Page 132 of Niccolo

I gave him my best theory.

“I mentioned I played chess when we met at the wedding. You assumed I’d given you a fake name, so you googled ‘Italian female chess players’ and saw my picture. How am I doing?”

“So far, so good.”

“Well, then, I’m sure you know all about my fall from grace and subsequent switch to poker. You probably checked tournament rosters of pre-registered players, including Macau, and… here we are.”

“Here we are,” he agreed. “But you left out the part where I deduced you’re Fausto’sconsigliere.”

“Again, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He smirked. “You should just say ‘No comment’ and leave it at that. You’re not a very good liar.”

“I thought I had an amazing poker face.”

“I said ‘very good,’ not ‘amazing.’ But your voice is where you give it away.”

I gave him the tiniest bit of a smile and just sat there in silence.

“Ah – the silent treatment! Fast learner,” he joked. “I realized you were hisconsiglierebecause your choices are completely unlike anything my uncle would have done. I must compliment you: your strategic brilliance is astounding. Using the Turk the way you did – ”

He pressed the tips of his fingers to his lips in a chef’s kiss.

“Mwah.Marvelous. And Mezzasalma was even better. He failed to kill Adriano, but you still managed to convince the other families that we were to blame for the Agrellas. And the attempt on Dario! Did you choose Rachel Bauer, or did Fausto?”

I continued to sit there in silence.

“I’m betting the hit wasyouridea, but he was the one who found Rachel. Shadowy assassins are part of the world my uncle travels in, after all. But the bank scheme! Amazing! THAT wasyouridea, wasn’t it?”

More silence.

“I’m inclined to think Venice was Aurelio’s fuckup,” he continued. “I mean, everything you accomplished – convincing the other families we’d gone rogue – gone.Poof.Just like that. You wouldnevermake that mistake, and Fausto certainly wouldn’t. So I’m assuming it was Aurelio getting out ahead of himself. Am I wrong?”

I said nothing, but Niccolo smiled like he’d gotten his answer. “So I’mnotwrong. I can tell by the tiniest change in your expression. Your poker face is still very good… but not quite perfect.”

Whether he was speaking the truth or merely bluffing me, I didn’t know… but I refused to say anything.

“I just have one question for you, and I’d appreciate averbalanswer this time,” he said.

“You seem happy to talk enough for the both of us.”

“Well, I am a loquacious fellow,” he said with a grin –

And then his entire face went cold.

In the blink of an eye, it was like he was suddenly an entirely different person.

I’ll admit, the effect was unsettling.

“Were you the one who plotted my father’s murder?” he asked as he stared into my eyes.

I thought about not answering –

But I knew that if he evensuspectedI was behind his father’s death, there was a good chance I would never leave Hong Kong alive.

“No,” I said honestly. “That happened before I started working for Fausto.”

He stared deep into my eyes as though sifting my soul for the truth.

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