I shook my head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. My old man was a scumbag.”
“No, your father was a good man,” Johnny explained. “It was Sal who was the scumbag. That’s why we had him killed. I know you want to get to your daughter right now, but when you have a chance, I’ll tell you all about your father.”
I looked back at the door, behind which lay Sal’s corpse.
Good riddance, you son of a bitch. I guess the next time we meet will be in hell.
Epilogue: Orlando
The backyard of our compound was packed with more than two hundred people helping to celebrate Mariah’s birthday. I was standing near the doorway to the main house with Pop, observing the festivities as we shared a couple of cold ones.
It was a little over three months since the war with Alejandro had ended, and our family had just begun to recover. Pop was still uneasy having all these people at our house, despite the fact we had more security than the President of the United States, and the guests were all confined to the backyard. It was his opinion that our recent battles with Sal Dash and Alejandro had exposed us in ways we weren’t prepared for and that most of our family couldn’t comprehend. Although we’d come out on top, Pop reminded me constantly that Vinnie Dash’s whereabouts were still unknown. He was also concerned that once the shock of Miguel’s death wore off, Alejandro might reignite the war between us. What concerned him the most was that we could never be sure if the violent nature of Uncle Lou’s death and Mariah’s kidnapping had drawn the attention of law enforcement. Truth is, only time would tell, and that made the old man very uncomfortable.
“You know we have a lot of rebuilding to do,” Pop commented with a bit of weariness apparent in his tone. “Sooner or later someone is gonna come gunning for us.”
“So I take it you don’t plan on going to Florida anymore?” I asked.
“If you don’t mind me sticking around, I kinda want to see how things play out. You’ve turned into quite a man, son, but these are trying times, and there are still some things you’re going to need to learn. I’d like to stick around and teach them to you.”
The fact that he wanted to stay didn’t surprise me. What did surprise me was that he still planned to hand things over to me someday. I had expected him to announce some changes that included removing me from my spot at the top.
“I can’t think of anyone I’d rather learn from, Pop.”
He nodded, raising his beer. “To the family.”
I joined his toast, sipping my beer as I looked out at the crowd and thought about the work that lay ahead.
We still needed to appoint four lieutenants to replace Pablo and Uncle Lou and to cover the slice of Dash’s territory the Commission had given us. We also needed to get on steady footing with a major distributor from areas beyond the U.S. Until we had a new pipeline, we were vulnerable. What good were we to the Commission or anyone else if we didn’t have the quality product they desired?
“Maybe we should go in the house and talk this thing out.”
“Pop, Dash is gone, and we’ve got a meeting with your man Lee on Monday about distribution. For at least one day, can you savor the moment and think positive thoughts? Relax and enjoy your granddaughter’s birthday party,” I requested of my father.
“You’re right.” He looked over at Mariah and London with a smile. Harris was taking pictures of them in silly poses, showing off their catlike faces, courtesy of the face painter we’d hired for the party.
Just watching them interact made me think of Ruby and the fact that she was carrying our unborn child. I hadn’t seen her since she disappeared from the protective custody of my men three months ago, and I really missed her. I had hired several private investigators to find her, without any luck.