CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
When they arrived at Mick’s cabin, they could see before they got out of the SUV that every single one of their capos were dead.
“I’ll be damn,” said an astonished Reno. “How did this happen?”
Mick hurried out of the SUV and they all ran into the cabin behind him. But the capos charged with protecting Cleo on the inside were dead too, all of gunshot wounds like their colleagues outside, and Cleo was nowhere to be found.
“She’s not back here,” Monk said after searching the back with Nikki. They both hurried back up front.
Mick looked at Reno and Tommy. “Whoever did this had to have carte blanche to come on my property and walk into my cabin. There’s very few people with that right. I’m looking at five of them right now.” He was looking at Reno, Tommy, Teddy, Nikki, and Monk. “Where’s Sal?”
“There’s no way, “Tommy said, shaking his head.
“No way hun?”
“Hell no,” agreed Reno. “Ah come on, Uncle Mick! You know Sal Luca ain’t gonna kill your capos just to avenge that woman. You know better than that.”
“Then who the fuck did this, Reno?” Mick was yelling out in pure frustration. “Who’s doing this?!”
Tommy pulled out his phone to call his brother. But it went straight to voice mail. Reno called him next. Same result. Then Teddy and then Nikki and then Monk. All the same result.
“Then where the fuck is he?” Mick asked. “He has a beef with me, not any of you. Why isn’t he answering his phone?”
“Ever thought he could be in danger too?” Tommy looked Mick dead in the eyes. “My brother will never be so angry that he’d pull stupid shit like this. He’s family first like the rest of us. So let’s take that shit off the table right now.”
Tommy was the kind of man who didn’t scream out his points or was animated like the rest of the family.
He was usually laid back. He was Dapper Tom most of the time.
But he was also Backdoor Tommy when he had to be.
But he was also cool with it. And chill.
But that was why when he said something definitive, it landed differently.
It landed hard. It landed with instant respect.
Mick took that shit about Sal possibly having something to do with what happened at that cabin off the table.
But that didn’t ease his distress. He opened his suit coat, and leaned his head back. Although Mick usually presented himself very well, these last few days were different. He needed a shave. His thick hair needed a comb. His clothes looked slept in. It was all taking a toll, and they all saw it.
So much so that Nikki’s heart went out to him. “We’re going to figure it out, Dad,” she said to him.
“But when, Nikki?” Mick was frustrated. “It’s been over a month and nobody knows a damn thing.
Not one thing. My children are still on lockdown.
Jackie has to take her college courses remotely.
Duke is going stir crazy. Gloria wants to get back to Florida and Marco wants to go to clubs again.
They want their lives back. And my wife wants to leave me. ”
That last complaint was the thrust of his frustration and all of them knew it. He needed to just say so. He’d feel better if he just called a thing a thing.
But Mick wasn’t going there. He had to deal with his personal life later.
“I’ve got armies in the streets looking for answers and nobody can tell me a gotdamn thing.
And now the only person that at least gave us some intel has been snatched right from under my nose?
And they killed my men like I’m some fucking new kid on the block?
I’m Mick Sinatra and they’re toying with me like this? Who the fuck are they????”
“I know that’s right,” said Reno. It was a truth that all of them were wondering.
“Ricardo said he was the guy,” Teddy said. “You don’t buy it, Pop?”
“I don’t know what to buy. I don’t know him like that. I don’t know his ass at all. But it feels different. Like something I’m missing.” Then he exhaled. He ran his hand across his face. “Find Cleo. We find her, we’ll find DeSouza.”
“There’s no blood,” Tommy said, looking around the cabin. “There’s no forced entry.”
“And there’s no Sal either,” Mick said again and dared anybody to dispute that fact. “Get a cleanup crew over here,” he ordered Nikki, and then he left the cabin.
They were all flustered.