He wasn’t a kid anymore.
That was for damn sure, he thought,when he forced that second wind that gave him the strength to lift that barbelljust high enough to rack it. Then he satup, straddling the bench, barely able to catch his breath. He sat there, slumped over, realizing thatthose days of working out every now and then had to end. He was getting out of shape.
“Sorry to disturb you, sir.”
Mick suddenly felt as if he’d beencaught in a state of weakness when he heard the voice of one of the securityguards that stood at the gym’s front entrance. He immediately sat erect, as if he was in as good a shape as any manalive. “What is it?”
“Mr. Lewinsky wishes a word, sir.”
David “Lewdy” Lewinsky was Mick’shead of international security. AlthoughMick looked at Lewdy but didn’t say anything, Lewdy began walking swiftlytoward his boss as if Mick’s acknowledgement of his presence gave him thelicense to approach. And as soon as hearrived at Mick’s side, he didn’t mince words. “We’ve got a hairy situation, Boss,” he said.
Mick, unwrapping the Velcro latch onhis workout gloves, stared at his high-ranking employee. “What kind ofsituation?”
“The ATF kind of situation.”
Mick stopped unwrapping hisgloves. “They’re here?”
“Not here. But in Belarus.”
Mick frowned. “What the fuck are they doing there?”
“That government apparently gave thempermission to search the premises for firearms and other illegalcontraband. They’re at the facilitiesnow.”
“All five of them?”
“All five of them, sir.”
Mick couldn’t believe it. “Who the fuck in that government would givethose fuckers permission to search my premises?”
“We don’t know yet, sir. I’ve got a team on it already. We’re on it.”
“Did we at least get a heads up?”
Lewdy shook his head. “No, sir. Nothing.”
“All that fucking money I pay thosecock-sucking politicians over there and I get nothing?”
“Nothing, sir. They blindsided us. We’re on that too.”
Mick sat there, thinking it through,wondering who on earth would have the balls to turn on him like that. He was wondering it just as his oldest sonand underboss, Teddy Sinatra, breezed past security and hurried in. “Pop,” he said as he entered, “we’ve got aproblem, Pop.”
Mick and Lewdy both looked atTed. “We already know,” Lewdy said. “I’ve got a team on it now. Those politicians in Belarus sold our assesout.”
Teddy frowned. “Belarus? What happened in Belarus?”
Lewdy was confused. “That’s not the problem you’re talkingabout?” he asked as Mick looked on.
“No,” said Teddy. “What happened in Belarus?” he asked again.
“AFT just raided our facilitiesthere,” Lewdy answered him.
“Motherfuck!” Teddy yelled. “All of them?”
“All of them,” said Lewdy.
“Are you telling me there’s anotherhot spot?” Mick asked his son.
Teddy nodded. “That’s exactly what I’m telling you.”
“Where?” Mick asked.
“Rome. Those fuckers raiding there too.”
Mick, stunned, stood to hisfeet. Belarus was one thing, but Romewas something altogether different. Romewas his staging ground. Whereas he hadfive facilities in Belarus, he had damn-near thirty in Rome. “What did they find?” he asked nervously.
“Everything,” Teddy said. “They emptied the main facility and arrestedeverybody onsite. So far nothing’scoming back on you, and our people know it’s their death sentence if they somuch as breathe your name to those assholes. But they got the goods.”
“Every facility?” Mick asked.
“Just the main one.”
“Shut the other ones down now.”
“I already have,” said Teddy. “I told them to shut down production untilfurther notice and take their asses home.”
“Good,” Mick said. Teddy was the most competent number one he’dever had. “Get the plane ready,” Mickadded as he began hurrying toward the exit, removing his gloves completely ashe walked.
Ted and Lewdy hurried behindhim. But Teddy was concerned. “Pop, we got it,” he said. “Lewdy can handle Belarus and I’ll go to Romeand find out who gave us up. We got it.”
Although Mick didn’t break hisstride, Teddy didn’t back down. He andRoz had been talking lately, and she confided in him. They both saw the writing on the wall. His father was beginning to treat Roz the wayhe treated Teddy and Teddy’s siblings: like she was an afterthought. Like his business came first.
Teddy loved his father more than lifeitself, but he didn’t want his frequent absences to cause him to lose thatgood, caring woman who changed his life. And whether he knew it or not, he was on the verge of losing her. “Pop?” he said again. “We got it. You don’t need to go. You can’tgo.”
When Mick heard his son say what hecouldn’t do, he stopped in his tracks. He looked at Teddy with those cold, green eyes. “Who the fuck are you to tell me what I canand can’t do?”
“For Roz sake,” Teddy said. “You just got back from Argentina. Two weeks ago you were in Berlin. She’s been going through a lot lately. A rough patch. You need to stay here for her, that’s all I’msaying. It could take weeks before weget any answers overseas.”
Teddy and Roz were closer in age thanRoz was to Mick, which made Teddy and Roz more like friends rather than stepsonand stepmother. Roz confided in Teddywhen Mick wasn’t around, and Mick didn’t like it. “Get the plane ready,” he ordered hisson. “Nobody handles my business butme. And my business includes mywife. Is that clear enough for you?”
Teddy could feel his father’swrath. There was no bringing Mick backfrom the ledge whenever he decided to perch on it, and Teddy knew thattoo. “Yes, sir,” he said.
Mick continued to give Teddy a hardlook, but then he knew he was wasting time. He began hurrying out of the gym.
Teddy looked at Lewdy. “Call the lawyers,” he ordered as they beganfollowing his father. He could only prayhis father didn’t need divorce lawyers before it was all said anddone. “Tell them to get to everyfacility under raid.”
“One lawyer per facility? Or every one that’s available?” Lewdy asked.
“Available?” Teddy asked, glancingback at the security chief. “You tellthose jokers they’re handling Mick Sinatra’s business. They’d better be available!”
Lewdy, knowing it too, was alreadypulling out his cell phone. “Yes, sir,”he said as he ran to keep pace.
CHAPTER SIX
The
