Page 145 of Niccolo (Mafia Kings #7)

D ario, Severino, and I walked into an office off the main corridor.

It possessed all the stylistic elements of the rest of the house: dark wood paneling, subdued lighting, and an atmosphere of calm repose.

What happened next, though, was anything but calm.

“What the hell was that?” Don Severino snarled at me.

I’d expected him to be angry – but not this angry.

“I did exactly what Sofia did,” I said calmly. “Call the opposite side’s witnesses into question – imply they’re lying – muddy the waters with reasonable doubt – ”

“That little display was quite a bit different from anything she did,” Severino snarled.

“Only because I’m better at it.”

Severino gave me a look of undisguised hatred. “You can play the fucking clown in Tuscany, but not here.”

“Watch your tongue with my consigliere,” Dario said coldly.

Don Severino stared him down with a murderous look. “Then I advise you to tell your consigliere not to antagonize the other dons in my Council.”

“Your Council?” Dario said contemptuously. “I didn’t realize the Council belonged to you.”

“It is in my home and under my auspices, and you will both remain civil in its chambers.”

“THAT’S amusing,” I said. “Fausto killed our father…

“Tried to kill us …

“Massacred the Agrellas…

“Plotted an attack on the Widow and kidnapped her daughter…

“And yet your main concern is that I was mean to him.”

Severino got within six inches of my face. “You already have one enemy in the Cosa Nostra, consigliere. I would suggest you not make it two.”

“My guess, Don Severino, is that we have far more enemies than that,” I said drily.

There was a knock at the door.

“What?” Severino barked.

His consigliere, a dapper man with silver hair, opened the door. “Don Fausto has left the premises. He and Signorina Toscani are headed home for the day. He could not be persuaded to remain.”

“God DAMN it!” Severino roared.

“Better go get him, then, and bring him back,” I said cheerfully to the consigliere . “I have more questions.”

Severino’s eye twitched as he turned to face me. “No more questions – today or tomorrow.”

“But – ”

“You have disrupted this Council ENOUGH.” Severino turned to Dario. “I advise you to return to your lodgings and have a serious talk with your consigliere.”

Then Severino stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

Dario waited until he was sure they were gone, then turned to me slowly.

“Don’t start,” I said. “It was all part of a plan.”

“And how’s that plan going?” Dario asked angrily.

“Mmmm… yet to be determined.”

Dario shook his head in disgust. “I wasn’t going to give Severino the satisfaction of agreeing with him, but you and I are going to have a long talk back at the residence.”

“I have it under control – ”

“It’s not me you’ll have to answer to, but our brothers. I’m sure they’ll have quite a few questions about you sleeping with Fausto’s consigliere.”

“Oh. That.”

“Yes. That.”

“You knew about that.”

“Yes, but I didn’t expect it to be broadcast to the entire Cosa Nostra.”

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I didn’t expect it, either.”

“It does NOT make me feel better,” Dario said from behind gritted teeth, then walked out of the office.

Shit.

This plan had better fucking pay off.

Otherwise, the price I was going to have to pay was too high.

And by ‘price,’ I meant my brothers giving me the interrogation version of a colonoscopy for the next two hours.

Particularly Adriano and Valentino.

Adriano would be enraged…

And Valentino would be smug as shit, I just knew it.

Ah well.

Time to pay the piper.