Page 222 of La Dolce Vita

"Okay."

"Tell me what's going on," Mirabella said.

“I’ve ruined my life,” Catalina moaned. “I want to die.”

***

Carlo had smoked two cigarettes before he saw headlights turn onto the road. He flicked the last one and waited. The vehicle slowed, and the lights shut off. It was one of Lorenzo's cars. He waited. It took longer than a minute before Lorenzo opened the car door and stepped out. He found that odd.

"Been waiting long?" Lorenzo asked.

"What the fuck is going on?" Carlo asked.

"Did you get the tapes for me?" Lorenzo asked.

Carlo stared at him.

Lorenzo rolled his eyes. "You changed your mind. Didn't you?"

"What makes you think I would go tovilla Rossoand take anything from the Boss for you?"

"Over thirty years of friendship. That's what makes me think it. Remember when your dad used to pound on you? When you got sent away to jail at fucking fifteen? Who was there for you? Giovanni? Or me? Who snuck you money, clothes, food. Who cleaned you up from vomit and drunken shit? Me!"

Carlo shook his head. "It must be really bad, Lo, for you to pull this shit. What is on those tapes?"

Lorenzo paced.

"What is on the fucking tapes brother?"

"So you didn't listen to him?"

"I'm just a fucking hired gun, man. A Butcher. My job has never been to dig in another man's backyard. My job..."

"Fuck your job! You made a choice. And you signed my death warrant. What really sticks Carlo is that you knew what this would cost me. You knew!"

"The fuck did you say to me?" Carlo shoved him. "What did you say to me? I betrayed what? I betrayed who?"

"Stay out of my way Carlo. Gio is going to declare war on me. The next time we see each other, we won't be brothers."

"Wait a fucking minute! What is this about? You owe me that! Tell me the truth."

Lorenzo stopped mid step to his car. He dropped his head and shook it. "You know what's fucking ironic? First I was jealous of Gio. WantedPatri’srespect for myself. WantedPatri'sthrone for myself. Never thought Gio deserved any of it. But now. After all these years. All I want is the brotherhood we had when we were kids. That's the fucking irony.”

“Stop speaking in fucking riddles man. Tell me the crime. Be honest for once in your fucking life and tell me what you did!”

“I killed Giuseppe Calderone to protect a secret."

"What secret?"

"One night I was drunk and high on coke. I was talking about how I wantedPatridead. Giuseppe agreed to make it happen if I knocked off his old man. It was Giuseppe that killedPatri, not the Russians. And those tapes are my confession."

Carlo didn't move. He didn't blink. He just stared in disbelief.

"Bye, see you on the other side, brother." Lorenzo got in the car. Carlo watched the man he loved like a brother drive away. He should have drawn his gun. He should have brought Lorenzo down and thrown him at his boss’s feet. But he could do neither. And he knew in his heart it would be the only time he could grant Lorenzo that favor.

***

The building burned. Giovanni and Don Tacchini watched from a distance as the fire rescue teams arrived and frantically worked to extinguish the flames. It was quite a show.

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