Nick only hesitated for a moment. His first reaction to what Sonny said was to take stock as to whether he had ever lied to him. Nick then told him everything suspected along with the facts Paul had shared about the money trail. When he finished, Sonny was staring at his shoes.
“I never had parents, kid. I had foster homes. It was so bad that if I hadn’t found the army I would have been in prison, probably for murder. You are an exceptional young man, Sonny. That doesn’t happen by accident. Your folks did something right, even if it was presenting an example of what not to do. You feel right and wrong. You have good instincts. Those are important qualities. Now that I know how you feel about some tough love for your Dad, I think we can help him out of this mess. I need you to promise me you’ll help him stay on the straight and narrow. I believe after I help him all you will have to do is mention my name when you think your Dad or Mom mean to do something sketchy. Can you do that?”
“I can. You’re right. They’re good to me. They can help me and as you say, I can help them. One thing, Sir.” Sonny looked toward where Jean sat, now holding Quinn in her arms. “I’m going to marry Jean someday. Will that be a problem?”
Nick grinned. “Not at all. Here’s my hand on it.”
Nick and Sonny shook hands. “You do know getting Jean to marry you may not be a sure thing, right?”
Sonny nodded. “She’s pretty intense.”
“Indeed.”
Chapter Seven
A Morality Play On Several Fronts
Sonny let Nick into his house while calling out to his Dad. Phil Salvatore rushed in from his home office, a worried look on his features. The worry intensified when he saw Nick standing in his living room. Clarice joined him from the kitchen with the same angst at seeing Nick also coloring her body language and tightening at the mouth.
“Hi Phil, Clarice… Sonny asked me to have a look at your job problem, Phil. I’m afraid I’ll have to get a bit more information after checking into it. Come with me. We’ll go sort this all out in a more private venue.”
“You’re going to kill him, aren’t you? We know what you are,” Clarice stated, pointing a trembling finger at Nick. “You’re an assassin. You won’t be sorting out anything. If Phil goes with you, we’ll never see him again!”
“Mom! If Nick wanted Dad dead, he’d already be on the floor with a bullet in his head. The same goes for you. Don’t mess this up! If Nick leaves, you’ll both be alive, but Dad will go to prison, and he deserves to.”
Phil took over for Clarice on the finger pointing. “Look! I don’t know what this bastard told you, Sonny, but-”
“Shut up, Phil! I’m here because I like Sonny. If you call me a liar again, I will walk out the door without a backwards glance. You’ll meet with the FBI agents tomorrow at the office. Afterwards, you won’t be going home, and your job will be the least of your worries.”
“It was that bitch Lily who ratted me out over nothing, wasn’t it?” Phil’s face still showed rage, but the stare-down with Nick was a no win situation.
“A decent honest professional noticed you were doing what was not only against the law but also against the security of the nation. She found out in the nick of time. I don’t know what ‘over nothing’ means to you, Phil. To the rest of us lowly citizens your ‘over nothing’ means you sold out your own country for a million dollars you will not be allowed to keep.”
Hearing Nick and whomever he had talked with knew about the payoff silenced Phil. His shoulders sagged. Clarice took over.
“You can’t take our money! That’s stealing! Phil earned the money. Who do you think you are? We’ll be exonerated in court. I want you-”
“It is stealing, Mom! You and Dad plotted this out. I heard you. I thought it was just another of your get rich quick schemes. You let Mom talk you into forging illegal passports, Dad. I thought you were speeding the process for friends. But you weren’t. You were making ones that could be used by terrorists! They’re going to send you to prison if you don’t let Nick help you. You wouldn’t survive prison. Like I told Nick, I know you lie to me, but I don’t want you to die.”
“I won’t be lectured by a ten year old! Say something, Phil!”
“Sonny’s right,” Phil admitted. “I should have never done it. I knew it was wrong when we convinced ourselves it was a simple money making scheme. We got caught. I’ll get my jacket.”
Clarice folded arms over chest, glaring at Sonny. “I’m very disappointed in you! Confiding in this murderer about our personal business. What were you thinking?”
“He was thinking about keeping Phil out of prison.” Nick’s deadly tone shut Clarice off. “Not only that, he kept your ass out of prison for aiding and abetting.”
“What? There’s no way in hell-”