That was why, before he met Roz, he’dswore he’d never fall in love with anybody because he knew, in the end, hewould be the one with the broken heart. Numerous foreign governments had labeled him the most vicious and fearedmob boss in the world, despite the fact that he presented himself to that sameworld as the paragon of a legitimate businessman, but they were right about onething: Mick feared no man. What hereally feared was his beloved wife breaking his fragile heart. That was the fear that kept Mick Sinatra upnights. That was the kind of damnable,unbearable fear that could take Mick Sinatra down.
But after the vehicles made their waydown Hammer’s mountain and pulled up to a red light a couple blocks beyondCharlemagne, Mick became distracted when he saw a helicopter hoveringnearby. His first instinct was to wonderif it was a police helicopter keeping tabs on him in Canada. But as he leaned forward for a better view,he realized it wasn’t. And then herealized it wasn’t even aimed at his SUV. To his horror, it was aimed at his wife’s limousine! And as quickly as he saw that chopper, Micksaw the danger.
“Jesus,” he said worriedly, quickly unbucklinghis seatbelt.
“What’s wrong, Boss?” his driverasked anxiously.
“Jesus,” Mick was saying again inwhat sounded like a panicked prayer for help as he jumped out of the SUVpulling out his weapon.
But before his feet could step on theground, gunfire from that chopper came raining down, not at Mick, but right atRoz’s limo. Mick started running andfiring up at that chopper as Mick’s driver jumped out of that SUV firingtoo. Deuce McCurry swerved the limo outof formation, to dodge those bullets, but he lost control when bullets piercedthe tires and the limo swerved wildly across the street until it ran, head-on,into a massive tree trunk. The two carsthat were just behind the limo tried to get away, too, but the back car slammedinto the front car and both of them stalled out. The inhabitants of those two cars could donothing but duck down for cover.
But Mick was horrified when he sawthe limo crash. He stopped running longenough to get his best aim at that deadly chopper. Every member of the family were alreadygone. Nobody stood between that gunmanon that chopper and Roz’s life, but Mick. And he fired like he knew it too. He fired exposing himself to gunfire right back at him, but he knew hehad to take that chopper down. He andhis driver fired and fired. But hisdriver took consecutive bullets, and dropped dead right beside the SUV.
But Mick ducked around those wreckedcars and kept on firing. Until he firedone more shot, and realized he had just fired his last bullet.
But that last bullet Mick had fired,or a series of bullets he fired just before the last one, he wasn’t sure, hadfinally penetrated and caught the gunman in the neck. And just when Mick thought he was about to betaken out, too, Mick’s efforts proved enough. That gunman fell out of the helicopter to his certain death, and thepilot, along with his chopper, took off. And got away.
But Mick didn’t care about chasing achopper. All he cared about wasRoz. Because her crashed limousine wassmoking, and he knew it could blow any moment. He had to get to Roz!
He ran across that highway withsprinter’s speed. The men in the twocars ahead of his SUV, who had attended the wedding and reception, too,realized the shooting had stopped and jumped out to help as well.
But every door of that limousine wasjammed. Mick pulled and the other menpulled, but no door would budge. Micktried to break out the glass with the butt of his empty gun, but the glasswouldn’t budge either. So Mick beganramming the windows with his elbows. When that didn’t work, he began kicking on the windows with hisshoes. He kicked and he kicked. He could see Roz inside, trying to get out,and Deuce McCurry was inside, slumped over. And the smoke was billowing wildly.
“We gotta get back!” he heard one manyell. “It’s gonna blow! We gotta get back!”
But Mick wasn’t about to leave hiswife to save himself. He jumped on thetrunk of that limo and was kicking and kicking. Roz turned to him, looking petrified, and he kicked harder. He kept trying to kick the back window inwith both shoes, but it was as if he was kicking on steel!
Two of the men tried to pull Mickback. “It’s gonna blow, mister!” one ofthem were yelling. “It’s gonnablow! Save yourself. It’s gonna blow!”
But Mick angrily snatched away fromthem and continued to kick for his wife’s life. His heart was hammering as he kicked. And everybody was yelling for him to save himself. Everybody was yelling as they ran away savingthemselves. But Mick wasn’t about to lethis beloved die, were they crazy? Theyhad to be insane to even suggest it as far as he was concerned. He had to save his wife!
And that look on Roz’s face. Even she was looking at the hood that was nowon fire, and could smell the leaking fuel too. Even she was begging him to leave and save himself!
But Mick kept kicking. He was no longer a young man, but he kickedlike he was one. And his efforts beganto pay off. But just as the back windowbegan to show some cracks, the front end of the limo exploded into a fireball,causing the hood to dislodge and fly in the air, and the explosion rocked thelimo so violently that Mick was thrown from the trunk. It was such a violent explosion, and hadgenerated so much heat, that the front driver side door blew off, too.
It was
