Page 21 of Niccolo

“They adore you,” I said honestly. “No one in the family has ever been more respected. Not even Papa.”

Dario looked pained. “How easy is it going to be toretainthat respect?”

I frowned. “Dario… we’vealwayslooked up to you. You know that, right?”

“Yes, but I was never in a position to destroy the entire family before. What happens if I make a mistake?”

“Papa and Fausto made plenty of mistakes.”

“Yes, but never anyfatalones.”

I sat there and thought before I answered.

My don was having a crisis of confidence… which, honestly, I had expected.

Dario had assumed his new role as the result of a tragedy: Papa’s untimely death. It was a job he had prepared for, yes, but one he had not anticipated having to do for at least another ten years.

It had also happened under the worst possible circumstances. He’d been locked away in prison for years. He hadn’t reallyledanyone during that time.

He had gone from having to survive day to day…

To being responsible for the survival of the entire family.

But interestingly enough, he hadspecificallyasked how our brothers saw him…

Suggestingthatwas what worried him the most.

I finally said, “You’re concerned about how the others will see you when you fuck up.”

“‘When’ I fuck up?” he asked sardonically.

“Of course. You’re not perfect. It’s a matter of ‘when,’ not ‘if’… and howbiga fuck-up.”

“You’re so reassuring,” he said, his sardonic tone sliding into sarcasm.

“You asked for honesty, not reassurance,” I reminded him. “Regretting it already?”

“Somewhat,” he grunted.

“You’ve always been everyone’s hero. And you’re afraid ofnotbeing their hero anymore. You’re afraid of them seeing you as a failure.”

He looked angry at first. Then his expression softened, and he sighed. “As much as I hate to admit it, that touches a nerve… so it must be accurate.”

“You were always excellent at peering into other people’s hearts,” I said. “I was always good at getting inside their heads.”

“True,” he admitted.

“I’m curious – did you know Fausto would fail in his duties asconsigliere?”

“You mean, did I know he would try to get out of going to jail?”

“Yes.”

“Not exactly… but there was always something that bothered me about him. A feeling that he was primarily out for himself, rather than the good of the family.”

“Well,” I said bitterly, “you’re a better mind-reader than I ever was, because I never even suspected until the moment he let us down. That’s why you took the fall for all of us, wasn’t it? Because you didn’t trust him.”

He nodded. “I couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t fold if the cops offered him a deal.”

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