Page 67 of Niccolo

Fausto chuckled. He knew what I was thinking. “Taking a fall for me isn’tpart ofyourjob description. You serve in a purely advisory capacity.”

“So why aren’tItalking to Bautiste, then?”

“I was my brother’sconsiglierefor 25 years, so it makes more sense formeto talk to him. Bautiste and I go way back. He’s the one I cut a deal with so the Agrellas could bribe their own judges.” Fausto smiled consolingly. “In addition to the fact that he simply wouldn’t trust you.”

I wondered if that was because I was a newcomer…

Or a woman.

Either way, I didn’t give a shit. The fewer mafia hoodlums I had to interact with, the better.

“All of that’s very interesting, but I was talking about you swearing on your brother’s soul.”

“Oh,” Fausto said, finally understanding my original question. “In theCosa Nostra,there’s a sort of tradition. If you want someone to trust you implicitly, you swear on something holy to you.”

“But… you swore on the soul of your brother,” I said in shock. “Who you hadkilled.”

“That’s because I couldn’t give a shit about Leo’s soul.”

Fausto never ceased to amaze me with the depths he could sink to.

I frowned. “Are you really going to give Florence to the Agrellas?”

“No, of course not,” he said, like I was being stupid.

“How are you going to get out of it without starting a war withthem?”

Fausto smiled. “You can help me figure thatout later for another ten million euros.”

At least I had job security.

Florence was a disaster.

Not only did the Turk’s mennotgrab Alessandra, but several of them got killed in the process.

One of them tagged Massimo, but it was only a minor wound.

As a result of the botched operation, Dario deduced the Turk was behind the attempt –

And that the Agrellas had helped.

Not only that, but Fausto had told Dario to take the meeting with the Turk.

If Fausto didn’t handle the situation exactly right, the brothers would suspect their uncle was plotting against them.

“SHIT!” Fausto snarled. “Now I have to do damage control because of that Turkish goat-fucker!”

In the end, it all turned out fine. Fausto and Aurelio went over to Dario’s estate the next day, and Fausto tap-danced his way out of suspicion.

But as a result of the hit, Dario tightened security.

There was no way to get Alessandra out of the house –

And thus no way for the Turk to sneak inside to kill the brothers.

Stalemate.

Fausto was furious. He was absolutely impossible to live with for several days, and I avoided him like the plague.

---