Page 208 of Niccolo

If those outcomes were the result of Sofia’s plan, then there was only one thing I could say:

Well played, consigliere.

I tried calling the Rome number –

But she didn’t answer, and she didn’t call me back.

Which irritated me.

It got to me.

Which I admired – because game respects game.

Even BETTER played, my dear.

Bravo.

And then, when things seemed bleakest…

An opportunity presented itself.

After the Agrellas’ deaths, practically the entireCosa Nostrabelieved we were to blame.

Alessandra’s ancestral family, the Oldanis from Genoa, were on our side –

But everyone else thought we’d murdered our old business partners.

I was most concerned about the Five Families, who controlled Rome, Venice, Milan, Naples, and Sicily. They were the richest and most powerful families, and they held outsizedinfluence on the Council that brokered truces within theCosa Nostra.

And every single one of theirconsiglieresrefused to answer my calls.

The tide finally turned when the Widow of Venice became an ally.

She knew Aurelio was behind the attack on her compound and that Massimo was putting his life on the line to protect her granddaughter Lucia.

Since the attack in Venice, I’d enlisted the Widow’s help to plead my case to the other four families.

But Rome, Milan, Naples, and Sicily all still stubbornly refused to respond to my calls.

I figured that Fausto had either bribed them or pulled the wool over their eyes.

Despite that, I continued to call every day, leaving messages on their voicemails –

Until one day, someone picked up.

It was the Sicilianconsigliere,Eliseo Marconi.

Scratch that: it was the Sicilianconsigliere’sphone…

But the gravelly voice that answered sounded nothing like Marconi.

“Hello.”

“Hello – is this Eliseo?” I asked, even though I knew it was not.

“No. He’s not available.”

“Who am I speaking with?”

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