CHAPTER FIVE
Later that same morning, Mick arrived at his massive Sinatra Industries headquarters building and made his way from his private garage to his private elevator that took him up to the top floor.
All of his army of assistants and secretaries rose to their feet when he entered the executive suite, including Ignatius McEnroe, his first male chief assistant.
But when Mick saw Deuce McCurry, his former driver, he didn’t see anybody else. He even smiled, which was a rarity for his staff to see, and began hurrying to Deuce with his hand outstretched.
“Deuce!” he said jovially as Deuce stood up and the two men shook hands. “It’s been a minute.”
“I told him you weren’t available to see anybody right now, sir,” said the prim and proper Ignatius, who didn’t seem to realize how happy Mick was to see his old friend.
But that was Ignatius. Efficient to a fault.
A man who knew the price of everything, but the value of nothing.
Behind his back, the staff called him Iggy.
“I insisted he leave, sir, because of your tight schedule. But he would not.”
Mick looked at Iggy as if he should have realized, given the cordiality of their greeting, that it wasn’t an issue. “I’m always available to see Mr. McCurry,” Mick made clear.
“That’s what the rest of them were trying to tell that newbie,” said Deuce. “But he looked at me like I don’t belong in the same space with him. Like I had no business breathing the same air he breathes.” Deuce said this as he looked at Iggy.
Mick slapped Deuce on the back and played it off. “Go on in, D, I’ll be right there.”
Deuce, a proud black man, looked at Iggy, a much-younger white guy again, but then he went into Mick’s office.
Mick went up to Iggy’s desk and gave him a look that brook no ambiguity. “If you ever so much as look side-eyed at that man, who happens to be my best friend, you will be terminated. And I don’t mean fired. Do you understand me?”
Iggy was shocked. He only knew Mick as his boss and as the Fortune 500 businessman he was. But he’d heard about the rumors of another side of his life. Rumors he usually dismissed. Not anymore. He had to will his voice not to shake. “Yes sir.”
“He has unrestricted access to me and my office and anything else or anybody else in this entire building. You didn’t know, and that’s the only reason why your ass is still above ground. Now you know. Don’t make that mistake again.”
Ignatius was nodding his head to avoid his entire body from shaking. “Yes sir. It’ll never happen again, sir. Never.”
He was overall an excellent assistant who didn’t know better, so Mick backed off. But he was not getting a second chance.
Mick went into his office, closing the door behind him. The other assistants were inwardly smiling and happy that Mick checked his arrogant ass. But they also knew Iggy was their boss, and he didn’t play either. They got back to work.
Deuce was already behind Mick’s desk reading over various papers.
Anybody else and that would have been a problem.
But Deuce, who was once special ops military and was Mick’s longtime driver before Mick retired him with a big paycheck that made Deuce an instant millionaire, had carte blanche period.
“Your ass noisy as hell,” Mick said as he made his way around his desk.
He took Deuce by Deuce’s waist and moved him aside.
“I’m just seeing what you’re up to,” said the older man. “But what you’re up to is never visible, is it?”
Mick smiled but did not respond as he took a seat behind his desk.
“I heard about Teddy. How’s he doing?”
“It was a nasty crash, but he’s fine. They kept him overnight for observation. He’s back at work already.”
Deuce smiled. “That’s my boy right there. Toughest man I know.”
Mick gave him that look.
“Don’t look at me like that. I mean it. Teddy has to put up with your crazy ass and he has to run the most powerful syndicate on earth. That takes balls of a different level.”
Mick chuckled.
“But are you certain it was an accident?”
“I certainly had my doubts too,” said Mick. “But the CCTV footage backs it up.”
“Good. That’s good.”
Mick looked at his friend. “You aren’t here to shoot the breeze.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“Bella Caine called me.” Deuce looked at Mick. “You stopped taking her calls.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“It’s not about her, Mick. It’s about Dory.”
When Mick heard that name, there was a pause. Then he looked at Deuce. “What about him?”
