Page 130 of Empire of Temptation

It was possible Ravazzani had learned of the GDF, Segreto, and Rossi. I saw no reason to lie. “Yes, it does.”

“If I allow it,” he said slowly, “and you solve this puzzle in which you’ve found yourself, you will not forget, capisce?”

Meaning I would owe him. “Of course.”

“Va bene. I will have Alessio contact you shortly.”

“Grazie. Give my best to your family.”

I started to hang up, but he continued speaking. “You know, I went through a similar situation a few years ago with Mommo. But there is an African proverb,When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.Clean your house, Benetti.” Then he disconnected.

So he had learned of Rossi and the GDF.

I blew out a breath and gave Sergio his mobile. “Ricci will be in touch soon.”

“What else did he say?” my brother asked.

“That we have to kill Don Rossi.”

“Minchia!” Sergio said at the same time Aldo muttered, “Mamma mia.”

“He’s right. I hoped to turn Palmieri and Rossi against one another, but that could take too long. Valentina is at risk every minute that Rossi lives because he won’t hesitate to use her to get to Segreto.”

“But killing the head of the region . . . Cristo, Luca.” Sergio rubbed his jaw. “The other families could turn against us.”

“Ravazzani managed it and survived. Grew stronger, even.”

“You’re missing one problem,” Aldo said. “As your brother said, your life is at risk. When Rossi learns you’ve returned alone, he can’t allow you to survive, let alone get close enough to kill him.”

“And we have to clear this with the other families first,” Sergio added. “You can’t kill him without approval.”

“I’m not leaving Valentina at risk while holding meetings with the other ’ndrine. We need to get creative.” I angled out of my seat until I could see the back of the plane. “Fratelli!”

“What do we need them for?” Sergio asked.

“Because they see things differently than we do. We don’t have much time before we land and I want to be ready the moment we touch down.”

Chapter Thirty-One

Luca

Inever thought I would walk in voluntarily.

Yet I was doing precisely that on a clear day, my hands and feet unrestrained as the sun beat down on my skin. There was every chance I would never feel the sun again. This was a gamble, and no one quite knew the outcome.

The building was brown and square, the footprint a full city block. The stories towered above the street like a sentry against the Roman sky. I carried no mobile, no identification. No Euros. I had nothing but the clothes on my back.

My heart beat slow and steady despite my trepidation. There was no changing my mind now—not that I would. I pulled open the door and approached the security checkpoint.

“Name and who are you here to see?” the guard asked me.

“Luca Benetti. I’m here to see Colonnello Palmieri.”

The officer looked up from his computer, mouth slack. I didn’t move a muscle. The cameras would’ve picked me up by now. No doubt some alarm was sounding amongst the officers.

Sure enough, the phones began ringing at the desk.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a dozen officers sprinting toward me. The urge to flee, ingrained since birth, was strong, but I remained still. In a blink they were on me, shoving me into the desk and dragging my arms behind my back. Hands ran up and down my legs, my waist. They even grabbed my balls, as if I had a pistol taped to my sac.

---