“This is your father’s office?” Nikki asked.  “This is Sinatra Industries?”

“This is it,” Teddy said.  “Why?”

“It’s humungous, Teddy!”

Teddy knew what she meant.  It was an enormous structure of glass and stone and stood out as one of the most beautiful architectural designs in the city.  “And it’s one hundred percent legit,” Teddy said to Nikki as they entered the rotunda.  “Pops make sure of that.”

“Then why would he want you, who runs his import/export, hardly legitimate business, to come here for a meeting?”

“Logistics only,” Teddy said.  “He’s been out of the country so long, he has to get back to his office and make sure his people hadn’t burned it down yet.  It’s just easier for him.”

“Is that why he made you his underboss?” Nikki asked.  “To make it easier for him?”

“Hell yeah that’s the reason.  He has a wife now, and two small children.  He doesn’t want to make the same mistakes with them that he made with me, Glo, and Joey.”

Nikki looked at Teddy when he made that statement.  He rarely talked about his childhood, and she never pushed him.  But even Stevie Wonder would have been able to see that Teddy, and all of his siblings, had daddy issues.  Nikki could see it vividly.  She had daddy issues, too.

Teddy and Nikki stepped onto the elevator.  Nikki moved over to the buttons.  “Which floor?” she asked.

“Top floor,” said Teddy.

Nikki smiled and pressed the top button.  “Why am I not surprised?”

Teddy didn’t smile.  Nikki could see the stress on his handsome face.  She moved up to him and began straightening his tie.  “I don’t know your father very well at all,” she said, “but I know enough to know that he hates uncertainty in the head of his organization.  He made you his number two because he has a lot of faith in you.”

“He had a lot of faith in me.”

“He still has it, Teddy.  Why wouldn’t he?  You’re tough, but you’re smart too.”

“He didn’t have a gun, Nikki.  He didn’t have a gun!  What I did?  And the carnage it caused?  No excuse.”

Nikki stopped fumbling with his tie and rested her hand on his chest.  She looked into his eyes.  “You’re right,” she said.  “No excuse.  No excuses.”

Teddy appreciated her honesty, and the fact that she would not go down bullshit lane.  He leaned in and kissed her.

Then the elevator doors opened, and they stepped off.

 

Nikki and Teddy were in the reception area just outside of Mick’s office, chatting with Gloria while Blair Conyers, Mick’s longtime executive assistant, suspiciously eyed all of them.  But although she was Gloria’s supervisor, Gloria knew it was only a matter of time before her father promoted her again.  She was able to negotiate a contract that Blair almost lost, and she did it before her father returned to Philly, as he had instructed her.  She was on her way.

Blair picked up her phone, listened, and then hung up.  “Your father will see you now,” she said to Teddy.

Nikki looked at him.  She was as nervous as he was.  He squeezed her hand and then went into the office.

If he was stressful before he walked in, he was doubly stressed after he entered his father’s office.  Not only was Mick sitting behind the desk, but Joey and the Bevin twins were sitting in front of the desk.   What the, Teddy thought, as he made his way toward them.

“Have a seat,” Mick offered.

But Teddy folded his arms and remained standing.  “I’m good,” he said.

“Suit yourself,” Mick said and leaned forward.  “Okay, gentlemen, I’ve been out of the country for a week.  One week.  And I had to cut very sensitive negotiations short because of what?  Not Sinatra Industries.  They know what I expect them to do when I’m not around.  But my other business matter is a different story.  You act as if you don’t know shit.  Two explosions.  The suspect onsite got away.  A fucking shootout at a party and B.B. Bovenconti’s dead.  Fiona Mara’s dead.  Shawny Lungren’s dead.  Innocent fucking people are dead!  What the hell happened?”

Joey and the twins looked at Teddy.

“After those two explosions happened,” Teddy said, “I needed to have a meeting with Bovenconti to find out if he was involved.”

“Wouldn’t that be obvious?” Mick asked.

“That’s what I told him, Pop!” Joey said.

It took all Teddy had to restrain himself.  “I’m not starting a war based on incomplete information.  Pop agreed with me,” he said to Joey.  Then he looked at Mick.  “Was he a likely suspect?  Yes.  Of course he was.  The likeliest.  But I needed more facts.  I needed to look Bovenconti in the eye and --”

“And do what, Teddy?” Joey asked.  “You know he’s gonna deny it!”  Then Joey looked at Mick.  “I told Teddy we should have hit those bastards back that same day.  Like you would have done.  Now it’s been a week and we haven’t done shit.  And what happened at that party was a freaking fiasco!”

“I needed to look Bovenconti in the eye,” Teddy continued as if Joey’s diatribe never occurred, “and take the measure of the man.”

Mick was staring at Teddy.  Sizing him up.  Taking his measure.  “Your conclusion?” he asked.

“He denied involvement.”

“But?” Mick asked, still staring at Teddy.

“But my sense is that he was involved.”

