Page 219 of Niccolo

“Hold on,” I said and pulled up Google Maps. After typing in the hotel name, I said, “About two hours, give or take.”

“So long?”she pouted.

“There’s a bit of business I have to attend to,” I said cagily.

“Well, don’t be too late… I have to leave tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll get there as fast as I can. What room number?”

“I’ll be out on the main patio in two hours. Find me there.”

So she didn’t entirely trust me. Not enough to give me her room number, anyway.

Smart girl.

“Alright,” I agreed.

“And I’ll need you to swear that you won’t harm me or kill me, seeing as we’re back in Italy.”

Aha – there it was.

“I swear on my brothers’ lives. I’ll need to hear it from you, too.”

“I swear, too. ‘On all my dreams for the future.’”

“Alright, then. It’s a date.”

“I look forward to it. Ciao, consigliere.”

“Ciao, bellisama,”I said, and hung up the phone.

Then I told the driver, “Change of plans. I need you to take me to Catania.”

I had no intention of letting Vicari know where I was heading – which the driver would surely tell him.

Catania was a large city an hour south of Taormina. It would be easy to get a taxi from there to the hotel.

The driver shot me an irritated look. “The plane’s in Palermo.”

“Yes, well, I’m not flying back today.”

“My orders are to take you to Palermo – ”

“Where I wassupposedto fly out, but I’m NOT,” I snapped. “Call your boss and clear it with him, but I’m either getting outhereor in Catania. You choose.”

The driver glared at me, but he pulled out his cell.

While he made the call, I checked a couple of photographs on my phone.

I’d snapped a picture of the list of towns and foot soldiers before I’d left –

And I ran down the list until I found Taormina.

I didn’t want to say the name out loud, so I texted Dario instead of calling him.

It’s Lazaro.

It took almost 30 seconds to get the reply.

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