Page 142 of Niccolo (Mafia Kings #7)

S ofia turned around in surprise. “Me?!”

“Yes – you,” I said with a smile.

“No.”

I snorted. “I think that’s for the Council to decide. Don Severino?”

“Is there any reason you shouldn’t testify, Ms. Toscani?” he asked.

“Yes, Don Severino,” she answered coolly. “I feel it would be improper, seeing as Niccolo and I had sex last night.”

If I’d had water in my mouth, I would have done a spit take.

The entire room roared in astonishment.

I glanced back at my brothers, who stared at me in shock –

All except Dario, who just closed his eyes and grimaced.

“You… slept together last night?” Don Severino repeated in disbelief.

“Well, there wasn’t any sleeping involved,” Sofia replied, “but yes – we had sexual intercourse. As we have on several occasions over the last month.”

FUCK.

Literally.

Now Dario had his face in one hand.

My other brothers looked like they were on the verge of outrage –

Especially Adriano, who was staring at me like, What the FUCK, you ASSHOLE?!

Valentino was the only one smiling – but it was more like, I KNEW you were a fucking hypocrite!

Everyone else in the room was yelling and gesticulating wildly –

Except Fausto, who remained placid and calm at the other end of the room.

Don Severino had to bang his hand on the table to restore order, but he wasn’t completely successful.

Sofia yelled over the tumult. “Since we’ve had sex – which I think Niccolo used to try to manipulate me, and was preparing to use to discredit me in the eyes of the Council – I feel it would be inappropriate for me to be called as his witness.”

Don Severino glared at me. “I concur.”

I walked over to Sofia and muttered in her ear, “You just had to go there, didn’t you?”

“Oh, I’m not finished yet,” she whispered back. Then she shouted to the rest of the room, “Isn’t it odd that I’m the only one who’s slept with a Rosolini – and isn’t testifying on their behalf.”

Other than Dario, every single male mafia don in the room laughed.

It was a fucking masterstroke.

Male mafiosos – especially those of the older generation – are notoriously misogynistic.

When Sofia admitted to having sex with me, she’d lost what little respect the mafia dons had for her.

She spread her legs for the enemy!

Whore!

But now that she’d made them laugh –

And at my family’s expense, no less –

She’d gotten them back on her side.

Ha – what a woman!

She’s got balls, I’ll give her that!

I’d underestimated her ability to think on her feet…

And I’d paid dearly for it.

I decided to play into the laughter rather than against it.

“If I can’t call my sexual partner to testify,” I said, to more chuckles from the room, “then I’d like to call my uncle, Fausto Rosolini.”

Sofia shook her head. “He is not under any compulsion to testify.”

Don Severino agreed. “That is true. He cannot be compelled to testify on charges made against him.”

Shit.

I’d known it was a longshot…

But it still stung.

I thought about who else I could call –

Massimo, or maybe Lucia –

But Sofia had already decimated my best witnesses.

The others would be no more than window dressing, and not particularly effective window dressing.

“Then I rest my case,” I said unhappily.

Don Severino looked at Sofia. “Signorina Toscani, do you have any witnesses to call?”

“I do, Don Severino. I call Fausto Rosolini.”

“What!” I yelled as I threw my hands up in the air. “This is preposterous!”

But it was actually a fantastic bit of strategy.

Yes, by calling Fausto to testify, I would now get a crack at him –

But by questioning Fausto first, she could paint the picture she wanted the dons to see:

A victim.

A poor old man betrayed by his nephews.

I would be left trying to tear apart her version rather than painting my own portrait of a villain who had murdered his own brother.

“Preposterous or not,” Don Severino said, “we will now hear from Fausto Rosolini.”