Page 246 of Marcello

I answered the video call and saw Cicciobello’s smiling, chubby face. “Hey, man!”

“What’s up?” I asked as neutrally as possible.

“Just seeing what to do about Luciano’s wife and kids.”

I wanted to say, Let them go –

But if I did that without asking Cesare first, I knew I’d get a bullet to the head.

“Hang on,” I said as I jogged back upstairs.

Thank God Lucrezia’s here!

I was confident she would keep her promise not to hurt the women or children.

After all, she was the adult in the room. Her brother was the rabid pitbull.

As I turned the corner and headed down the hall, I saw a group of our guys crowding the bedroom doorway. Beyond them, I could hear Don Amato begging for his life.

“I can offer you tens of millions. Just let me and my family go!”

“Fuck that,” Cesare snapped.

Okay, suggesting we ransom them’s not going to work, I thought dourly.

“Then just let my wife and children go,” Don Amato pleaded.

“And my wife and kids!” Luciano wailed. “You promised!”

“I did, didn’t I?” Cesare asked.

There was the Pop! of a suppressed gunshot –

Followed by the sound of a body hitting the floor.

SHIT.

He’d shot Luciano.

I’d expected it would happen, but it was still jarring.

I reached the crowd of thugs just as an older woman – Don Amato’s wife – started to scream.

Lucrezia yelled, “Shut that bitch up!”

Pop!

The screaming stopped, followed by another body hitting the floor.

WHAT?! NO!

I wanted to shout at Cesare, YOU WEREN’T SUPPOSED TO KILL THE WOMEN –

And then realized it was Lucrezia who’d given the order.

FUCK!

“Out of the way!” I snarled as I shoved through the men crowding the door.