Page 101 of Mafia Kings: Dario

He gave me a lopsided smile. “Eh, it was nothing.”

“You saved my life. That’s not ‘nothing.’”

“Hey,Igot the car,” Valentino said humorously. “I’d just like to point out we’dallbe dead if it wasn’t for that.”

“Thank you, too,” I said, playing along.

“It’s nothing,” he said with jokey fake modesty. “Just as long as everybody realizes who therealhero is.”

“Fuck you,” Massimo said with a laugh. “You didn’t get shot.”

“Yeah, because I was smart enoughnotto.”

“If intelligence kept a man from getting shot, you would have gotten your brains blown out.”

Valentino grinned. “Probably.”

“And there wouldn’t have been a noticeable difference in your IQ, either,” Massimo joked.

“Hey – as long as they didn’t shoot off my dick.”

“Gotta have your priorities straight,” Lars said with a grin.

“Actually,” Valentino said, “my theory is I didn’t get shot because I’m not as big of a target as Massimo.”

“Is that so,” Massimo said sarcastically.

Valentino pointed at me. “Tiny target – didn’t get shot.”

Then he pointed at himself. “Bigger target – didn’t get shot.”

Then he pointed at Massimo. “Gigantic fucking target – got shot. I’d say the conclusion is obvious.”

“I think it’s because you run as fast as a frightened little squirrel,” Massimo said.

“That could be part of it,” Valentino agreed. Then he grinned and pointed at his face. “But Ihadto run fast – gotta keep this pretty for the ladies.”

“You’re saying I’m not pretty?” Massimo asked.

“Let’s just say that a couple of bullets to the face might improve your appearance.”

Once the doctor said Massimo was okay, Valentino, Lars, Massimo, and I got into a limousine. One of the foot soldiers drove the bullet-riddled Mercedes back to the mansion.

“This is serious, you know,” Lars said to Massimo as we all rode in the back of the limo.

“I know,” Massimo replied.

“What, you getting shot up?” I said facetiously. I was amazed they were so blasé about it. “I’d say it’s just alittlebit serious.”

“No, not that,” Massimo said. “Niccolo arranged for us to go to a safe house run by another family – but then he called back and said no, come back to the mansion instead.”

“Which means…?”

“Which means he doesn’t trust our allies in Florence,” Lars explained. “And if that’s the case, it’sveryserious.”

“How serious?” I asked, my stomach sinking.

“Betrayal,” Massimo said. “The end of a 20-year alliance… potentially all-out war.”

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