“He’s been badly injured in a war with some rival gang. Bella was thin on details. But she was clear about this: He’s in danger, Mick.”
What else was new, Mick thought. “He’s still in Rome?”
“That’s his home base. He isn’t going anywhere. But he’s having problems. Serious problems. Lots of turf battles.”
“What’s Toscano doing about it?”
Deuce looked worried. Which worried Mick. “What?”
“Ron Toscano decided to run DNA.”
Mick frowned. “At this late date? I thought they did that shit at the beginning. That’s what I was told.”
“You were told a lie. He didn’t do it or, if he did, he apparently forged the results because everybody knew he was in love with Bella and he wanted it to be what he wanted it to be.”
“So why run it now?”
“I don’t know. She didn’t tell me why. I just know he did it and the results were what everybody figured they were from the beginning.” Deuce exhaled. “Ron Toscano is not Dory’s father, Mick.”
Mick’s heart dropped.
“To make matters worse, Tos checked out.”
Mick frowned. “What do you mean he checked out?”
“He doesn’t want to have anything to do with the kid.
When Tos found out what happened to Dory, Bella said he didn’t give a shit.
Wouldn’t lift a finger to avenge what happened to him.
He’s angry as fuck at Dory and Bella, as if the kid had something to do with it.
But he’s mad at both of them. Probably angry with you most of all, although he’s too afraid of your ass to admit it.
But none of that negates the fact that Dory’s in trouble. ”
Mick leaned back in his executive chair and sighed as he ran his hands over his face. He looked at Deuce. “Is Bella with him?”
“She’s too afraid to go to Rome. With Tos no longer in her corner, she doesn’t know who to trust over there anymore. And from what I’m hearing about the anger Tos has for her ass, she might be right.”
Mick angrily yelled out. “Gotdammit! As if I don’t have enough shit on my plate already!”
“I understand,” said Deuce, “but that still doesn’t negate the fact that Dory’s in trouble.”
Mick understood it too. He leaned his head back.
Deuce stared at him. “Is it Roz?”
“Isn’t it always?”
“If your ass stopped messing up it wouldn’t be.”
Mick gave Deuce another hard look. Their relationship had always been close, but never casual. Retirement changed Deuce. Now he didn’t seem to give a shit. He spoke his mind freely.
Then Mick pressed his intercom button.
“Yes sir?” It was Ignatius.
“Get in touch with my pilot. Tell him I’m flying out to Rome within the hour.”
“Yes sir.”
“Then call Bella Caine. Tell her to meet me at the airfield.”
“Yes sir.”
Mick ended the conversation and leaned back again.
Deuce stared at him. He was Mick’s best friend because he was Mick’s only friend. And he knew it. And he took liberties with Mick that no other man would even attempt to take. “Your wife’s birthday is coming up soon,” he said.
Mick frowned. What on earth does her birthday have to do with anything? “So?”
“So you need to be back for that.”
“Don’t you tell me what to do.”
Deuce smiled. “It’s not about me, Mick. It’s about Roz. What are you gonna tell Roz?”
“What is this her business? This is my business, and I handle my business my way.”
Deuce shook his head. “And you wonder why your marriage has always been in trouble. How in the world does Roz put up with you? You’ll never change.”
If that were true, Mick thought, then it was a serious indictment against his character. A serious indictment.
“That’s Mrs. Sinatra to you,” he said to Deuce, got up from behind his desk, and then made his way out of his office again.
Deuce wanted to smile and make light of Mick’s little comment, but the reality of the situation was nothing to take lightly.
Because they both knew what those DNA results meant.
If Ron Toscano wasn’t Dorian Toscano’s father, then that meant, if Bella was to be believed, that only one other man was.
Mick thought his marriage was in trouble before now. Deuce, who loved Roz, could only imagine what it was going to be after Rome.
No sir, he thought as he made his way out of Mick’s office. It was no laughing matter at all.