Page 249 of Mafia Kings: Valentino

I hadn’t been – not at all.

I’d just lied and gotten away with it.

“My men are already scouring all of Ortigia and Siracusa for that little shit,” he said darkly. “And once they find him… I’m going to have anewoccupant for my barn.”

Paolo was lucky he was dead.

There reallywerefates worse than death. Eliseo Marconi could attest to that.

But all of that was a fleeting thought –

Because I was really only interested in one thing.

“Why did you ask if he was working with my uncle?” I demanded.

Don Vicari put his arm around my shoulder and led me out of the barn.

“We should go back to the house. You need to call your family.”

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“…and Massimo just got out of surgery,”Niccolo said.“The doctors said it was touch and go, but they think he’ll pull through.”

I sat there in Don Vicari’s kitchen, my cell on speakerphone on the table.

“…pull through?” I repeated, my voice shaking.

Massimo was the biggest of us all –

The strongest.

He wasn’t supposed to ‘pull through’ –

He was supposed to be fucking invincible.

“He was shot 17 times. Only three got through his body armor, but the ones that did were pretty bad.”

“But he’s going to be alright – isn’t he?” I whispered.

Niccolo paused… then said softly,“I won’t lie to you, Val. I THINK so… but he has to make it through the night first.”

He has to make it through the night first.

I didn’t think I’d ever heard Niccolo say something more frightening.

“But Adriano’s okay?”

“He’s fine. He reinjured his ribs, but he’s alright.”

“And Lars?”

“He’s fine, too. In fact, if it hadn’t been for him, they’d have ALL been killed.”

“What about the rest of our guys?”

Niccolo sounded pained.“Most of them died. Fourteen out of twenty. The rest were wounded – some pretty seriously.”

“But Aurelio’s dead?”

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