Page 368 of Niccolo

I dozed off around 4AM, slept fitfully, and then woke at 7:30.

I hastily showered, dressed, and went down to the library at 8.

I made sure to bring my purse with me.

I found Fausto sitting behind his desk, reading something on his laptop as he had a breakfast of pastries and espresso. He wore his usual three-piece suit and looked calm and composed.

“Ah, you’re up,” he said. “Good.”

“Did Captain Gallo get the body cameras hooked up?” I asked.

Fausto gestured at the bank of monitors. “See for yourself.”

I looked over and saw the five screens no longer showed our building’s surroundings. Instead, the monitors displayed footage of our soldiers getting ready. They were in another room somewhere, pulling on the bulletproof vests and adjusting the body cameras.

“So… right on schedule,” I said quietly.

“Right on schedule.”

“What about the limousine?” I asked. “Did you call Don Severino to delay it?”

“Not yet. I’ll call him just before 9 and tell him I’m having some ‘digestive issues.’”

“You think he’ll buy it?”

“Whether he does or he doesn’t, it won’t affect our plans.” Fausto peered at me inquisitively. “Are you alright?”

“Not exactly.”

“Didn’t sleep well?”

“No,” I muttered. “Did you?”

“Like a baby.”

“How? There’s a lot on the line today – and a lot that could go wrong.”

“You get used to it,” he assured me. “I’ve done a dozen large-scale operations like this over the last 25 years. At first, they’re nerve-wracking. Eventually, though, they become exhilarating.”

“Yeah, well, once I get my money, I don’t ever want to do this again,” I muttered.

He chuckled. “We’ll see.”

I looked at him sharply. “What do you mean, ‘we’ll see’? Once this is over, I’mgetting paid.”

“Of course, of course,” he said soothingly. “It’s just that this sort of thing gets into your blood. Once it does, it’s hard to give up.Consiglieresin theCosa Nostrarefer to it as the Great Game – the struggle of life and death. It becomes addictive.”

“Well, I’ll be quitting cold turkey in about two hours.”

He chuckled again. “We’ll see.”

I walked over to the far end of the library and retrieved a chessboard with ivory and obsidian pieces. It belonged to the house; I hadn’t brought it from home.

I carried it over to a small table in front of the monitors and set it down.

“You have yourownversion of the Great Game, I see,” he said.

“Just a way of keeping track,” I replied.

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