Page 207 of Niccolo

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Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

I think you’re hot.

I want to fuck you.

After I sent it, I waited for a response – but didn’t get one.

Too much?I texted.

I immediately received a string of emojis laughing so hard they were crying.

Followed by the text,

It’s my favorite poem EVER. Can’t wait to put it into practice again.

I smiled and replied,ME TOO.

85

Niccolo

Ithought my family’s situation was bad when I returned from Hong Kong.

It only got worse.

The day after my phone call with Sofia, Lars left for London to track down Rachel Bauer.

I strenuously objected –

But Dario overruled me.

My brother had always had a soft spot for Lars and his doomed love affair… hissola e unica,as Dario liked to call it.

In addition, I think Dario was still pissed at me for sleeping with Sofia in Hong Kong.

Thank God I didn’t tell him about the phone sex.

Either way, Lars left.

The very next day, he stopped answering his phone.

Iknewhe wouldn’t run off with Rachel, so either he’d been captured –

Or he was dead.

Dario refused to acknowledge the possibility.

I hated it, too, but I didn’t have any choice. I was theconsigliere. It was my job to look at the world with clear eyes.

We were down three men.

Massimo was off God-knows-where…

Lars was either in London or a shallow grave…

And Roberto was in Hong Kong trying to sweet-talk a money launderer who wouldn’t help him in the slightest.

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