“Payback for what?” asked Nikki. “I never had any beef with Spank.”
“Not you.”
“Then who?”
“Mick the Tick. It’s payback time on him.”
Nikki and Marco looked at Teddy.
“Payback for what?” Teddy asked their prisoner.
“He didn’t tell me what for. He just ordered me to get a team together, follow her to New Orleans, and take her out.”
“How would he know I was coming to New Orleans?” Nikki asked.
“I don’t know none of that. But he knew. That’s why I got two guys together and we came here.”
“Where’s Spanky stationed these days?” Teddy asked.
“He’s still in Philly.”
“Still in Philly? I thought he left Philly years ago.”
“He did. But he came back.”
Teddy glanced at Nikki. Did he come back just to do this hit? “How much was your fee?”
“That was the incredible part,” the prisoner said. “He was gonna pay me six million.”
Even Teddy knew that was an exorbitant price for an underboss hit. That was more the fee a hitman would get for a major mob boss hit. “And he never told you why?”
“He told me it was payback on Mick the Tick. That was all he told me.”
Nikki was staring at Teddy. “Is there something you aren’t telling me? Don’t get me wrong. I thank God you showed up when you did. But why did you come?”
Teddy hesitated. “Pop’s been hit.”
When Nikki heard those words, her heart sank. “How is he?”
When Teddy didn’t respond but just stared at her, she couldn’t believe it. “He’sdead?”
“No. But . . .”
“But what Teddy?”
“Nikki, it’s bad.”
Marco glanced back at his father. He had tears before. He knew he could shed tears again.
But it was Nikki’s time to tear-up. “Lord have mercy,” she said.
But as soon as she said it, their prisoner, knowing his fate, decided to take advantage of the distracting news and grab for Nikki’s gun that had been aimed at him.
But Nikki quickly recovered and Teddy joined in on the scuffle to make certain her would-be assassin didn’t get control of her gun.
Teddy leaned all the way over and was grabbing for it, Nikki continued to hold onto it, and even Marco got out of the vehicle to run on the opposite side where their perp was seated.
But Teddy knew he had to take a chance that Nikki could hold on just long enough. Because he removed his hands from the struggle and pulled out his own gun.
