Chapter 10- Messed up
Another seven days rolled by as the gang looked into Winston Marx. They had to set up the most complicated cover ID they ever had. Fake phone lines to more than one of his restaurants, the deeds for those restaurants, payroll, a list of workers—all played by the masterful cast of Barry, Michael, and Fiona—in the kitchens or dinning rooms, a complete work up on Mr. Marx himself, a foreclosed house for his residence, and the papers to his Aston Martin. The extra mile paid off, and a meeting was set up between Sam and Antony.
He fiddled with his ascot and checked the time on his watch again. Antony was running ten minutes late. A big SUV, one that looked suspiciously similar to the one Mike described in the attempt on Campbell's life, rolled up in front of him. The door opened and Antony motioned to him to get inside. He did and found himself staring Elizabeth Brent in the face.
"Who is she?" Sam inquired, trying to sound as if he was offended by her unannounced appearance.
"She's in charge of some of our financial holdings. She'll be with us from now on. We looked into you and like what we found. Let's talk business," Antony pulled the flaps of his leather jacket to reveal a semi-automatic .38 caliber. Not too loud, but definitely not subtle.
"Whoa! What's that for?" he cried as he tossed his hands in the air. "Don't shoot!"
"I like my clients to know that we take our business very seriously. Once you're a customer, you're always a customer. A…discreet customer…if we understand each other."
"We do."
"Good. How many barrels of wine are you interested in purchasing?"
"Enough to get all of my restaurants through the year."
"That's a lot of wine."
"It is. Do you have enough?"
"Excuse us for a moment," Antony turned to Elizabeth and began discussing something to quietly for Sam to hear. In the meantime, he took one of the sixteen or so bugs Michael had made in the past few weeks and hid it underneath the seat.
"Well?" Sam asked after a few more seconds.
"What you're suggesting would clean out our inventory now and half of the shipment coming in next week. We don't have the authorization to make the deal," he explained.
Then it hit him. Antony wasn't completely in charge like he'd let him to believe. There was another boss, which meant more clearance and more time. Michael was going to kill himself. "You mean that you aren't the one in charge?"
"I oversee the shipments and I'm in charge of the properties and boats, but I don't run the entire operation. Vince does that. I'm going to have to talk to him about this. If he gives me the go-ahead, you'll be meeting with him to finalize the deal. It could take several days to decide. We know where to find you when we want to. Get out."
The car stopped and the door flew open. Sam frowned and did as he was told. Of course there would have to be more to getting inside.
"Ow! I did all I could! I'm not the one running the company! I got the bug in his car and I found out the main boss's name, so don't hit me! It isn't my fault that they're more paranoid than the entire Russian government. I've gotten into top secret missile silos easier than this!" Sam defended as he nursed the arm Fiona just punched. "I'm all on my own here! Sure, I've got you guys and Barry backing me up on the phones and documents, but one man can't take down an entire gang in a day! These things take time!"
"Time isn't something we have, Sam. Michael's losing his mind, Campbell's still Campbell which is making Michael even crazier, and I'm sick and tired of staying inside that God-awful loft!" she snapped angrily.
"I can only do so much, Fi. I'm sure that Mikey can hold it together for awhile longer. I remember one summer we spent underground. Everyone else was certifiable at that point, except Mike. He kept his cool even when we were under enemy fire and even when the rats showed up and I mean rodents. Big rodents! That big!" he illustrated with his hands.
"He hardly gets any time alone and the rest of the time he's stuck with Campbell and I."
"I get your point. I'd lose it too if I were stuck inside with the two of you…no offense…"
She hit his arm again. "None taken."
He rubbed his shoulder and sent her a sideways glance. "Do you really want to hit the man that's driving? That's an accident waiting to happen if you ask me."
"I can hit anyone I want to."
"I fear the discipline in your household. That poor kid."
"Shut up, Sam."
"Hey, if it wasn't for me you'd still be at the loft without a safe way to get to this doctor checkup thing. A little gratitude would be nice."
She made a small sound of protest and folded her arms across her chest. She looked around the interior of the car and reluctantly said, "This is a nice car."
"I'll take that as a thank you. You and junior are very welcome."
"Stop calling my baby that."
"Well, we don't know if I'm going to have a little niece or nephew yet."
"Who made you the uncle?"
"C'mon, Fi! I can't stand you, you can't stand me. We're practically family!"
"I have five brothers! I don't think my child needs another drunk uncle."
"If that's MJ in there, I will be the uncle. There's no argument."
"If it's Campbell's, you won't be."
"Speaking of paternity, did you and Mike have 'the talk'?"
"We did."
"How'd that go?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Mike isn't the kind of guy that's going to walk away from his duties as a father."
"I know that! I don't want him to. That's all it is with men. Duty and honor. Nothing else matters to you!"
He winced at her tone of voice. Her Irish accent scared him more than he liked to admit. "Not all men are about duty. Mikey wouldn't stay just because he felt he had to."
"He leaves just because he thinks that he has to."
"Okay, maybe. Not really the point…"
"Maybe that is the point! We didn't work then, we didn't work now, what's going to be different this time?"
"Yeah, your track record is spotty. That doesn't change the fact that he loves you for some reason. I've tried to tell him that you were wrong for him. I've tried to tell him it was a bad idea to be with you. I've seen what he looks like after you're through with him and he still doesn't care. No matter how messed up it is when you're together, he's the least messed up when you are. Which makes no sense because you're one messed up lady. Last time I checked, messed up and more messed up is just…even more messed up…"
He took a deep breath as she gaped at him. "You have no right to—"
"I wasn't finished!" he shouted. She quieted down. "I can't speak for Mike, but I know who he is. Yeah, he'll want to stay because he thinks it's his responsibility. Yeah, it might be some strange right to be a father thing. But there's one thing I know for sure and that's that he loves you. He doesn't say it and he has trouble showing it, but he does. You two have the most violent, twisted, confusing, relationship that I've ever seen and that's saying something. Look at my love life! I couldn't marry Veronica because I am married and this is Mrs. Reynolds car. I'm only dating her because I stole this before she gave it to me!"
"Your point?" she whispered.
"You're being stupid because you're scared. I didn't think you could get scared. I guess I was wrong. Mikey isn't going anywhere. Not if you want him to stay this time."
"I've wanted him to stay! It hasn't stopped him from pursuing his burn notice and trying to leave me every chance he gets!"
"He's a spy, Fi. It's all he's known. You're the only real family he's ever had and in his mind, going back in is the only way to keep you safe."
"If he wants to keep me safe, he should stay with me!"
"Tell him! The two of you have enough things left unsaid to write a book longer than War and Peace…which is an appropriate title for it…"
The car came to a stop in the parking garage of the hospital. He took the keys out of the ignition and turned to her with his serious face on. "I'm tired of being put in the middle of you and Mike. Imagine how junior would feel if you two kept at this off and on thing."
She nodded and put her hands on her stomach. "I wish it wasn't so complicated."
"It doesn't have to be. It's only as complicated as you make it."
"Thanks, Sam."
"Anytime. Does this mean that I get to have uncle status?"
"No."
"But—"
"No."