Joey nearly jumped out of his chair.  “See?”  He was directing his ire at Teddy.  “What did I tell you?  I told your ass he ordered those fires at the docks!  I told you!  I told your punk ass!”

When Joey said those last two words, Teddy’s restraint was gone.  He grabbed his kid brother by his shirt and, with one fluid motion, flung him up from his seat and slammed his back against the wall.  The Bevin twins jumped up from their seats, too, but Mick motioned for them to sit their asses back down.  They sat down.

Teddy pointed his finger in his brother’s face.  Their faces were so close, Joey could smell Teddy’s aftershave.  “I’ve had it up to here with your bullshit,” he said.  “I’ve had it up to here with your whining.  And your complaining.  I’ve had it, Joey!”  He slammed Joey’s back even harder against that wall.

Then he said those words Joey dreaded to hear.   “You’re fired,” Teddy said.  “You’re fired and that fucked up crew you hired is fired too.”

The Bevin twins knew that meant them.  They wanted to aid Joey, but they were too afraid of Mick.

“All or your asses are fired,” Teddy continued.  “And it goes into effect immediately.”  Then he released Joey.

Joey, stunned, looked at their father.  The Bevin twins were looking too.  “He can’t fire me, Pop,” Joey said.  “Tell him he can’t fire me!”

But Mick was not going along.  He leaned back in his chair.  “He can,” Mick said, “and he just did.”  Mick had taken Teddy’s measure, and he did not find him lacking.

But Joey was another story.  Joey couldn’t believe it.  “He can fire me?”

Mick was stunned also.  He was stunned that Joey didn’t understand the depth of Teddy’s power.  “Who did I put in charge?” Mick asked Joey.  “Who?  You?  Or Ted?”

Joey reluctantly answered.  “You put Teddy in charge.  But--”

“There is no fucking but!” Mick had had it with Joey’s shit too.  “Ted is in charge!  And the move he made was the right one.  You get clear intel before you even think about hitting another family, especially since we were the ones who started the shit in the first place!  Ted is in charge.  Nobody else runs my organization but Ted.  Am I clear?  I always have been, but for some reason your ass thought I wasn’t clear.”

Mick exhaled.  He didn’t have time for this shit.  But Joey had to understand why Teddy was in charge.  “You don’t become the underboss of my organization just because you’re tough,” he said.  “Teddy’s the toughest man I have.  He’s got the kind of toughness natural born leaders are made of.  But he’s got brains too.  You have to have brains too, Joey!  You have to see the obvious, and then see more than the fucking obvious!  Sometimes you’re right.  Sometimes you’re wrong.  But you’re never impulsive.  And you’re never just a loudmouth tough guy.”

“Teddy was impulsive at that party!” Joey pointed out.  “All those people are dead because of one woman.  His so-called new assistant.  Because of Nikki.  Teddy was impulsive!”

Teddy and Mick exchanged glances.  Not because of what Joey said.  But because they were amazed at how immature he still seemed to be.

But Joey saw the way they looked at each other as something more sinister.  His father always, but always, took Teddy’s side.  No matter what.  And the fix was in again.  Joey could feel it in his bones.

It was time for him to go there.

“You’re going to let Teddy fire me,” Joey asked his father, “even though I have the intel straight from the horse’s mouth?”

Teddy frowned and looked at Joey.   “What are you talking about?”

“I have the suspect your ass let get away,” Joey said.

Teddy was stunned.  This time, Mick was too. “What do you mean you have him?” he asked.

“My guys have him.  I tracked him down, and we have him.  We’ve been working him over to get him to flip and tell us what the hell is going on.”

Mick stood from his desk, prompting the twins to stand too.  “Where is he?” Mick asked.

“At a Safe House,” Joey responded.

Mick grabbed his suit coat off of the back of his chair.

“Why wasn’t I told?” Teddy was asking his brother as Mick began hurrying from behind his desk.

“Let’s go,” Mick said to Teddy as he hurried past him.

Joey smiled and hurried behind his father.  The twins smiled and hurried too.

Teddy wasn’t smiling, but he hurried too.

When they made it outside of the office, and Mick saw Nikki sitting against the wall, he stopped in his tracks.  Joey almost bumped into him he stopped so abruptly.

Nikki stood to her feet.

“Hello,” Mick said to her.

“Hi,” she said to him.

“You’re my son’s assistant now.”

Did he have a problem with that, Nikki wondered?  “Yes, sir,” she said.

Mick looked her up and down in a way that made Nikki want to run and hide.  But then he nodded as if he approved.  “Good,” he said.  He was relieved to see that Teddy had enough sense to keep her.  And then he continued on his way.

Joey and the twins looked at Nikki, as they continued to follow Mick.

Teddy squeezed her arm.  “Wait here until I get back,” he said to her, kissed her on the mouth, and then kept walking too.

But Blair and all of the assistants, and even Gloria too, were staring at Nikki.  Who was this woman, they all wondered, that even Mick Sinatra would stop to acknowledge her?