Page 150 of Niccolo (Mafia Kings #7)

Niccolo

D ario and I returned to the residence and called an emergency meeting in the parlor – again, just my brothers and Lars.

If they hadn’t been happy with me before, they were outraged once they heard the plan.

Adriano roared, “You want us to put our lives in the hands of this chick just because you fucked her a couple of times?!”

“No, not because I fucked her a couple of times,” I said coldly.

“Then tell me why we should trust her – because I really don’t fucking get it.”

I sighed inwardly.

This was the moment I’d been dreading.

I couldn’t just say, Trust me. They would never buy that.

And I couldn’t say, Because our interests line up – because if that were the truth, Sofia would have already jumped ship and come over to our side.

So I just said it – damn the consequences.

“Because I asked her to marry me, and she said yes.”

If the situation weren’t so dire, the shock on their faces would have been hilarious.

Half of my brothers’ jaws were nearly on the floor.

Dario was the only one who didn’t react –

But that was because I’d already told him during the limo ride back.

Everyone else but Dario spoke all at once, but Adriano’s voice was the loudest. “THAT’S the reason we’re supposed to trust her?!”

“She swore an oath on her love for me.”

“You DO realize she works for the guy who swore up and down to the Council that he had nothing to do with Papa’s death, right?”

“I was there,” I said drily. “I heard.”

“You’re pretty quiet about this,” Roberto said to Dario. “I’m assuming that means he already told you.”

Dario nodded. “He told me his intentions on the way to the Vatican and informed me how it went on the trip back.”

“This can’t be serious,” Massimo said in shock.

“Would you trust her if all she wanted was money?” I asked. “If that was the case, she could be bought off by anyone with more cash in hand.”

“Well, I don’t trust her just because she agreed to marry you.”

“It’s not just that,” I said defensively. “We’re in love.”

“So?!” Adriano demanded.

“If there’s one thing that all of you should understand, it’s falling in love with a woman – and her falling in love with you.”

One by one, I pointed at every man in the room.

“You fell in love with a woman you kidnapped.

“You fell in love with a complete stranger you proposed to after three days.

“You fell in love with a woman you were supposed to not touch – and someone, I might add, that you absolutely hated in the beginning.

“You fell in love with a woman who tried to kill Dario – and who tried to kill you in London.

“You fell in love with a woman who literally betrayed you.

I finally got to Valentino. “And you – well, you were always in love with Cat. You just couldn’t admit it.

“So why is it so strange that Sofia and I would fall in love? Everyone in this room has a history of strange romantic entanglements.”

“Here’s the difference,” Roberto said. “Yes, a few of our women might have betrayed us individually… but none of them ever held all of our lives in their hands. And none of them were working for our worst enemy.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“Lau was an enemy, not our worst enemy,” Roberto snapped.

“Yes, well, I’m pretty sure Rachel was working for our worst enemy,” I said.

“Hey,” Lars said defensively, “that was Roberto’s argument, not mine.”

“I’m telling you,” I said to all of them, “I can feel it in my bones that Sofia’s on our side. You all know I have a gift – that I can almost tell what you’re thinking without you saying it.

“Trust me, I anticipated all your arguments, and I have no good counter-argument other than I know her … and I trust her… and that this case, like every other decision I’ve ever made, I’m making for the good of the family.

” I looked over at Valentino before he could say anything.

“Yes, sometimes I fucked up – but I was always looking out for the best interests of us all.

“So this isn’t some selfish choice where I expect you to risk your lives just so I can be happy. This is our best chance to end this. If we don’t take it, Fausto will slip away to God knows where, and who knows when we’ll have another shot at him.

“We can end this tomorrow – or it can go on for weeks, or months, or years, while Fausto comes up with ever more inventive ways to pick us off, one by one.”

“And be helped by your fiancée,” Roberto said dourly.

“When would you ever trust her?” I retorted. “What could she do to gain your trust? Betray Fausto, right?

“Well, she can’t gain your trust that way before we commit to the plan because it would alert Fausto that she’s changed sides. It would ruin the only shot we have. So you have to trust her on the first go-round. We have no other choice.”

“So,” Massimo said dubiously, “trust someone who’s given us no reason to trust her.”

“Don’t trust her, then. Trust me,” I pleaded. “What do you say?”

They all looked at each other –

And every single one of them refused.

“I’m sorry, Nic,” Massimo said, “but… I can’t. Not on this one.”

“FUCK no,” Adriano snapped.

“Not a chance in hell,” Valentino sneered.

Roberto just shook his head sadly.

“It’s too great a risk,” Lars said.

“It’s unfortunate you feel this way,” Dario interjected, “because I’ve already decided we’re going to follow Niccolo’s plan.”

I was the only one who didn’t react. I’d already predicted what our brothers’ reaction would be. Dario and I had discussed it in the limo, and he had grudgingly agreed to back me, no matter what.

Everyone else stared at him in horror.

Then they exploded.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” Adriano roared.

“Dario – ” the rest yelled –

And were silenced when he raised one hand.

