Page 159 of Niccolo (Mafia Kings #7)

Niccolo

W e saw Lars get hit.

We heard the shots first, which drew our attention.

We could barely see him through the trees surrounding a circle of ancient pillars –

But we saw enough.

His body jerked as muzzle flashes erupted from the nearby ruins.

“NO!” Dario screamed as he watched his best friend fall to the ground.

Adriano was the only one of us not stunned into inaction.

“THIS WAY, THIS WAY!” he screamed as he hauled Dario to the right, away from the pillars.

All around us, tourists were screaming and running away.

We stumbled through another grove of trees –

And into an open field with stone slabs all around us.

I was far behind the others.

Roberto turned around to look for me. “Niccolo – ”

There was a single gunshot –

And red mist exploded from his chest, directly over his heart.

“ROBERTO!” I screamed.

He stared at me, surprise on his face –

And then his knees gave out, and he toppled to the ground.

I raced over to him in panic.

The face I’d seen all my life –

Like looking into a mirror at a slightly altered version of myself –

Now stared blankly up at me.

I only paused a second –

I knew I had to keep running –

But seeing my twin brother like that…

It was like witnessing my own death.

I stumbled numbly through the undergrowth as I heard Adriano scream up ahead, “TAKE COVER!”