Page 117 of Niccolo (Mafia Kings #7)

I called the Widow, who was keeping her granddaughter company as my brother went into surgery.

The Widow was effusive in her gratitude for Massimo saving Lucia’s life. I had never heard her so emotional before.

Without my asking, she volunteered to send a private jet to our property to pick us up. She said she would meet us at her palazzo in two hours and then accompany us back to the hospital.

I told everyone to get ready to travel, then remembered Roberto. I needed to tell him to meet us in Venice rather than come back home.

But when I checked my messages, he hadn’t responded to my text.

I tried calling.

It went directly to voicemail.

SHIT.

Fighting back panic, I texted him, Call me as soon as you get this.

By the time the private jet got to our property’s landing strip, I still hadn’t received a reply.

The flight was uneventful. Rachel made fast friends with Alessandra despite having tried to kill her husband the prior week. And Bianca was impressed that Rachel had been a secret agent.

They all bonded by making me the villain, albeit in a comical way.

I went along with it…

Although I was internally panicking about Roberto.

As soon as we landed, I checked my messages again.

No answer.

FUCK!

I refused to let my imagination get the best of me, but it was hard not to picture him being dumped into Hong Kong Harbor by a bunch of Asian gangsters.

When we got to Marco Polo Airport outside Venice, Rolls-Royces were waiting for us on the tarmac, accompanied by the Widow’s foot soldiers.

Rachel gave me a questioning look.

“Courtesy of the woman whose granddaughter Massimo saved,” I explained.

“Can we trust these people?” she whispered.

I thought that was rather funny, considering what she’d attempted to do last week.

“I certainly hope so, but if they try anything… kill them for me, will you?” I joked.

She looked out seriously at the foot soldiers as though taking stock of what she would need to do. “Okay.”

“Uh… I was joking.”

“I wasn’t.”

I chuckled. “Suddenly, I’m glad we brought you along.”

Now, if I could only send you to Hong Kong…

The cars took us to a dock by the water, where we boarded two speedboats that ferried us across the bay. Then we entered a private canal that led directly to the guarded entrance of the Widow’s palace.

I had never met the Widow in person, only seen her at a meeting of consiglieres that Fausto had brought me to when I was a teenager. She looked older and more frail than ten years ago, but she still had the same indomitable gravitas that matched any don in the Cosa Nostra.

Dario bowed and kissed the ring on her outstretched hand.

“Signora Fioretti,” he said respectfully. “We are truly grateful to be received in your beautiful home.”

“You are most welcome, Don Rosolini. I am truly grateful for your brothers’ valor in returning my granddaughter safely to me… but I am forever indebted to Massimo. Anything I can do for you and your family, I am at your disposal.”

“Thank you. May I introduce my wife Alessandra and my sister-in-law Bianca.”

Alessandra and Bianca acted shy, but the old woman gave them a warm smile. “Welcome.”

“This is my brother and consigliere, Niccolo,” Dario continued.

We had already made each other’s acquaintance over the phone, but protocol dictated that I act as though I were meeting a head of state for the first time.

“Signora Fioretti,” I said as I kissed her ring. “An honor.”

“Thank you,” she said, giving me a warm smile. Then her eyes fell on Rachel. “And who is this?”

I couldn’t help myself. “Oh, she’s a former MI6 agent who tried to kill Dario a few weeks ago.”

The Widow’s expression of shock and horror was priceless.

On second thought, I probably shouldn’t have done it. Might’ve given her a coronary.

Dario sighed in exasperation. “You’ll have to forgive my brother, Signora. This is Rachel, the fiancée of Lars, one of the men who helped save your granddaughter.”

“Oh yes, the handsome Swede.”

“That’s the one,” Rachel said with a smile.

The Widow frowned at Dario. “Did she really try to kill you?”

Dario glowered at me. “It was a misunderstanding.”

“Is that what we’re calling it now?” I asked. Couldn’t help myself – again.

The Widow gave Rachel some side-eye. “But you did try to kill him?”

“It was before we knew each other,” Rachel said nervously.

“WELL,” said the Widow, “thank heaven you and I know each other now.”

Ha!

So the old bat did have a sense of humor!

She demonstrated it even more after she sent Rachel up to see Lars.

She turned to Dario and said, “I must say, you surround yourself with the most interesting people, Don Rosolini.”

“Yes, unfortunately,” I couldn’t help adding.

Rachel stayed behind, but the rest of us – Dario, Alessandra, Bianca, Lars, and I – accompanied the Widow to the hospital.

We rode in an enclosed teak boat that the Widow assured us was bulletproof. It took us through a series of canals to the bay on the north side of Venice, and from there to the main entrance of the hospital.

Lucia was in a private waiting room being guarded by the Widow’s men. Lars said she had been wearing a bloodstained dress when the helicopter airlifted her and Massimo off San Michele – but now she had on a Università Ca’ Foscari hoodie and sweatpants.

Still, her long hair was in disarray, her face was pale, and there was a redness to her eyes that let me know she had recently been crying.

She hugged her grandmother, then said hello to all of us and let us know Massimo was still in surgery.

I glanced at the toy ring on her finger and remembered Massimo had proposed to her.

I wasn’t sure the Widow knew yet, so I didn’t say anything…

but I was impressed. Everything that had happened over the last 24 hours – not to mention Massimo’s current situation – must have put her under a crushing amount of stress.

And yet she was polite to us, if a bit reserved.

Nothing like the legendary wild child of the Cosa Nostra I’d heard stories about for years.

We left her and the Widow to check on Adriano, who was recuperating in a room on the same floor. While the rest of the family talked to him, I checked my phone.

Still no word from Hong Kong.

Roberto – what the fuck is going on with you?!