“I remind you, I am your Don,” he said coldly. “Except for Lars, with whom I have a separate agreement, you all owe me your unquestioning obedience. If I order you to do something, you are sworn to follow my command.

“I owe you no explanation for my choice – but because of the danger we face and the stakes involved, I will give you one.

“Niccolo has kept me apprised of his relationship with this woman from the very beginning.

In fact, he asked my permission even before starting it.

I have heard everything that happened between them shortly after it happened…

and my judgment is that this woman is not unequivocally loyal to Fausto. She can be turned.

“As Niccolo said, if it were just a case of money, I would be more concerned. Her loyalty would belong to the highest bidder. However, she has stated that she’s willing to do everything out of love.

And as Niccolo also said, that’s something each and every one of you should be able to understand.

” Dario looked directly at Valentino. “Including those of you who acted on behalf of the love you felt for your women… even if it conflicted with my orders and the good of the family.”

Valentino looked shamefacedly at the floor.

“The rest of you proposed to your wives without asking my permission first. You did it on your own, then sought my permission afterwards. Niccolo didn’t do that.

He cleared every decision he made with me well in advance of making it.

Well… almost every decision,” Dario said wryly, then grew serious again.

“But he sought my approval to propose to this woman before he asked her. Unlike the rest of you.”

Every single man looked away in embarrassment –

Except Adriano. “I told you I was planning to propose to Bianca while she was still in a coma.”

“True,” Dario said. “And yet you also went against Niccolo when he ordered you back home after the Agrellas tried to kill you in Florence. You went over his head and appealed to me to back you up. And I did.”

“But – ”

Dario raised his hand again, silencing him.

“Yes, it turned out well. Yes, you discovered Mezzasalma’s plot as a result.

But it might have gone another way. You might have died .

But I still backed you up and let you follow your heart…

because I trusted you. Nothing in our line of business is safe.

At some point, I have to take gambles, no matter the risks.

“This is one of those moments.

“Is it dangerous? Absolutely.

“Could we be destroyed? Possibly.

“But my take on the Council is they’re not going to side with us. At most, they’ll impose a financial penalty on Fausto, then let him walk.

“When we didn’t know he was behind everything, he got the Turk to invade our home and nearly kill us…

“He framed us for the deaths of the Agrellas and turned the entire Cosa Nostra against us…

“He persuaded Mezzasalma to do his dirty work and nearly kill us again …”

Dario turned to Lars. “He hired your now-wife to assassinate me…

“He stole nearly every penny we had…

“And he hired an army of Russian mercenaries.

“It’s arguable that the only reason we’re still alive today is because of Aurelio’s stupidity. If he’d followed his father’s orders instead of going rogue, Wagner could have killed us when we were the most vulnerable.

“Instead, Aurelio went his own way and fucked it all up. We should thank him; his incompetence saved us.

“But everything I just listed, Fausto did from the shadows – when he had the upper hand.

“Imagine what he might do when he’s desperate.

“Imagine how vicious he’ll be now that his son is dead, his back is against the wall, and he has nothing to lose.

“We have a chance to strike a mortal blow against him and end this once and for all.

“Otherwise, we will find ourselves locked in a war of attrition, during which Fausto might persuade any number of enemies to join his cause and eventually overwhelm us. He did it with the Turk and Mezzasalma; he can most assuredly do it again.

“This is the moment when he’s most vulnerable. And despite the inherent risks, this is the moment we must strike.”

The room was silent for a moment as Dario’s words sunk in.

At that moment, I was more grateful to him than at any other point in my life.

He had not only backed me up, he had done it with an eloquence and gravitas I never could have matched.

“What about Don Severino?” Roberto asked quietly. “If we kill Fausto here in Rome, Severino will want his pound of flesh.”

“I would prefer to pay Don Severino’s pound of flesh,” Dario replied, “than have Fausto bleed us completely dry.”

“So it’s decided, then,” Lars said evenly.

“It’s decided for me and my brothers,” Dario replied. “But your situation with me is different. You must make your own choice, old friend.”

Lars looked pensive for a moment, like he was weighing his future with his new bride against the risk of dying with us.

Finally, he said, “Then I choose to fight alongside you.”

Dario smiled gratefully.

Then he addressed all of us.

“We have men coming here shortly – men Niccolo contacted, with my blessing – to help us take out Fausto.

“Listen to them with open minds. And know that no matter how dangerous the scheme is, Niccolo has gamed it out in advance – and my consigliere has my full and complete confidence.”

All my other brothers looked at each other dejectedly.

Adriano was the first to speak. “Alright, Don Rosolini. Your word is my command.”

“Your word is my command,” my other brothers uttered as one.

“Thank you,” Dario said with real warmth. “I realize what it means for you to do this… and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Both as your Don and as your brother.”

A few more words were said, and then everyone dispersed until our guests arrived.

I went over to Dario. “Thank you,” I whispered.

He looked at me with a steely gaze. “I hope you know what you’re doing, consigliere.”

So do I, I thought.

So do I.