They all could see how touched Monk was as he closed his eyes tightly. This so-called war was eating him alive too.
Big Daddy was so relieved, too, that he wanted to pull Monk into his arms as well. But he didn’t move. He still blamed Frankie and Mick equally. They were family. They both should have handled the entire affair differently.
When Roz pulled back from Monk and held his sincere, expressive face with her two hands, she stared into his huge, almost girl-like gorgeous eyes. “What changed?” she asked him.
Monk looked over at his father-in-law. “Big Daddy was right,” he said. “We were building a bridge to nowhere. Somebody had to stop construction and I knew it sure as hell wasn’t going to be Mick the Tick.”
“Watch it,” Mick said. “I can still stomp your ass through this floor.” And they all laughed what was more a nervous than joyous laugh.
“You certainly can try,” said a now smiling Monk.
“But wait a minute,” said Reno. He wasn’t as forgiving as everybody else. “We’re just going to take his word for it? He waltz up in here and says he didn’t kidnap Duke and we’re supposed to just believe it?”
“No,” Mick said as he rose to his feet. He looked at Monk. “If what you say is true,” he said, “that would mean you have my son’s kidnappers.”
Monk nodded. “Yes, I do.”
Mick felt a sense of relief. He wanted it over with too. “Take me to them,” he ordered as he began making his way from behind the desk.
“I wanna go too,” said Roz.
Mick didn’t even dignify that request with a response. He, Monk, Teddy and Nikki began leaving.
“Mick?” Roz yelled after him. “I wanna go too.”
“No.”
“But Mick?”
“I said nogotdammit!” He showed the stress he was under when he yelled at her.
But when he looked into her eyes and saw that he had hurt her again, his heart dropped. And he softened. “I know you wanna go,” he said, “but there’s no way in hell you’re going.”
It was soft for Mick, anyway, but it still sounded harsh to everybody else. Not that they disagreed with Mick. They agreed that a safe house was no place for Roz to be. But the way Mick said it!
Mick kept walking. When he got to the exit, he gave Reno and Sal the bad news. “I want both of you to stay here with Charles. I don’t want any blowback.”
They didn’t like it. They were usually the ones barking out orders. But when on Mick’s turf, Mick was in charge. They understood and didn’t object.
But before Monk could walk out of that office, Big Daddy stopped him. “Monk?”
He turned.“Sir?”
“Where’s my daughter?”
Monk knew a part of Big Daddy still hated the fact that Ashley chose to marry a mobster. A part of Monk hated it too. But it was done now. “I brought her here with me. She’s in the back with Duke and Jackie.”
“And she’s staying here until we find out what the hell is going on.” Big Daddy said it as if it was a fact, not a request.
Monk nodded. “That’s why I brought her here when I realized a third party I know nothing about is involved.”
Big Daddy exhaled relief. He would thank him, but his ass should have made Ashley go with him and Amelia when they showed up at his house.
Monk didn’t sweat it as he left with Mick, Teddy, and Nikki. They all wanted to see for themselves just who those kidnappers were, and why they were targeting the Sinatras.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
They arrived at Monk’s safe house located in New Jersey, just across the George Washington, in a suburban part of town that was more woods and trees than houses. Down a long path that led to a small wooden house surrounded by woods, Mick parked his Escalade and they all got out and headed for the entrance.
