Page 15 of Niccolo

I sat down on the visitor’s side of the barrier and picked up the scarred, battered handset on its metal cord.

“Consigliere,”he said cheerfully over the phone.

“Don’t bullshit me like the others,” I warned.

He chuckled.“I wasn’t bullshitting them.”

“You look good – excellent, even – but is it a front?”

“Not at all.”

“Have you been in danger?”

He smiled wryly.“You told me not to bullshit you, so I won’t. It’s been dangerous at times.”

“Who’s the main danger?”

“Aristide Caproni.”

I swore under my breath.

Caproni was a high-ranking member of theCamorra,the organized crime group that dominated Naples and the surrounding areas. ACosa Nostrafamily named Amato had been challenging theCamorra’srule for decades, but they’d only been partially successful. At best, the Amatos controlled half of the city, and that was on a good day.

In general, theCamorraand theCosa Nostrahated each other anyway – but years ago, Papa had been one of the Amato family’s greatest allies, providing money and logistical supportfor their operations. Which was why Aristide Caproni held a particular enmity for us.

“Has he tried to attack you?”

“Not directly, but I think he’s behind several attempts.”

“SEVERAL?!”

“Calm down, Machiavelli.”

“Calmdown?!Why aren’t youmorestressed?! You’re the one in danger of getting shivved, and yet you’re sitting there grinning like the cat who ate the canary!”

“As it so happens, I’ve made an excellent ally in here. A Swede.”

And that was how I first heard about Lars.

Lars was a blessing and a boon to our family.

I am convinced he was the only reason Dario survived San Vittore…

And he was a huge part of why our family was able to weather the calamities to come.

Because Lars was so valuable to us, I initially resisted when Dario asked me to have our family’s best lawyer review Lars’s case to see if it could be overturned in court.

But I did.

I cannot overstate how relieved I was when Lars himself decided not to challenge his sentence.

Selfish, I know.

But if I couldn’t be there to help my brother, I was grateful someone else could –

And a veteran of the Swedish Special Forces, to boot.

Three and a half years later, it was with great trepidation that I found out Lars was to be paroled.

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