The winter of Frankie Machine

32

Jimmy the Kid Giacamone sits in a car and thinks about balls.

Balls is what Frankie Machine’s got. Big, clanging brass clappers.

First he snatches Mouse Junior and rides him right into his daddy’s place of business, next he pulls John Heaney into a Dumpster, and then he strolls into Migliore’s bar, beats half the guys senseless, and roughs up Teddy himself.

The guy’s got balls.

Good, Jimmy thinks, because that’s the kind of trophy you want hanging on your wall. Not his balls, of course, not literally-but any hunter worth his salt wants the big old bull elephant, the one that, you fuck up, is going to kill you.

Otherwise, what’s the point?

Jimmy’s in California with his whole crew.

“The Wrecking Crew,” they’re glossed, because they work out of a car-salvage place out in Deerborn. Jimmy likes the tag-the Wrecking Crew-it says it all.

They didn’t come in together, of course. That would’ve been stupid. They came in on separate flights, and none of them into San Diego, either. Jimmy came into Orange County, Paulie and Joey into L.A., Carlo into Burbank, Tony into Palm Springs, Jackie into Long Beach.

Mouse’s guys met them and hooked them up with hardware.

That’s all Jimmy asked from those West Coast mooks. “Get us some hardware, clean, untraceable. You guys think you can handle that?”

Maybe yes, maybe no. Frankie M. had come right into their driveway, for Chrissakes, and they let him skate. Way he heard it, Frankie had shot up the kid’s Hummer and stolen Joey Fiella’s car in the process.

Too fucking funny.

But the Mouseketeers had come through with the arsenal he’d requested, so his crew was strapped and ready to rock and roll, Motor City-style.

Eight Mile-style.

Jimmy starts to sing:

“You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow

This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo…”

No shit, you ain’t gonna blow this opportunity. Take care of business here, go back and jump the old man for the spot on the council. Like, king me, Dad. First step in taking the family back from the Tominellos and getting it home where it belongs, to the Giacamones.

Something Dad never had the stones to do.

But I do, Jimmy thinks.

Me and Frankie M., we got balls.

I just gotta blow Frankie’s off.

So he sits in the car and waits.

Frankie Machine is going to show up sooner or later.