Page 141 of Mafia Kings: Dario

I would be killed instantly – I knew that – but at least they would know someone was coming.

However, the Turk would probably retreat…

…and then shoot my father in the head as punishment for my betrayal.

Still, I weighed my options about screaming…

Until the Turk took eventhatchoice away from me.

He ripped a piece of duct tape off a roll and said, “Close your lips.”

I did as I was told, and he taped over my mouth.

“Good. Now take us there,” the Turk commanded.

I backtracked through the woods until I reached the end of the trees.

The Rosolini mansion stood dark and still in the moonlight, almost 600 feet away…

…and I was helpless to warn them.

I walked as far as I thought was correct, then got down on all fours. I crawled along, fumbling with my hands in the ferns and undergrowth –

Until my hand slipped all the way through a patch of vines.

I thought for a second about not telling the Turk and hoping his men missed it completely…

…but if he found out I lied to him, he would kill my father out of spite.

So I turned and gestured at the ground.

The Turk nodded, and two of his thugs tore up the vines to reveal a hole in the ground. Others shone flashlights at the stone steps, and we entered the underground passageway.

When we reached the iron door, one of the men tried the handle. It refused to budge.

I looked at the Turk and gestured likeSee? I told you!

He just grinned.

“If I let something as simple asthisstop me, I never would have gotten anywhere in life.” Then he barked, “Do it!”

Two of the men duct-taped bags of dark powder to the hinges on the door.

“Thermite powder,” the Turk said with a chuckle. “The Allies used it in World War II to destroy the largest artillery gun the Nazis ever created. It can cut through four inches of steel like it was nothing.”

A third man lit a small blowtorch and set one of the bags on fire.

“Stand back,” the Turk said as he pulled me far away.

Suddenly the bag began to burn as bright as the sun, throwing off sparks everywhere.

I cried out, but the duct tape over my mouth muffled the sound.

The Turk cackled in delight.

Once the sparks died away, a glowing hole was all that was left where the hinge had once been.

“Light the other one,” the Turk ordered.

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