Page 18 of Deception

She pats me on the back like she knows me, like I’ve lived here my entire life. That’s just Italy and small towns.

It’s charming.

Or I’m just too drunk to mind.

So many of our elders grew up here or have stories about it. It’s my culture.

And it’s nice not to be recognized as a powerful leader of a worldwide organization for a change.

“What are the odds that we get stuck at the lodge?” I ask Adriano, settling back down at our table.

“Hard to say. But we should head back pretty soon. Once I’m sober enough to drive, that is.”

“This place. It’s so laid back. Have you heard a single bit of news about us, the family, anything about our lives since we got here?”

“No. That’s a good thing. This is as removed from our world as it gets.”

Before long, it’s just the two of us, alone in the pool table room. Adriano usually waits for me bring up touchy subjects, but we’re drinking. It’s just the two of us.

“What do you think Domenico is trying to pull?” he asks.

“Knowing Dom? He wants it all. He's gonna try to take us for everything.”

“You really think so? I thought family would be worth more to him than that.”

“He's always been this way, impulsive. If he’s got it in his head that he wants what's mine, he's gonna do everything in his power to take it away from me.”

“I just find it hard to believe that he would turn on us like that.”

“I don't. Not after what happened. I was given his birthright. After everything the boss put us through, after all the hard work he did to prove himself. Giancarlo just pulled the rug out from under him. He took it too well at the time. Made me nervous.”

“Why did he put up with it at all?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he thought he’d try to play ball. Realized he couldn’t. If I could talk to him…” I take my shot, letting my thoughts wander.

“We could always try to send him a message,” Adriano offers.

“No. The only message that we're going to send him will be a bullet through the brain. He’s gone too far. He killed our uncle for fuck’s sake.”

“I say we sic the twins on him.” Adriano grins uncharacteristically.

I throw my head back, laughing. I'm buzzed enough that it gets to me. “Yeah, just let them annoy him to death. They come up with anything so far?”

“Ero will root him out. So far, though, nothing. It’s like chasing a ghost.”

“Like I said, when Dom wants to do something, when he puts his mind to it, there's nothing in the whole world that can stop him.”

Except for me. And Iamgoing to stop him.

For now, we bide our time.

And before I know what I'm doing, I'm ordering us two more rounds of shots. The night blurs on, getting hazy. We play darts, another round of pool, challenge a couple of tourists to a card game and drink them under the table.

Feels like a life I was never allowed to have. Low stakes. No tomorrow.

Adriano starts to get antsy near closing time. We should have left hours ago, but he wanted me to have a good time. And boy, did I.

“Hurry up and piss, then put your disguise back on.”

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