Page 169 of Niccolo (Mafia Kings #7)

Niccolo

U nlike with Lazaro’s death, I felt no hollow numbness…

Just a savage joy that the man who had killed our father and tormented us was finally dead.

Perhaps there was a hint of sadness.

When I remembered the man who had trained me since I was a boy…

The man I had once loved like a second father.

But I reminded myself that man had died a long time ago.

If not years ago, then certainly when he ordered the death of our father.

I pushed any lingering pain out of my mind, though.

We still had work to do.

I kissed Sofia hard, then broke it off to look into her eyes.

“Thank you,” I said earnestly.

“Yes, thank you,” Dario agreed. “You’ve delivered our family from a tremendous amount of suffering and pain.”

She cast her eyes down at first, then looked up, abashed. “You… you can overlook how much I was involved in everything Fausto did?”

“Niccolo told me that you had nothing to do with our father’s death,” Dario said. “Is that true?”

“Yes,” she said vehemently. “Nothing.”

“Then the rest I can forgive… especially seeing how much you gave us here today. Again – thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Sofia murmured…

And her face turned slightly pink.

“You’re blushing!” I exclaimed, delighted.

She looked absolutely adorable –

So unlike the cold-blooded strategist and scourge of the Cosa Nostra .

“Stop it,” she whispered to me, embarrassed.

“Seriously, though,” Adriano said as he holstered his gun and walked over to her, “THANK you.”

And he put his hand on her shoulder and nodded as he gazed into her eyes –

Much the same way he had kissed Alessandra on the forehead the night she had left our house.

For Adriano, it was the equivalent of someone else welling up with tears.

“Look at you,” I teased him. “All sentimental.”

“Ah, fuck you,” he said with a grin as he took his hand away.

All my other brothers murmured their thanks, too –

Massimo, Roberto, and Valentino – and Lars, as well.

Sofia just cast her eyes down in embarrassment and turned redder still.

But she still managed to squeak out, “You’re welcome.”

“Hell of a way to meet a new sister-in-law for the first time,” Massimo said.

Everyone in the room burst out laughing –

Except for Sofia, who looked at me with a shocked smile. “You told them?!”

“Of course I told them,” I whispered, then kissed her again.

Lars called out, “You can come in – it’s over!”

Sofia and I watched as the library doors opened.

Rachel rushed into the room and into Lars’s arms. He caught her and spun her around in a kiss.

“We need to do that,” Sofia whispered.

“Later,” I grinned. “I promise.”

Dante entered the room and bowed his head to Dario. “Don Rosolini.”

Dario put his hand on Dante’s shoulder. “Thank you, my friend, for everything you did for us. It’s good to have you back.”

“It’s good to be back,” Dante replied appreciatively.

“I have one more favor of you to ask,” Dario said.

“Anything.”

“The body needs to be disposed of, and everything cleaned up as much as possible.”

“We’ll get everything, Don Rosolini. I promise.”

“Thank you. As soon as you have the body wrapped up, throw it in the trunk of one of your cars. Dispose of it as soon as you get back to Tuscany – and take your men with you. The rest of us must prepare to leave Rome immediately.”

“What about Don Severino?” I asked.

Dario gave me a grim look. “I have the feeling that he’s going to come looking for us.”