“Were you?” Bella asked Dory.
“Hell yeah, I was. But how was I to know she was Danny Cerva’s girl?”
“Who is this Danny Cerva anyway?” Bella asked.
“A guy who thought he ruled the world,” the butcher replied. “He had no business on Dory’s turf, but that never stopped Danny. He was Monk Paletti’s underboss.”
Bella was floored. “Monk Paletti?Frankie? You’re at war withFrankie Paletti?” Then she looked at Mick. She knew how close Frankie was to the Sinatra family.
Although inwardly Mick was already devastated, he stood there with his big arms folded, and outwardly showed no emotion. “Go on,” he said to Buddy.
“When Dory didn’t kowtow to Danny like Danny figured he should, it was like he got jealous. Like he knew Dory was the better man. So he went down there. He started talking about how Tos was going around telling everybody that he ain’t Dory’s old man and that he has the DNA test to prove it. And how Dory took over his organization when he was down on his luck and all that bullshit. Tos kept insisting that the rumors were true and that you were really Dory’s father. Danny kept saying how you threw Dory to Tos and now Tos didn’t want him either. That would hurt any man.”
“Just cut the commentary and tell us what happened,” Bella said. There was something about that guy she didn’t like.
“A man talk to another man like that, what you think happened? Dory tried to set the record straight. Dory tried to tell him that Tos was just being Tos and talking a bunch of bullshit, and that Mick the Tick was never any kin to him. Mick never had him to throw him to anybody. But Danny kept poking the bear. He wouldn’t let up. So they got into it.”
“And Dory got shot?” asked Bella. “Overthat?”
Dory looked at her. “You don’t know shit, do you?”
“Go on,” Mick said, his jaw tightening. He didn’t like where this story was headed.
“So they fight and Dory wins. But Danny still wouldn’t let it go. Even as he was leaving, he was still poking that bear. He knew how much Dory loves Tos, and he was milking that cow for all he could milk it for. So we knew we had to take him out.”
It was only then did they get a reaction from Mick. “Take him out? What do you mean take him out?”
“I took him out,” said Dory. “What you think it means?”
“He disrespected me in front of my guys and I couldn’t have that. It’ll be the death of me if my guys think some punk like Danny Cerva can roll me. So I took him out. Him and all hisguys. I wiped their asses off the face of this earth. That’s how we do it over here.”
Mick was floored. He frowned. “What’s with you young punks? You take out an entire crew because Danny said your daddy ain’t your daddy? Are you fucking kidding me?!”
“He disrespected me!” Dory yelled even as he was grimacing in pain. “I rule Rome. This is my territory. Nobody comes on my turf talking shit to me! It’s not done!”
Mick leaned his head back.
But Bella had a different question. “If it was so easy,” she said, “how did you get all shot up?”
There was long pause. “Monk Paletti ordered my assassination,” Dory said.
Mick went still. He was stupefied. “What do you mean?”
Dory could see that Mick was getting the point now. “He personally called me a couple days before the hit. He said if I think because I’m Mick’s kid that I’ll be protected from his vengeance, I’d better think again. Fuck Mick, he said. He can’t protect you from me.”
Mick stared at Dory. He was an asshole, but he was no liar. He’d heard enough about him down through the years to know that.
“So Monk send his goons to Rome. They tracked me down while I was at the market. Just minding my own business. Then this car drives up on me, yells out ‘hey, you. You Mick the Tick’s son?’ When I turned to see what that was about, they lifted their rifles, said they had a message from The Monk.”
“I go what message his ass got for me?”
“Then they said this was for Danny.” Next thing I know they’re pulling out rifles and shooting. They took out me and they took out my guys that were with me. Before I even had a chance to defend myself. Or my guys.”
Mick frowned. “But you just said they knew you were my son. That Monk himself knew you were my son.”
“I’m not your son. Matter of fact. But yeah, that’s what they believed. I told you Monk called me personally and told me that I was your son and that wasn’t gonna protect me.”
“And his guys said so at the market,” the butcher said.
