Page 25

Teddy drove his Bugatti to the usual meeting place: the back parking lot of an abandoned, boarded-up strip mall. Already waiting, in his limo, was Potter Rarsi and his driver.

“We got company, Boss,” the driver said as Teddy drove up.

“Teddy and who?”

The driver watched as Nikki got out of the Bugatti. “It’s Nikki.”

“Oh.” Rarsi sat back again. “I’m surprised she didn’t come with him sooner. Everybody knows whenever there’s mess going on they fly together.”

The driver got out and opened the back door of the limousine. “What up, Nick. What up, Teddy T,” he said as first Nikki and then Teddy spoke and got onto the backseat. The driver remained outside at the door as he closed the pair in.

Rarsi smiled. “Hello Nikki. Looking beautiful as ever. I haven’t seen you in a month of Sundays.”

“How’s it going, Potts?”

“It’s gone better. I’m looking to retire, which is never easy.” Then he looked next to her. “My condolences, Ted. That was a punk-ass move to take out that many guys all at once. And to go after Mick’s kids?” Rarsi shook his head. “Even I’m not that crazy.”

“No?”

Rarsi stared at Teddy. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Since you know better than to go after Pop’s kids, then why was one of your men in one of the cars that ambushed them?”

Rarsi looked genuinely floored. “One of my men? What are you talking? Which one of mine was in that car?”

“Hal Janantoni.”

“ What ? HJ was in that car?”

“Along with two other men, yes.”

“You hired him right?” asked Nikki.

“No,” said Rarsi. “Denny hired him while I was out of the country. The old man gave his approval, so what could I do about it? But that was a while back. What beef HJ got with Mick?”

“More likely with me,” said Teddy.

“What do you mean?”

“If he’s Denny’s guy, and Denny knows you’re conspiring with the old man to put me in charge when you retire, then why wouldn’t Denny want to discredit me in the eyes of Old Man Bengino so that he won’t approve my ascension.”

Rarsi laughed. “It’s nice to see a man who truly underestimates his worth. You, my friend, could fuck up beyond fuck ups and every syndicate from here to Rome will still want you as their leader. Discrediting you won’t work in the eyes of Bengino or me or anybody else with a brain. Which Denny does not have. Which means you may have a point.”

Then Rarsi thought about it. “However,” he said.

Teddy stared at him. “However what?”

“Have you considered your son Marco’s friend?”

Nikki looked at Teddy. Teddy was staring at Rarsi. “What friend?”

“Guy with a girl’s name. They call him Vivian. Have you considered him as a possibility?”

Teddy could feel his heartbeat quicken. “Why would I consider him?”

“It’s not public knowledge, and there’s been no reason for me to bring it up to you because nothing became of it.”

“Potts, what are you going on about? Break it down.”

“Vivian lives in Cali now, and there’s been no action that I know of. Until this happened. Until you had the nerve to tell me that one of my men was in that car that ambushed Mick the Tick’s kids. And that man was one of Denny’s guys. I figure it could be.”

Teddy frowned. “What are you saying? How is Vivian connected to Denny?”

“He used to do odd jobs for him before he moved out west with Marco.”

Teddy’s heart squeezed. Nikki’s did too. “Marco knew Vivian did jobs for Denny?” Teddy asked him.

Rarsi shook his head. “I doubt it. It was before Viv and Marco became friends I think. After he hooked up with Marco, I did look into it for your sake. I saw no jobs on the books with his name attached to them.”

“Since you knew he started working for Teddy’s son,” Nikki said, “did you ever ask Denny what Vivian was doing for him?”

“No need to. I knew what he was up to.”

“Drugs?” said Nikki.

Rarsi nodded. “And plenty of them too.”

Teddy exhaled. “Damn,” he said. “Marco claimed to be out of that shit.”

“He might be. Vivian works for him, but he’s always done his own side jobs too.”

And Nikki made the call. “Everything you say is well and good, Potts,” she said, “but you’ll have to come with us anyway.”

“Come with you? What the fuck for?” He looked at Teddy. “You better rein her back in or I’ll have to.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Potts. She’s still Nikki, she’s still my underboss, and you will still respect that.”

“But what did I do to deserve her disrespect? Telling me I’m coming with you like I’m nothing. Who does she think she is?”

“I told you who she was. And until we can figure this out,” said Teddy, “she’s right. You will have to come with us.”

