CHAPTER TWENTY
Tommy and Grace and Sal and Gemma, along with Jimmy and Dominic sat around the dining table eating lunch prepared by Grace.
Sal was on the phone with his father, who was under heavy guard in Rome, and Dom was just getting off of the phone with his grandparents, Trina’s parents, who were under heavy guard in Florida.
The decision was made that moving any of them was too risky and that they would, instead, shelter in place.
As for Reno and Trina, nobody had heard from them since earlier that morning. All they knew was that they were still upstairs. All they knew was that they had had their conversation. What happened after that? Nobody knew.
As they sat around that table eating like people who were going through the motions rather than enjoying a meal, they were all so exhausted that they just wanted to get back to normal.
Especially Gemma, who had to be back in court later that afternoon. And Sal didn’t like it. “My guys said you’ve got damn-near five other attorneys working that case with you. Why can’t they handle the trial this afternoon?”
“Because I’m the lead, Sal. I gave the opening argument. The jury bonded with me. They expect me to be there for the duration of the trial.”
“What do they care who’s there or not? You’re just a bunch of suits at a table as far as that jury’s concerned.”
“That’s not how it works, Uncle Sal,” Dommi said. “As law enforcement, I have to testify in court a lot. Those jurors do bond with the lead attorney.”
“I used to be law enforcement too, smart ass,” Sal shot back. “I didn’t bond with none of them asshole lawyers.”
“You wasn’t on the jury, Sal,” said Tommy. “We’re talking about the jury.”
Everybody expected Sal to fire back at his brother, but he was instead looking toward the entrance. And that was when they all looked and saw Reno and Trina enter the dining hall.
But they didn’t know what to expect. Did they make up, or were they still at odds?
Tommy and Sal knew that what Reno did was a tough pill for Trina to swallow, but they both would bet the farm she’d eventually swallow and follow the way she usually did.
She and Reno both had issues from their pasts, and both of them always ended up having each other’s back.
Big Daddy Sinatra said it best: “Reno and Trina were stuck together for life. Should they be together given their volatile relationship,” he added, “was a different conversation.” That was why they all were staring at the couple.
But when Reno pulled out a chair for Trina to sit at the table, and when he stood by her side, poured her a cup of coffee and then gave her the filled cup, they were all inwardly relieved.
“You guys want something to eat?” Jimmy asked his parents as Reno sat down beside Trina.
“Since I’m starved, that would be a yes,” Reno said.
Trina was about to get up to plate their food, but Jimmy got up instead. “We got it, Ma. Come help me, Dom,” he said to his younger brother and they both made their way into the kitchen.
Tommy was particularly concerned. Reno was his best friend and he was Trina’s confidant. “Everybody okay now?” he asked them.
“No,” said Reno to everybody’s surprise. But then he added: “Not until I find that bastard.”
“He meant is everything okay between you and Trina, Reno,” Grace said.
“Oh,” said Reno. He looked at his wife. “Everything okay now, Tree?”
Trina took a sip of her coffee, and then she sat it back down.
And then she smiled that smile they all had been waiting for.
“Yes,” she said. “All is well again.” And they all applauded and smiled too.
Reno placed his hand on her hand and squeezed it.
They could also hear Jimmy and Dommi shout out their joy from the kitchen.
But a part of Trina was still traumatized by Reno’s confession. She didn’t know if she’d ever get over it. She was just hoping to be able to get through it.
But Reno still had Moose Vatelli on his mind. “What’s the latest, Sal?”
“The cleanup crew did their job. Lydia’s been disposed of and her old man doesn’t know she’s gone. But we still haven’t been able to make contact with Moose.”
“He’s not answering our calls?” Reno was surprised.
“Not a one. And several of us have tried to phone him.”
“I’ll bet you he’ll answer Mick’s calls,” said Trina.
But Reno was already shaking his head. “No Mick. I don’t want Uncle Mick involved in this. His ass wouldn’t respect me anymore if he knew what I’d done.”
Since Gemma had already told Grace what she knew about Reno’s situation, which was only a fraction of the full story, neither one of them questioned his odd statement.
But Trina questioned it. “What do you mean he wouldn’t respect you? You must be joking. His ass has done even worse!”
“I know that’s right,” said Sal.
“I agree with Reno,” said Tommy. “This is his battle. He has to fight it his way.”
“And I don’t want to bring in any more families,” Reno added. “I’m sorry you and Sal and your families had to be roped in as it is.”
“They weren’t roped in,” said Trina, who was back to defending Reno. “They knew what went down even when I didn’t know it. They were already in.”
Sal nodded. “True that,” he said.
But just as Jimmy and Dom returned to the table with plates of food for their parents, everybody suddenly heard what sounded like a commotion in the corridor outside of the penthouse.
“What was that?” Jimmy asked.
But as he was asking it, they suddenly heard gunfire.
Reno, Sal, and Tommy were jumping up and pulling out their guns. “Jimmy and Dom, get everybody in the safe room now!” Reno ordered as he and Sal and Tommy were running for the exit. “You too, Tree. Get in that safe house and stay there. And I mean it!” he added firmly.
“You just be careful,” Trina yelled back to Reno as she, Jimmy and Dom were already running down the hall yelling “Safe room! Get in the safe room,” to all of the younger set. The now-terrified younger people started pouring into the hall.
When Reno, Sal, and Tommy opened the door of the penthouse and hurried out, they could hear the gunfire coming around the corridor near the elevators.
That was when Reno motioned for them to break up.
He ran to the left. Tommy and Sal ran to the right.
When they met up at the elevators, Robby was lying on his back firing up at the intruders as they were coming in from the stairwell beside the elevator.
The Gabrinis began firing and took out the remaining six men.
But the scene was horrific. All of the penthouse guards, all four of them, were down.
Sal rushed to his underboss, while Reno and Tommy took the pulse of the downed men.
“Robby, you okay?” Sal asked anxiously.
“I’m okay,” Robby said as Sal helped him to his feet. “I’m okay.”
But Reno and Tommy stood up. The other men were dead. Reno looked at Robby. “What happened?”
“They just came up like they were invited up. I’m out here talking with the guys and then the next thing I know I see the door to the stairwell open. And there they were.”
“What kind of bullshit is this?” a frustrated Reno asked. “What happened to the wall of protection downstairs?”
“I have no idea,” Robby said. “But I had a full security detail down there. Nobody should have been able to penetrate it.”
“And I had my guys on detail too,” said Reno as he and Sal both got on their phones to see what went wrong.
But Tommy heard footsteps. “Listen!” he said to them.
And that was when they heard them too.
Reno hurried to the stairwell and saw what looked like an army of men running up toward the penthouse. “Shit!” he said and began firing at them. Tommy, Sal, and Robby began firing too.
They took some out, and beat back some, but it was too many. They kept coming. Reno could see what looked like thirty or more men running up that stairwell. They didn’t stand a chance.
“We can’t let them get inside,” Reno ordered and they all kept firing and firing even as more men kept coming up those stairs.
But when it was clear that they were outgunned and outmanned, they had to retreat. “We can’t hold the line!” Reno said bitterly. “Get back,” he ordered his cousins. “Get back inside!”
Reno locked the stairwell door, and they ran back inside the penthouse.
All three knew there was no time to do anything but arm themselves to the teeth, and try to battle it out because the gunmen were already shooting up the door to the stairwell. And it gave way.
Then an army of determined killers broke through that door and were running toward the penthouse entrance to finish what they started.