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“Why not?!”
“Because it’s a hunch – nothing more. I could be wrong, and there’s a strong counter-argument.”
“Which is?”
“If Lau were actually working with Fausto, Roberto would already be dead.”
“True…” Dario muttered.
Then came the question I’d been dreading.
“Did you turn Fausto’sconsigliere?”Dario asked.
“I made her an offer, but I guess it was one she could refuse,” I joked.
Dario leveled his piercing gaze at me. “You didn’t lead with ‘she’s dead,’ so I’m assuming she’s still alive.”
“Yes. Unless her plane happened to crash on the way back to Italy.”
Dario frowned in confusion. “Did you…?”
“No, I didn’t magically make her plane crash,” I snapped.
“Did you get a chance to take her out?”
Bytake her out,he didNOTmean on a date.
“Sort of.”
“What do you mean, ‘sort of’?”
“I, uh… I slept with her.”
Dario stared at me.“What?!”
I put up my hands to stave him off. “It’s not what you think! I’m playing the long game.”
Dario scowled. “Are you sure you’re not just acting like Valentino?”
“Don’t insult me like that,” I joked.
“What the fuck were you thinking?!” he snarled – then frowned even more. “What the fuck wasshethinking?! You could have killed her! In fact, why DIDN’T you kill her?!”
I winced. “Because I swore on your lives and everyone else’s that I wouldn’t.”
Dario was astounded –
And then looked like he might throttle me.
“But only in Hong Kong and Macau!” I added.
“What – so you can kill herhere,but not overthere?!”he asked in astonishment.
“Exactly!”
“What thefuckwere youTHINKING?!”
“I told you, I’m playing the long game.”