Page 57 of Mafia Kings: Dario

“Wait – stop – there’s no reason for this,” the priest said in a panicked voice.

“Who do you work for?” Dario asked.

The priest’s blind eyes tracked the sound of Dario’s voice. “The Church – I work for the Church! The pope, Rome, the Vatican!”

“I mean whoeverelseis lining your pockets.”

“I didn’tdoanything! You have to believe me!”

Dario looked at me. “What happened?”

“He knew the man who attacked me,” I said. “The priestobeyedhim.”

As soon as he heard my voice, the old man’s expression went from frightened to resigned.

“Damn it… I thought maybe he’d gotten away with her.” Then the priest smirked. “I guess not.”

I stared at him in astonishment.

He had been faking his fear. It had all been a lie.

Adriano seemed stunned, too. “Who the hellisthis bastard?!”

“Probably not even a priest,” Dario said grimly. “Who’s your accomplice, the one I nearly killed back there?”

“Ask him yourself, asshole,” the old man croaked.

Adriano raised his gun and struck him across the face.

The old man yelped and went down on all fours.

Despite his evil intentions towards me, I still cried out in anguish.

After all, he was elderly – and a priest.

Or at leastdressedlike one.

But the next sound that came out of his mouth chilled me to the bone.

He began to laugh… a chuckle at first, then a rising cackle.

“Who are you,really?”Dario asked.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“Fine. You’ll talk plenty once we get you back to the house and Adriano goes to work on you.”

“Damn straight,” Adriano hissed.

“I don’t think so, you – ”

And the old man let out a string of vile curses that would have been shocking coming from a sailor, much less a priest.

Adrian pistol-whipped him again, opening up a cut across his cheek.

The old man snarled but didn’t cry out this time.

“Careful, old man,” Dario cautioned him, “or my brother will send you to your eternal reward.”

---