Page 366 of Niccolo

Dario turned to Lars. “He hired your now-wife to assassinate me…

“He stole nearly every penny we had…

“And he hired an army of Russian mercenaries.

“It’s arguable that the only reason we’re still alive today is because of Aurelio’s stupidity. If he’d followed his father’s ordersinstead of going rogue, Wagner could have killed us when we were the most vulnerable.

“Instead, Aurelio went his own way and fucked it all up. We should thank him; his incompetence saved us.

“But everything I just listed, Fausto did from the shadows –when he had the upper hand.

“Imagine what he might do when he’s desperate.

“Imagine how vicious he’ll be now that his son is dead, his back is against the wall, and he has nothing to lose.

“We have a chance to strike a mortal blow against him and end this once and for all.

“Otherwise, we will find ourselves locked in a war of attrition, during which Fausto might persuade any number of enemies to join his cause and eventually overwhelm us. He did it with the Turk and Mezzasalma; he can most assuredly do it again.

“This is the moment when he’s most vulnerable. And despite the inherent risks,thisis the moment we must strike.”

The room was silent for a moment as Dario’s words sunk in.

At that moment, I was more grateful to him than at any other point in my life.

He had not only backed me up, he had done it with an eloquence and gravitas I never could have matched.

“What about Don Severino?” Roberto asked quietly. “If we kill Fausto here in Rome, Severino will want his pound of flesh.”

“I would prefer to pay Don Severino’s pound of flesh,” Dario replied, “than have Fausto bleed us completely dry.”

“So it’s decided, then,” Lars said evenly.

“It’s decided for me and my brothers,” Dario replied. “But your situation with me is different. You must make your own choice, old friend.”

Lars looked pensive for a moment, like he was weighing his future with his new bride against the risk of dying with us.

Finally, he said, “Then I choose to fight alongside you.”

Dario smiled gratefully.

Then he addressed all of us.

“We have men coming here shortly – men Niccolo contacted, with my blessing – to help us take out Fausto.

“Listen to them with open minds. And know that no matter how dangerous the scheme is, Niccolo has gamed it out in advance – and myconsiglierehas my full and complete confidence.”

All my other brothers looked at each other dejectedly.

Adriano was the first to speak. “Alright, Don Rosolini. Your word is my command.”

“Your word is my command,” my other brothers uttered as one.

“Thank you,” Dario said with real warmth. “I realize what it means for you to do this… and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Both as your Don and as your brother.”

A few more words were said, and then everyone dispersed until our guests arrived.

I went over to Dario. “Thank you,” I whispered.

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