“Like hell,” Rarsi said, which Teddy expected him to say. That was why, as soon as he said it, Teddy, who already had the tiny J-frame pistol in his hand, shot Rarsi in his side. Only it was a silent shot.

But Rarsi’s eyes widened as if he could not believe that Teddy would betray him. He even grabbed Teddy’s arm. But then his grip loosened, and he slumped over.

Nikki was stunned too. “You shot him?”

“Tranquilizer,” said Teddy. “I knew he wouldn’t go willingly. Get behind the wheel.”

Nikki didn’t ask any questions. The Teddy who always ended up five steps ahead of everybody else was back. She climbed onto the driver seat and got behind the steering wheel.

“As soon as I say go,” Teddy said, “I want you to fly because shots will be fired.”

“From where?”

“I don’t know where from, but I know Rarsi didn’t come unarmed after what happened with the twins. That’s why he had all that info. He knew he was on our radar. When I say go, you sail this boat.”

“Got it,” Nikki said nervously as she put the limo in Drive and looked at Teddy through the rearview. And then Teddy knocked once and Rarsi’s driver, thinking Teddy was knocking to get out, opened the back door.

But as soon as the driver opened the door, Teddy shot him, too, with the same tiny J-frame tranquilizer gun he used on Rarsi. The driver fell and gunfire, just as Teddy predicted, rang out. “Go!” he yelled at Nikki, but Nikki, just as Teddy ordered, had already floored it and was speeding away.

The shots were being fired from one of the windows in the second floor rooms of the abandoned strip mall.

Nikki drove in defensive, swerving motions, rocking that limo from side to side as windows were blown out and shattered, and the sounds of bullets were hitting metal everywhere, but she kept on speeding. Teddy was firing back and ducking, as Nikki was dodging every way she could, and they were making it out of that parking lot.

But as soon as they got around the front side of the abandoned location, a big Cyber truck appeared and slammed into the front of the limo, easily pushing them backwards as if they were in a toy. Mick was firing on the truck and Nikki was trying to steer away from the massive truck, but it was no use. They were pushed back so far that the limo didn’t stop its backward slide until it slammed into a concrete barrier on the backside of the parking lot. They were right back where they started from.

Then the men inside the truck jumped out with guns blazing.

But when the men jumped out and Nikki and Teddy both were firing back, help suddenly appeared as Mick’s big black Escalade jumped the curb, flew across the parking lot in that crazy speed that only Mick could manage, and hurried to the back where the gunfire could be heard. Reno, Sal, and Tommy were firing as they were coming and managed to take out the rest of the gunmen Teddy and Nikki hadn’t already iced.

But gunfire was still coming from that second floor window and Mick hopped out and threw a grenade inside that upstairs window that caused the building to explode.

Teddy and Nikki grabbed Rarsi and hopped out of the wrecked limo as the Gabrinis, their guns still drawn, gave cover and watched for any sign of anymore gunmen. Teddy and Nikki placed Rarsi in the Escalade, got in along with the Gabrinis, and Mick took off.

“Ugly-ass truck!” Mick yelled and tossed another grenade inside the cyber truck as he sped away. The truck exploded too.

But the Gabrinis were stunned. “I didn’t expect all this shit,” said Sal.

“How did you figure you could handle all this alone?” Reno asked Teddy.

“I knew I couldn’t,” Teddy admitted. “But I also knew Pop would show up.”

“How did you know that?”

“Why wouldn’t he?”

Reno shook his head. “Why wouldn’t he, he asks. Like a job this layered didn’t need to be plotted out and planned. You Sinatras are not like us Gabrinis. You use sign language and nonverbal clues and puzzles and shit to communicate. We just straight up say what it’s gonna be and get it done. Not the masters of the dramatic Sinatras. Oh no, not them,” he added and they all laughed.

But Teddy looked at his father through the rearview and Mick looked at his son. Rarsi was still unconscious, but what if it was proven that he was involved? It didn’t seem possible. But then why would he bring this much firepower with him if he wasn’t involved? Everything was possible and Teddy knew it. And then that other matter.

“He gave me a name,” Teddy said.

Mick glanced at him again. “Who?”

“Vivian.”

“ Vivian ?” asked Tommy Gabrini. “Marco’s friend?”

Nikki looked at Teddy and could see the distress all over his tortured face. Because that fact alone, that Vivian did jobs for Denny Bengino, who just might be behind the attempted assassination of the twins, had to have led Teddy to wonder if Marco was involved. And just whose side Marco was truly on.

“That’s the one,” he said.