Page 50 of Niccolo

“No, my grandfather was.”

“But I thought theCosa Nostrawas only in Sicily. And America, I guess.”

Fausto smiled. “There are a great many things the general public does not know about theCosa Nostra,Ms. Toscani. The organization is far more widespread than generally believed.”

Huh.

“So the alternative to leaving was to kill your brother,” I said.

“You sound as if you’re judging me,” he said playfully.

“Ten million euros gets you analysis without judgment,” I replied, although that wasn’t entirely true. “Did you get what you wanted? Did you start a new family with your son as your heir?”

“I did, but I only secured half my brother’s empire when I split from my nephews. I want itall.”

“So the only alternative nowis to kill your nephews.”

“Yes,” Fausto growled. “There is no other way – and theyallmust die. If even one of them is left alive, he’ll come after me and try to get revenge for the others.”

“Do they have toknowit’s you who’s behind it? I mean – are you trying to send a message?”

“No. In fact, I would prefer it be done surreptitiously.”

In other words…

Have someoneelsedo the dirty work.

There was one thing I didn’t understand, though.

“You’re aconsigliere,or at least a former one.Why can’tyouplan it all out?” I asked.

“Because a wiseconsigliereis there to see his don’s blind spots, andeveryonehas blind spots. I’ve grown accustomed to viewing things in a certain way. I need a fresh pair of eyes – someone who can identify my own blind spots and point out the flaws in my thinking.”

“It sounds like you werea blind spot for your brother.”

He smiled coldly. “So it would seem. There’s another reason, too. Remember the nephew I trained personally?”

“I remember.”

“Out of everyone in the family – other than me – he’s the smartest. I hate to say it, but he puts my own son to shame. I nicknamed him ‘Machiavelli’ as a child. The name fits more than you can imagine.

“But I might have taught himtoowell. I worry that ifI’mthe one who tries to organize this plan, he’ll somehow be able to deduce my moves and counteract me.

“I need someone completely different from me in style. I’m more cautious, so I need someone bold… somebody my nephew can’t predict. In short, that is why I needyou.”

“Flattery won’t sway me,” I replied.

“I wouldn’t have expected it to,” he said, then smiled. “But I figured ten million euros might.”

I sat there thinking.

Since I had no qualms about eliminating a bunch ofmafiosos,the money was reason enough to do it.

But in addition to that, Ilikedthe idea of beating this ‘Machiavelli’ nephew.

If he really was as brilliant as Fausto made him sound, he would be a fun opponent.

And unlike the asshole Danish chess master I couldn’t touch… for now…

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