard responded. “That mouth ain’t touching my dick anyway,”he wanted to say.
The Gabrinis rode back with Mick andRoz and the entire conversation centered on who could be behind it. Names were being tossed around, and thenquickly eliminated, until Reno said what Charlotte had said.
“Whoever it is,” Reno said, “he’s newon the scene. And rich and powerful as amotherfuck.
And suddenly it hit Mick and Roz atthe same time, but for very different reasons.
“New on the scene,” Mick said as theylooked at each other. “He’s newon the scene!”
“Who’s new on the scene?” Sal asked.
“And that lackey who does his dirtywork for him,” Roz said, “handed Charlotte a script, and ordered her to read itword for word. That’s Billy,” Roz added.
“Who’s Billy?” Reno asked.
“Even before we made it,” Rozcontinued, “he would sometimes ask me to pretend to be his secretary callingabout a gig. And every single time, Imean every time, he’d give me a script, and tell me to read it word for wordtoo. Those were his exact words. ‘Read it word for word, Roz.’”
“Are you two lovebirds gonna tell uswho you’re talking about?” Reno asked. “Or are we supposed to guess?”
“Billy,” Roz said. “We’re talking about Billy Lancer.”
“Well gotdamn!” Renosaid. “Even I heard of that guy!”
Sal was shocked too. “Billy Lancer? What the fuck would Billy Lancer have to dowith any of this? Isn’t he that fat cat Hollywooddirector, or whatever he is, who puts out all those blockbuster movies?”
“And he’s new to the scene,” Micksaid again, still in his own world with Roz.
“New to what scene?” Tommy asked.
“Our scene,” said Mick. “He suddenly decided to come see Roz andoffer her some role of a lifetime right around the time all the shit startedhitting fans.”
“He was right in my face,” Roz said,“and I didn’t see it.”
“It’s the harmless theory,” Micksaid. “You knew him when he was a struggling actor and was harmless as adove. But now his ass a wolf. When he looked you up about playing some partin some play, it seemed natural. Youthought that same dove was coming to see you, not the big bad wolf he’d become,whose motives were no longer pure.”
“If they ever was,” Sal said.
Roz frowned and shook her head. “And I couldn’t see it because I needed whathe was selling. I needed thatattention.”
Mick took her hand and held it.
“But I still don’t get it,” Tommysaid. “They came for Roz after Hammerand Amelia’s reception. Didn’t you saythat helicopter targeted Roz’s limo, Uncle Mick? If he wanted to get you out of the way to getnext to Roz, which appears to be your theory, then why would he make her atarget?”
“Because of what happened at BigDaddy’s house,” Roz said.
All of the Gabrinis looked atRoz. “What happened?” Reno asked.
“Mick kicked his ass a little,” Rozsaid, “and I didn’t stand by Billy.”
Sal smiled. “So he was through with you just like that?”
“Billy didn’t want me,” Rozsaid. “He wanted the ideal of me. His wife just died. He was free. He thought I could be bought and paid for just like everybody else inhis world.”
“Damn,” Reno said. “And we’ve got to go after him. It’ll be like going after Pamela Anderson orsomebody.”
Sal frowned. “Pamela Anderson? Are you fucking kidding me? Going after a billionaire blockbuster-makerlike Billy Lancer is the same thing, in your little pea brain, as going aftersome Baywatch babe? Reno, get a lifeman. Get a fucking life!”
“My ass got a life. You get one!” Reno fired back.
“No matter what,” Tommy said to Mick,“you can’t go after him right now, Uncle Mick.”
Mick looked at Tommy. It was obvious to everybody just how pissedhe was. Waiting to exact his revengewasn’t something he was accustomed to. But Tommy was the brains of the family, and he listened.
And Tommy held firm. “Too much heat right now, Unc,” Tommysaid. “You’ve got to wait until afterthe trial. Get past the trial, and then getto him. Because Reno’s right. He’s too big. You aren’t taking him down for the count, so we can forget that. You’ll just have to take him down afteryou beat that rap.”
“And if I don’t beat it?” Mick asked.
A dead silence came over thevehicle. Nobody wanted to even entertainthat thought. Least of which Roz. “You’ll beat it,” Roz said, and everybodyseemed to sigh relief. “But Tommy’sright. He think he’s being slick. Let’s let him stay in the background andcontinue to think that way. But no movesuntil we get that trial off of our plate.”
Mick loved the way she said our,and he squeezed her hand.
“Tommy’s right,” Sal said, echoingRoz. “But then again, Tommy’s alwaysright. That’s why he’s my big brother.”
Reno frowned. “So what he’s your brother? He’s not just my cousin, he’s my bestfriend!”
“Since when does a cousin and bestfriend trump a brother, motherfucker?” asked Sal.
“Since right now,” said Reno.
“Shut the fuck up, both of you!” saidMick, frowning.
“But Tommy’s still right,” Roz saidfirmly. “We’ve got to make sure you’resafe first. Then we worry about Billy.”
Mick let out a harsh exhale. He knew they all were
