Page 47 of Trina Gabrini: Bring Him Back Home to Me

“Who’s coming now?” Sal asked. Until he saw the big, black Cadillac Escalade drive through.

It was Mick “The Tick” Sinatra.

And Tommy was pleased.

Sal was too. “Uncle Mick will get to the bottom of this bullshit,” he said with relief in his voice.

“And if he doesn’t?” Tommy asked.

Sal shook his head as the Escalade stopped right in front of them. “If he doesn’t, he said, “we’re screwed.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Mick Sinatra sat at the head of the table and listened with no expression as Reno told him about his decision, decades ago, to launch a preemptive strike on the Vatelli family.

Everybody looked at Mick when Reno got to the part about who was likely to be inside that house when he decided to bomb it. But Mick didn’t so much as blink when he heard the horrific part of the story. He just sat there, in his expensive suit all buttoned down in his usual sartorial splendor.

But it wasn’t what happened decades ago that had Sal still fuming. It was what happened hours ago. At that junkyard.

“How the hell could she still be alive, Reno?” he had to ask him. “You said she was the one running out of that shed. You said it was her.”

Trina looked at Sal. “Why are you acting like it was Reno’s fault what happened?”

“Because it is his fault! He was the one who said it was her.”

“That’s because I thought it was her,” Reno said.

“You thought? You wasn’t saying nothing about you thought when we nearly died trying to chase that Jeep.”

“That’s the key,” Tommy said. “Explosions.”

“That’s because Reno blew up Moose’s boys and grandbabies,” said Sal. “Lydia’s attacking in kind.”

Then he looked at Trina. “How could you forgive him so easily?”

Trina frowned. “What easily? What are you talking about, Sal?”

“You’re defending him like he didn’t cause all this shit to go down.”

Trina was confused that Sal would think she didn’t realize what Reno did. “He did cause all this mess,” she said. “And I know he did.”

“But then why are you defending him?” Sal asked.

“Because he knows he did too!” Trina shot back. “He knows it.”

But Sal was shaking his head. “Any self-respecting woman, after just hearing what Reno did, would have left his ass.”

“Then I guess I’m not a self-respecting woman. I’m just a woman who knows her man. And unlike your ass, I haven’t forgotten who Reno is despite what he’s done.”

Mick stared at Trina as her voice became emotional. “Reno carries this whole gotdamn family on his shoulders day in and day out,” she said, “and you’re telling me I should have left him? Reno is your backbone, and Tommy’s, and Jimmy’s, and Dommi’s, and mine too. They were coming for him so he did to them first what they were plotting and scheming to do to him. He got them first and lived. So excuse me if I’m not dying inside because he lived. This is our world, Sal, where you been? This shit ain’t ever pretty when Reno does it, and it ain’t ever pretty when your ass doing your dirt too. Reno did what he had to do.”

Mick began nodding. “Damn right he did,” he said, breaking his silence. Everybody looked at him.

“Katrina is right,” Mick continued. “Reno did what he had to do and that shit’s done. That’s the end of that conversation. It’s done.”

It felt as if Mick had just spoke the final word on the entire situation and Reno and Trina both felt some sense of relief. Reno would never be proud of what he did, but at least somebody understood what he’d done. And that, for Reno, was as valuable as pride.

“The Moose is here,” Mick said.