to?” Teddy asked, looking from one man to the other.
“Yeah, well, la familia doesn't need to know everything, do they?” Jimmie shook his head.
“And they're probably thinking the same thing,” Mitch grumbled. “Gino will be calling everyone to the table over this. Mark my words.”
“Palmese?” Teddy shook his head. “No way. He's all the way in Sicily. He won't care what happens on this side of the pond.”
Mitch didn't respond and dropped his eyes away from the piercing gaze Jimmie aimed his direction. He waved for another bottle and began pouring glasses for everyone as soon as it arrived.
It was Jimmie who finally broke the uneasy silence. “I figure Mitch is right. Palmese won't abide by dissension among the family. I'm surprised Coppell's death didn't spur a council meeting to begin with. Coppell's holdings just got absorbed into Terenari's without much protest.”
“Nicolai got Coppell's territory?” Mitch nearly choked. “No way in hell Gino approved that.”
“He must have-”
“No. No fucking way.” Mitch shook his head. “Gino wouldn't allow him an inch.”
Jimmie didn't ask what made Mitch so certain but shrugged instead. “Then he's taken it upon himself to claim it.”
“Nobody would be stupid enough to cross Palmese.”
“Nicolai would,” Mitch nodded solemnly. “He plays by a completely different set of rules and he was in Atlantic last night. If the feds know he's claiming Coppell's territory and then he appears on the east coast to solidify their opinion further-”
“Then the warrants on both Markesi and us make sense,” Jimmie nodded. “But how would they know...”
“Ashli,” Teddy offered, dropping his eyes from both men.
“Don't you dare-”
“Lay off, Jimmie,” Mitch interrupted. “He's not calling her a traitor. He's saying what we all already know. She can't keep her mouth shut when she's in the sack and we are getting to play cleanup for the aftermath. If we can't be honest at this table there's no point in being here.”
Although he continued to glare at Teddy, Jimmie nodded.
“Where's she getting the drugs?" Mitch glanced from one to the other.
“What?”
Mitch hesitated at the look on Jimmie's face. He didn't know...he really had no idea. “Are you fucking kidding me?” he hissed. “The moment she leaves the office she's high as a kite and you've never fucking noticed?”
Jimmie looked to Teddy for confirmation. It took several minutes before Teddy gathered the courage to respond.
“It's true. It's been going on for as long as I've worked here. Just alcohol at first then stronger stuff.”
“Are there any other grand epiphanies about my organization you two need to launch at me tonight? Because, well, fuck you. Fuck both of you.”
Mitch couldn't help but laugh. He could feel the anger rushing over Jimmie but the hysterical nature of it all was just too much for him to contain. “Yeah, because we're the ones who've driven her to drowning her life away, right? Come on, Jimmie, man up here so we can deal with this shit.”
“You are an asshole,” Jimmie grumbled and grabbed the bottle away from him to take a long swig.
“Okay.” It was Teddy who tried to bring more decorum to the table. “We have the federal issue which seems like it will resolve itself if we can keep the feds out of her bed.”
“That's been handled. She didn't know he was a fed and I believe her. She wouldn't lie about that,” Mitch answered and gave a soft laugh. “Not to me anyway.”
“We have the issue of a fed getting in the damn building to begin with,” Jimmie said. “How exactly did that happen?”
“He didn't look like a fed!” Teddy defended.
“Mitch picked up on him instantly.”
Mitch pulled the bottle back away from Jimmie and took a drink while forming his response. “We can tighten up the facial recognition software. Get one of the MIT guys to try and get us an updated database of federal employees.”
“Or you know just have
“Yeah, well, la familia doesn't need to know everything, do they?” Jimmie shook his head.
“And they're probably thinking the same thing,” Mitch grumbled. “Gino will be calling everyone to the table over this. Mark my words.”
“Palmese?” Teddy shook his head. “No way. He's all the way in Sicily. He won't care what happens on this side of the pond.”
Mitch didn't respond and dropped his eyes away from the piercing gaze Jimmie aimed his direction. He waved for another bottle and began pouring glasses for everyone as soon as it arrived.
It was Jimmie who finally broke the uneasy silence. “I figure Mitch is right. Palmese won't abide by dissension among the family. I'm surprised Coppell's death didn't spur a council meeting to begin with. Coppell's holdings just got absorbed into Terenari's without much protest.”
“Nicolai got Coppell's territory?” Mitch nearly choked. “No way in hell Gino approved that.”
“He must have-”
“No. No fucking way.” Mitch shook his head. “Gino wouldn't allow him an inch.”
Jimmie didn't ask what made Mitch so certain but shrugged instead. “Then he's taken it upon himself to claim it.”
“Nobody would be stupid enough to cross Palmese.”
“Nicolai would,” Mitch nodded solemnly. “He plays by a completely different set of rules and he was in Atlantic last night. If the feds know he's claiming Coppell's territory and then he appears on the east coast to solidify their opinion further-”
“Then the warrants on both Markesi and us make sense,” Jimmie nodded. “But how would they know...”
“Ashli,” Teddy offered, dropping his eyes from both men.
“Don't you dare-”
“Lay off, Jimmie,” Mitch interrupted. “He's not calling her a traitor. He's saying what we all already know. She can't keep her mouth shut when she's in the sack and we are getting to play cleanup for the aftermath. If we can't be honest at this table there's no point in being here.”
Although he continued to glare at Teddy, Jimmie nodded.
“Where's she getting the drugs?" Mitch glanced from one to the other.
“What?”
Mitch hesitated at the look on Jimmie's face. He didn't know...he really had no idea. “Are you fucking kidding me?” he hissed. “The moment she leaves the office she's high as a kite and you've never fucking noticed?”
Jimmie looked to Teddy for confirmation. It took several minutes before Teddy gathered the courage to respond.
“It's true. It's been going on for as long as I've worked here. Just alcohol at first then stronger stuff.”
“Are there any other grand epiphanies about my organization you two need to launch at me tonight? Because, well, fuck you. Fuck both of you.”
Mitch couldn't help but laugh. He could feel the anger rushing over Jimmie but the hysterical nature of it all was just too much for him to contain. “Yeah, because we're the ones who've driven her to drowning her life away, right? Come on, Jimmie, man up here so we can deal with this shit.”
“You are an asshole,” Jimmie grumbled and grabbed the bottle away from him to take a long swig.
“Okay.” It was Teddy who tried to bring more decorum to the table. “We have the federal issue which seems like it will resolve itself if we can keep the feds out of her bed.”
“That's been handled. She didn't know he was a fed and I believe her. She wouldn't lie about that,” Mitch answered and gave a soft laugh. “Not to me anyway.”
“We have the issue of a fed getting in the damn building to begin with,” Jimmie said. “How exactly did that happen?”
“He didn't look like a fed!” Teddy defended.
“Mitch picked up on him instantly.”
Mitch pulled the bottle back away from Jimmie and took a drink while forming his response. “We can tighten up the facial recognition software. Get one of the MIT guys to try and get us an updated database of federal employees.”
“Or you know just have
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