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“Then I’ll be number three,” said Danny.

“Look, I don’t care what number I am. I just need the backup okay?

Major, unquestionable backup. Because you may not be getting any younger, but let’s face it: I’m getting ancient.

If my syndicate is to survive near the top, it’s going to take drastic action. ”

“More like number four, Danny,” Sal said.

“Number four? You number one and Frankie number two, I get that. Who’ll be number three?”

“Robby is my underboss, which makes him a very powerful man in his own right. I can’t put him over Monk Paletti, but I can put him over you. And will put him over you.”

Robby’s heart soared. Sal always had his back. He wanted to yell out tell him, Boss, but he knew his place.

And Big Dan knew his place too. “Now look Sal Luca, let’s be reasonable here.

I’ll take orders from you, and yes, I’ll take orders from The Monk, but there’s no way in hell I’m taking orders from no Robby Yale or any other underboss.

I mean, look at me. I’m Big Dan Testa bitch.

I was the shit before Robby was even born. Let’s be reasonable here.”

Robby looked at Sal. If they did the deal, it did stand to reason that he wouldn’t be able to boss Big Dan around.

Nobody but Sal and Monk Paletti would have that kind of authority.

But where, Robby wondered again, would that leave him?

Sal was a stand-up guy who always stood up for Robby against unrelenting attacks about his lifestyle choices.

But this was a matter of him being able to step back some from the day to day and spend more time with his family. Or wherever else he wanted to spend it.

But before Sal could say another word, knocks were heard on the office door. One of Danny’s capos opened the door slightly and peeped out. Then he looked at Sal. “It’s Lucky.”

Sal frowned. He knew better than that. “Let him in.”

The door opened and Lucky stepped in. Although Sal was frowning, Danny was smiling. “Hey there nephew,” Danny said cheerfully. “Come and give your uncle a hug.”

“Hey Uncle Dan,” Lucky said with a cautious smile on his face as he glanced over at his father. He hugged Dan’s neck.

“Let me look at you,” Danny said. “You’re still on the little side. You still got that little kid vibe going. But look at the muscles on you. You’re getting there. You’ll be as big as your old man someday. I heard you was the captain of your football team.”

“Yes sir,” Lucky said. “My baseball team too.”

“Wow. That’s good. You’re a born leader like your old man. Keep up the good work.”

“Yes, sir,” Lucky said and then he looked at his father.

Sal wasn’t even pretending to be pleased that Lucky had disobeyed his direct order.

But now that he was inside and it was clear they weren’t anywhere near the tittie bar area, he couldn’t dispel him without incurring the wrath of Gemma.

“Sit your ass down,” he said with clenched teeth and one of Sal’s capos put a chair beside Sal for Lucky to sit down.

Lucky sat down. He knew his father was going to deal with him later and it wasn’t going to be pretty, but at least he wasn’t outside anymore.

“Back to the order of things,” said Danny.

“If we’re gonna do this, Sal Luca, we got to do it right.

I’m giving up a lot. I’m ceding all the power to you.

But I got to get something in return. Consider my position.

I’m not on anybody’s critical list. There’s plenty of bosses who would love to merge with me if you want me to be honest.”

“No I want you to be dishonest,” said Sal. “What kind of thing is that to say?”

“But it’s the truth. I threw Consalvo’s name out there, but that doesn’t mean he’s not interested in merging with me.

He is. And then there are those who put their own names in the pot.

People like Dickie Lamm and his batshit crazy wife.

People like Tito Franzino and his can’t shoot straight gang of thieves. ”

But one name caught Sal’s attention. “Dickie Lamm? He wants a merger?”

“I’m telling you he does. I said get the fuck out of here. What I look like merging with him? That’ll be a step down for me. But not with Tito. We’re on par. He’s under consideration too.”

Robby frowned. “Bullshit,” he said.

Danny looked at him as if he was insane. “Was I talking to you Robby Yale?” he asked angrily.

