I was still brooding over the Turk’s visit an hour after the Turk left.
I was sitting in my study when Niccolo walked in, his face pale.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“There was a shooting in Florence,” he replied.
For the first time in a long while, I felt fear –
Panic.
“Alessandra?!” I asked as I bolted up from my chair.
“She’s fine,” Niccolo said, then added drily, “although your concern for your brothers is touching.”
I gave him a look like Don’t fuck with me right now. “Are they alright?”
“Valentino is. Massimo was shot.”
I stared at him. “How bad is it?”
“He says it’s through-and-through, no severe damage – but I’m having them meet a gunshot doctor at a safe house run by the Agrellas.”
“NO. Tell him to get back here now.”
Niccolo looked angry. “If this is about protecting Alessandra – ”
“How do we know the Agrellas weren’t behind the hit?”
“We don’t, but they – ”
“Haven’t violated our arrangement in over 20 years – is that what you were going to say?”
“Let me guess what you’re going to say,” Niccolo snapped. “That it’s incredibly suspicious the Agrellas are doing business with the man you just turned down an hour ago.”
“If it’s a coincidence, it’s the worst one I’ve ever seen. Do we know where the Turk’s base of operations is?”
Niccolo shook his head. “No – and his car is probably out of reach by now.”
“The Agrellas aren’t,” I snarled. “We know exactly where they are.”
“The Agrellas could have hired some out-of-town hitters to take out Valentino and Massimo, it’s true,” Niccolo admitted. “Or they might have agreed to let the Turk’s men take a shot. Either is possible – but I just spoke to the Agrellas’ consigliere, and he offered us one of their safe houses. If their family does something out in the open that hurts Massimo or Valentino, it’s full-out war. The Agrellas aren’t stupid enough to risk that.”
“Unless they’re like the Turk and think Papa’s death made us weak,” I said. “Are you really going to bet Massimo and Valentino’s lives on that?”
Niccolo narrowed his eyes. “And Alessandra’s life, too? Or did you just conveniently leave her name out?”
“Get them back here immediately. Call the cops to make sure they’re not stopped. Get them a new car if theirs is shot up. Do whatever it takes – but we’re not trusting the Agrellas on this.”
Niccolo shook his head as he pulled out his phone and dialed. “Prison made you paranoid – you know that?”
“If you’re going to be a wartime consigliere, brother, you had better get a lot more paranoid,” I snapped.
Niccolo glared at me, then turned away. “Massimo? New plan…”
