Page 207 of La Dolce Vita

"Hello?"

"Lo? It's me," Carlo panted.

"Hold on," Lorenzo said.

He walked over to the laundry room. The phone had a long cord and allowed him to go inside and semi-close the door. "What’s the news?"

"We had Alek Baldamenti," Carlo said.

"Had?"

"Yes, and...”

“Isabella?”

“My contact said he had Isabella," Carlo said after catching his breath.

"There you go with 'had' again. What is it?"

"She was gone. She was gone when we picked Alek up. Lo, something's going down. Alek was about to tell us where Benicia took her and we were ambushed. I think the shooters only wanted him dead--"

"Wait. The Benicias?" Lorenzo asked.

"It's who Alek said took her from him. He said Giovanni took his kid, hired the Benicia’s to take Isabella. We lost Leonardo, several others. Giovanni wouldn’t turn on us. Not us. He wouldn’t kill his own men."

"Did you see them? Are you sure it's Benicia?"

"Not sure. Thing is, Alek says that Isabella has proof. He says that she has proof you betrayed Giovanni. What the fuck is going on, Lo? He was arranging for her to meet with a General in theCarabinieri."

Lorenzo wiped his hand down his face. "What did you find? When you got Alek? Anything?"

"Suitcase, clothes, cassette tapes, magazines..."

"Cassette tapes?" Lorenzo asked.

"Yeah, I forgot about those..." Carlo's voice trailed off.

“What? What is it?” Lorenzo asked.

“Your name was on the tapes."

"Where are the cassette tapes now?" Lorenzo asked.

"I had Leo take them tovilla Rossowhile I dealt with Alek. I think he did. Why? What's on the tapes?" Carlo asked.

"Nothing. Who knows. Just some bullshit. Maybe. Can you get the tapes? Get them for me?" Lorenzo asked.

"No," Carlo said. "I won't do that. Not until you tell me what the fuck is going on. Armando isn't the one on top of us. Is he? Something else is happening. Tell me what? And why would Giovanni send the Benicia’s after his own clan?"

"Never mind it. We're on our way back. The family. I'll tell you everything when I get there." Lorenzo ends the call. He took the phone and slammed it repeatedly down on the washing machine until it splintered and cracked into pieces. The long cord dangled and bounced like the string of a yo-yo. He groaned with agony and put his face in his hands. Marietta ran inside.

"Lo? What is it? What?" Marietta asked.

He looked at her. His heart broke. It was over.Time was up. And he couldn't bear to tell his wife. Instead, he pulled her into his arms. She held Gianni on her hip. He hugged them both.

"Time for us to go home," he said. "Time is up."

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