“No, you wasn’t talking to me. But I’m talking to you. I know for a fact Tito Franzino wouldn’t merge with anybody behind Sal’s back. Won’t happen.”

Danny’s contempt for Robby was all over his face. “You think you know everything. You don’t know shit but what Sal Luca allows you to know. Don’t you forget your place, boy,” Big Dan said angrily.

Robby’s big eyes flashed an enraged look, but before he could express that rage, all hell broke loose.

In rapid succession:

Gunfire was heard out front and the immediate sound of people screaming and running.

The sound of gunfire was heard around back and doors could be heard slamming.

Danny’s men pulled out their weapons and Sal’s men pulled out their weapons and then it all got real: Danny’s men began firing on Sal’s men and Sal’s men began returning fire on Danny’s men and Sal knocked Lucky to the floor and pulled out his gun to fire too.

But Lucky saw Danny’s underboss shoot Robby and then turned his gun on Sal as a stunned Sal was still pulling out his weapon.

Lucky, terrified for his father, jumped up and covered his father’s body with his own body as a barrage of bullets sailed into Lucky.

Sal knocked his son off of him and got on top of him instead, covering him with his back on Lucky’s back as he began firing his own barrage at that underboss, killing him instantly.

Danny’s men that had been around the front and the back ran into the office as Danny ran out of the office. All of Danny’s men and Sal’s men that had been in the office had killed each other, leaving only Sal and an injured Robby Yale to fend off the new attack.

Sal, still on his son’s back covering his son, and Robby on his own back fighting against the pain of his own gunshot wound, began firing at the new group of Danny’s capos from the front and the back that was just converging together and running into the room.

Sal, one of the fastest guns in the underworld, took out five of the men easily while Robby took out the remaining few.

Then two more men ran into the room, and Sal and Robby were about to take them out too, but they quickly realized that they were Sal’s men who had been positioned out front.

The driver of the second SUV, positioned up front, had been killed. Those two had survived the onslaught.

“You okay, Boss?” one of the capos were asking as they hurried over to Sal.

But Sal had dropped his weapon, gotten off of his son, and turned Lucky’s body over to make sure he wasn’t badly injured.

But to all of their shock, his injuries were extremely bad.

He’d been shot multiple times and was bleeding profusely.

His father and his father’s capos removed their suit coats and began applying all the pressure they could while Robby applied pressure to his own wound. But he was fine compared to Lucky.

Although they could hear sirens in the distance, and knew help was on the way, Sal was in meltdown as he gave his son mouth-to-mouth and chest compressions and prayed to God that his precious boy, that his heartbeat, wasn’t taken from him.

“ What the hell happened ?” yelled one of the stunned capos as they continued to apply pressure.

But something broke within Sal. He brought those men to this slaughter. He brought his own baby to this slaughter! And he didn’t see it coming.

But the signs were there.

He missed every cue.

He missed every red flag.

Even his gut instinct, which he used to live by, told him nothing. That had never happened to him before. He always had that sinking feeling when something was this wrong. But his gut told him nothing.

When he needed his gut most, it failed him too.

He continued to give his son mouth-to-mouth even as the paramedics rushed into that office. They had to pry him away from his son.

But it was guilt. It was nothing but guilt.

How could he have allowed his son to be in this position?

How could he not see through that emergency meeting bullshit?

The fact that Big Dan just happened to be in town and had spread the word that he was looking at a different merger was like red flag 101!

How could he not see it for what it was? How could he have relaxed that much???

Now because of his stupid ass his son was in grave danger. His precious boy was fighting for his life. How could he have been so blind?

As his son was slipping away from him, Sal was slipping too.

He stood there helpless and scared as the paramedics hooked his son up to oxygen and some other shit he couldn’t even figure out what it was.

But they were trying to stabilize him before they could transport him.

They were trying to save his life. And Sal was beyond devastation.

Because he should have seen it coming.

He should have reacted faster when it came.

He should have been the one saving Lucci’s life, not the other way around.

He should have been the one riddled with bullets.

He should have been the one they were pumping on.

He should have been!