And it worked. Because as soon as she mentioned the children, Mick placed his hands on his hips and blew out a harsh exhale. He knew he had to come clean. He was standing behind his desk looking drained, they all thought, when he finally told what he knew.
“There’s a war going on,” he said.
Big Daddy frowned. “A war?”
“What are you talking?” asked a puzzled Sal Gabrini.
“You remember Danny Cerva?” Mick asked.
“Danny Cee? Everybody knows him.”
“Danny Cee works for Monk,” said Teddy. Frankie “The Monk” Paletti” was Teddy’s best friend. That was why he was confused when his father hesitated before answering him. “Pop? Danny Cerva works for Frankie, right?”
There was another slight hesitation from Mick. “Yes.”
Everybody was stunned. Especially Teddy. “Are you telling me we’re at war with Frankie?” Teddy’s voice was filled with disbelief.
Mick hated it too. “That’s what I’m telling you, yes.”
Everybody was astounded. But Teddy was shaking his head. “No way, Pop. No way!”
“How could that be, Uncle Mick?” Even Reno was baffled. “Monk Paletti wouldn’t double cross the family like that. Heisfamily.”
“He has no choice.”
“What does that mean, Pop?” Teddy was getting distressed. “You got to tell me what that means because that don’t make no sense to me. Frankie wouldn’t do that.”
“Didn’t I tell your ass he has no choice?” Mick fired back. “As the head of the Bonaducci Crime Family, he had to pick a side. Us or them. He couldn’t go against his own syndicate.”
“But he’s our ally,” said Teddy. “We’re on the same fucking side!”
“Not anymore,” said Mick firmly.
That momentarily silenced the room. Even Big Daddy was troubled. He knew how far Mick could go. He also knew there was no turning back when Mick crossed that line. “What happened, Michello?” he asked his younger brother.
It was still disturbing to Mick. So disturbing that he sat down in the high-backed chair behind his desk.
When Mick still didn’t respond, Big Daddy lost it and slammed his fist on the top of Mick’s desk, causing everybody in that room to jump in shock. “Monk Paletti is married to my daughter,” Big Daddy said angrily. “Which means my child is involved in this shit. Now your ass better tell me what happened, and you’d better tell me now!”
It was as if everybody had forgotten that Big Daddy’s adopted daughter Ashley was married to Monk Paletti. Including Mick. That was why Mick ran both of his big, scarred hands down his face. Then he leaned back in his chair. He looked between Teddy and Big Daddy, both of whom had the most skin in the game. “I got a distress call.”
“From whom?” Tommy asked him.
“From somebody I know. So I flew to Rome to see what was going on.”
“Now wait a minute,” said Sal Gabrini. As the second most powerful mob boss in the world, second only to Mick himself, he knew neither one of them had time to drop everything the way it was just described. “This math ain’tmath-ing, Uncle Mick. Since it wasn’t family, who the fuck was so important that you’d drop everything and fly all the way to Rome just because they needed help?”
It was a great question to everybody, but Mick didn’t answer it. “When I got to Rome,” he said, “there was chaos.I had to handle some business, but it didn’t start out on the right foot. We were taking casualties. On the first round, twelve of my men that were stationed there were already down, and six others were badly injured and heading for their graves too. And those responsible were made men from the Bonaducci syndicate. There is no question about that. They were from Monk’s organization.”
But Teddy was frowning. “What are you talking, Pop? Twelve men and six more? That’s eighteen men. We don’t have any men stationed in Rome, let alone eighteen of them.”
“That’s what I was thinking too,” said a confused Nikki. “Where did all of these men come from? We don’t have any capos in Rome.”
“Wedon’t,” Mick responded. “But I do.”
Teddy looked at Nikki and shook his head. How in hell were they expected to run a syndicate when the so-calledformerhead of that syndicate had cells all over the world that he never bothered to tell them about? Yet they were supposedly the boss and the underboss of the Sinatra Crime Family?
No wonder nobody believed it. Mick was not the titular head of head of the SCF the way it was designed when he stepped back, but he was the actual head of the SCF and always would be in their eyes. Teddy would always be seen as the underboss he used to be, and Nikki would always be seen as Teddy’s assistant and nothing more. Despite their best efforts, they knew now unlike they’d ever known before that it was never going to change. Perception was reality in the mob world and with all of those cells around the world Mick was doing everything in his power, if you asked Teddy and Nikki, to keep that perception alive.
