CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
When Mick’s Escalade pulled up to the small house on Bluebond Road and he and Teddy, along with Reno, Monk, and Tommy stepped out, Tommy was the first to see that his brother had already arrived.
“How do you know that, Tommy?” Reno asked him.
“Robby’s over there.”
They looked over on the far side of the house and saw Robby laughing and talking with another made man in Sal’s organization.
“Hey Robby?” Reno yelled out.
“What’s up, Reno?”
“Sal inside?”
“He’s sitting out on the porch.”
It wasn’t until the men made it all the way up the steps to the front porch were they able to see Sal Luca sitting there.
“What are you doing here, Sal?” Reno asked him.
“Word got to me that Cleo got away. I knew she was our only link to Ricky DeSouza so me and Robby went on the search.”
“But how did you find this place?” Monk asked as he looked up at the dilapidated structure.
“All it took was a search of the city data bases. I found nothing on her except for that house Mick bought her. That’s when I followed Ricky’s name. I found three different properties with his name on the deeds. The first two we got nothing. They were both empty. This one hit paydirt.”
“Good looking out, Sal,” Mick said as he extended his hand.
Sal stood up and shook it. But as soon as he did, Mick squeezed it and pulled him closer to him. “That was good work,” he said, “but your ass better never talk to me again the way you talked to me earlier.”
Sal squeezed Mick’s hand right back. “And your ass better never come at me again the way you came at me earlier.”
Both men stared at each other. The two most powerful bosses in the world were in the middle of a pissing contest. And neither one of them wanted to blink.
But to everybody’s surprise it was Mick who blinked first, in the form of a very slight nod, and then they released hands and Mick was about to enter the house.
“Uncle Mick?”
Mick looked back at Sal.
“Before you go inside, you need to know something. She’s been badly beaten.”
Mick turned all the way around to face him. “Beaten by who? Your ass?”
“I wish,” said Sal. “But no. It wasn’t me or my guys. We found her that way.”
Mick stared at Sal. It was no secret to anyone that Sal wanted Cleo’s hide for how she set up his men. But Sal would never defy a direct order from Mick that told him hands off when it came to Cleo. And Mick knew Sal was no liar. He nodded again and went on inside. Everybody else followed him in.
The house was a wide-open space with a large living room, but a small bedroom with bath could be seen off from the living room.
Mick could see Cleo sitting on the side of the bed with an Ace bandage around her head.
When he and the others went into that bedroom, they saw two capos sitting against the wall guarding her.
But Cleo looked bad. Her face was badly bruised. Even Teddy was surprised.
“Damn, Cleo,” Reno said. “Who knocked you around like a pinata?”
“My son,” she said.
Mick was confused. “Why would he knock you around?”
“He thinks the reason you found him at my house was because I was feeding you information about him. He hates you, Mick. And now he hates me for helping you.”
“Was he the one that broke you out of my cabin?”
She nodded. “And he was the one that killed your men, yes. He brought me here. He owns this house.”
“When did he leave?” Mick asked.
“As soon as he put me here. Before he left, he jumped on me talking about he had to get me away from you before I told you everything.”
“Is there more to tell?” Teddy asked her.
“No, Teddy! I told y’all everything I know.”
“Where did he go?” Tommy asked her.
But she shook her head. “I have no idea. He’s not going to confide in me anymore.”
Mick stood there. Then he looked at Teddy. “I want security inside this house. Nobody outside. That makes them an easy target for DeSouza and we aren’t going to lose any more men.”
“Yes sir.”
“And I want you and Frankie to stay here tonight. If he shows back up detain him and call me right away. I need answers before that asshole might be able to give me. Err on the side of keeping him alive for right now.”
“And after you get those answers?” Cleo asked him.
Mick looked at her. “What do you think?” he said, and then he left. Tommy and Reno left too.