“There’s so many young people in town that we put them in the ballroom at Uncle Mick’s mansion,” Brent said. “The principals are in the conference room down that hall.” “The principals” were the heads of the families. All three Drakos brothers were considered principals too.
“Teddy back there too?”
Brent shook his head. “He and Marco are in New Orleans picking up Nikki.”
“She’s okay though?” Oz asked.
“She’s at the Essence festival so her phone is off,” Brent said, “but we assume she’s fine.”
“Where’s Roz?” Alex’s wife Kari asked.
“She and the other wives are in the waiting room down that same hall,” Big Daddy said. “She’s waiting for word. She’s in no position to do anything else.”
“Did she get hurt too?” Alex’s son Jordan asked.
Brent looked at his distraught father, expecting him to answer that. But Big Daddy was uncharacteristically silent. That was why Brent, instead of going to the mansion with his brothers and sisters, stayed by his father’s side. “She wasn’t hurt, Jordan, no,” he said.
“But she’s doing poorly?” Kari asked.
Brent nodded. “She’s not good. She’s not good at all.”
“Poor thing,” said Kari. “I’m going to check on her,” she added, and headed down the hall.
“Who’s in charge of security at Mick’s compound?” Alex asked Brent.
“Reno’s son Jimmy is in charge, along with my brothers Tony, Bobby, and Donald. But Uncle Mick’s men are everywhere at his house. That place is more fortified than the White House. They’ve even got aerial surveillance five miles out to catch even a hint of anybody trying anything.”
“On whose orders did all of this take place?” Oz asked. “Big Daddy’s?”
Normally it would have been his father, but Brent shook his head. “Reno’s in charge. My dad’s in no condition . . .”
All three Drakos brothers could see how devastated Big Daddy was.
“I’m going to go over to the mansion to check out the security for myself,” Oz said.
“Good idea,” Alex agreed.
“I’m taking Jordan and the babies with me. This isn’t a place for kids. Keep me informed,” he said, and they left.
Brent looked at Alex. “I don’t get your brother. Does he ever support Gloria in anything?”
“To be frank,” Alex said, “I think they’re headed straight to divorce court.”
“I’m surprised they haven’t gotten there yet,” Big Daddy said.
Alex smiled.“Agreed.”
Then Alex opened his suit coat and placed his hands on his hips. And he shook his head. “This is some awful business, Charles,” he said to Big Daddy. “It looks like super bowl level security around these premises. From what Oz told us it was an ambush on top of an ambush on top of an ambush.”
Brent looked at his father as Big Daddy fought back tears. “That’s exactly what it was. Just horrific,” Big Daddy added. “They pumped a lot of lead into my baby brother. A lot of lead.” Then he look his soft green eyes into Alex’s eyes. “And they have got to pay.”
“Damn right they do,” Alex agreed.
“Do we know who did it yet?” Marcellus asked. He was a businessman first and last, but his Drakos family on his father’s side had deep ties to the mob world too. And with Mick Sinatra’s daughter and granddaughter in the Drakos family now, there was no getting around it.
Big Daddy shook his head. “We don’t know anything yet. The principals are meeting. They may have some new intel.”
“Is Hammer Reese here?” Alex asked.
