Page 47 of Niccolo (Mafia Kings #7)

I returned to the wedding reception and discreetly took Dario aside.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, then added dourly, “Other than the obvious?”

“Does anything about this Turk and Mezzasalma business seem strangely uncharacteristic of Fausto?” I asked.

“You mean, besides him being a traitor who deserves to burn in Hell?”

I smiled darkly. “Other than that.”

Dario narrowed his eyes. “You’ve found something, haven’t you? Just spit it out.”

“I think these attacks are completely unlike Fausto.”

“But you were the one who said he was behind them.”

“And I still think he is. But Fausto is conservative and measured. Nothing about those attacks matches his style. They were bold and audacious – shock and awe.”

“So what are you saying?”

“I think our uncle’s got himself a new consigliere.”

“Well, he is a don now, after all – and he decided to go to war against us,” Dario said bitterly. “It would make sense to hire a consigliere.”

“Yes, and I think I just met her.”

Dario’s eyes widened. “‘Her’?”

“Yes.”

“When?”

“Here at the wedding.”

Dario was even more shocked. “WHAT?”

“There was a young woman I was talking to – ”

“We saw. You seemed quite taken with her.”

“Yes, well, she is my type.”

“Murderous?” Dario asked drily.

I gave him some side-eye. “Brilliant.”

“And you think she was his consigliere?”

“I’m 99% positive.”

“What makes you so sure?”

I ticked off the evidence: giving me a fake name, disgraced chess grandmaster, hurting for money. “And her tactics with the Turk and Mezzasalma were essentially forks, double attacks, and skewers.”

“Speak so I can understand you.”

“Types of attacks in chess,” I explained. “Multiple attacks with one piece… attacking two things at one time… attacks where no matter what your opponent does, he loses a piece.”

“A strategist,” Dario murmured. Suddenly, his face darkened. “You don’t think she…”

“Papa’s death? No.”

I presented my theory on why the timeline didn’t match up.

“Alright… so what do you propose we do?” Dario asked. “Kill her?”

“God, no!” I said, horrified.

“Then what?”

“I want to try to turn her to our side.”

“By buying her off?”

“I was thinking of seducing her.”

Dario burst out laughing.

“What?” I said indignantly.

“Sorry,” he replied, unable to stop smiling. “But if we’re talking about a honeytrap, Valentino is the obvious choice.”

I scowled at him. “You don’t seduce a genius like her with a lunkhead like him. ”

“Careful,” Dario warned me.

“Well, you don’t. Besides, there was something between us. I could feel it.”

Dario raised one eyebrow. “You sure it wasn’t one-sided?”

“Absolutely positive.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just kill her?”

“And who’s going to do that?” I asked scornfully. “Lars?”

We both knew our Enforcer would never kill a woman.

Dario made a face like, You have a point.

“She’s a civilian who’s in over her head,” I said. “I think I can turn her.”

“And after you ‘turn’ her… what then?”

“We could use her.”

Dario shook his head. “This all seems very speculative.”

“I’m just saying, I’d like to try … before we resort to a more permanent solution.”

Meaning her death.

“Look, I’m just bringing it up as a possibility,” I continued. “The odds are I won’t run into her again… but I wanted to clear it with you in case I do.”

He sighed. “I trust you won’t go off half-cocked on this one, consigliere.”

“Fully cocked, perhaps,” I said with a grin.

Dario gave me a grim look.

I raised my hands in surrender. “IF I get the chance to engage her again, I’ll let my brain guide me – not my balls.”

“And if she can’t be turned?” he asked.

I clenched my jaw.

As the family’s consigliere, there was only one answer, and we both knew it.

“Then I’ll kill her myself,” I said softly.