Page 109 of Niccolo

“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 likehim.”

“Careful,” Dario warned me.

“Well, youdon’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 dothat?”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 totry… 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.

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