Chapter 115
115
Lunch was behind the mansion on a patio. We had a magnificent view of a vast lawn, an enormous swimming pool, and beautiful topiary gardens.
All nine of us sat around a large stone table: me, Adriano, Massimo, Niccolo, Leonardo, Fausto, and three other men I hadn’t met, but whom I’d heard plenty about from Dario.
Roberto sat to my right. He was the spitting image of Niccolo, except he wore a three-piece suit without a tie, and his hair was slicked back from his forehead. He was just like Dario had described him: pleasant, affable, looked like a banker, and was completely enigmatic.
Then there was Valentino, the youngest of the lot. All the brothers were handsome, but Valentino had the ‘pretty boy’ look of a pop singer or movie star. He was by far the most carefree of the younger men, and he joked with the servants as they brought out platters of food and refilled our wine glasses. I noticed he joked more with the female servants – especially the youngest and prettiest, a buxom girl with a pixie cut. Whenever he flirted with her, she blushed and barely managed to suppress a grin.
Then there was Aurelio, Fausto’s son, who was about the same age as Niccolo and Roberto. He had an air of bitterness about him and watched me like a hawk the entire time.
The food was excellent – platters of cold cuts, cheeses, and olives, followed by pasta side dishes and the most succulent, flavorful lamb chops I’d ever eaten. And the wine was magnificent: a delicious red with hints of cloves and cinnamon.
Leonardo sat at the head of the table and made me tell stories about my time with Dario in San Vittore. It was clear he wanted ‘adventures’ – stories of comradery in the face of overwhelming odds.
I didn’t consider them ‘adventures’ so much as survival stories set in a hellhole of squalor and violence – but I did my best to make them more entertaining and not quite as grim as I remembered.
“Did you really kill Aristide Caproni?” Valentino asked at one point, his eyes wide. He looked like a kid talking to a fighter pilot or astronaut.
“How do you think he got the job?” Fausto said with a smile.
Fausto might have been rude and sarcastic back in the parlor, but I noticed that he was now more complimentary and respectful. I chalked up his earlier antagonism to his role as consigliere, which probably included being a Devil’s Advocate.
“Actually, no,” I said. “It was your brother who killed Aristide p>
My stomach turned as I remembered Dario slitting the gangster’s throat and his blood pouring out over the concrete.
Nobody noticed my unease, least of all Valentino.
“Dario did it?!” he exclaimed. “Holy shit p>
“Lars is being modest,” Leonardo said. “He took down three of Aristide’s goons. Dario took down the other two and Aristide, but he couldn’t have done it without Lars p>
“Why didn’t you handle Aristide?” Aurelio asked me.
There was something snide in his tone, as though he was insinuating I was incompetent – or a coward.
“Careful, son,” Fausto warned with a smile. “Our guest has killed over 40 men. I’d use a more deferential tone if I were you p>
That got the table’s attention.
Both Adriano and Massimo looked at me wide-eyed like What the FUCK?
“FORTY GUYS?!” Valentino exclaimed with both laughter and astonishment.
“I was a sniper in Afghanistan,” I explained. “You tend to rack up a lot of numbers in an environment like that p>
“So you killed 40 men… from a distance,” Aurelia sneered.
“Hey, stronzo,” Adriano snapped at his cousin. “When you’ve done something besides shoot some prick when he was tied up and couldn’t fight back, then you can talk. Until then, show some respect and shut the fuck up p>
Most of the brothers – Niccolo, Massimo, and Valentino – erupted into oooooohs and amused laughter.
But Aurelio turned scarlet with rage, and his eyes fixed murderously on Adriano.
Adriano stared back, his expression a challenge: What’re you gonna do? Come over here and try it, you piece of shit.
Roberto was the only one of the younger generation who didn’t react at all.
“Boys – BOYS!” Leonardo shouted over the chatter and laughter. “Cut it out. Ignore him, Aurelio. And YOU – ” he said, pointing at Adriano, “you keep that tongue of yours in your mouth, or you’re gonna start something you don’t wanna finish p>
“Oh, I’ll finish it all right,” Adriano said as he stared at Aurelio.
More laughter from his brothers –
And then Leonardo exploded.
He BANGED his fist on the table, making all the plates and glasses jump.
Everyone went silent as the mafia don shouted at Adriano.
“You’re embarrassing me in front of our guest! Carrying on like you’re some piezo di merda Camorra gangster while your brother’s in prison fighting for his life – and the man who stood by him three and a half years has to sit here in silence and listen to you show your ass! Your mother raised you better than that, God rest her soul – and I sure as hell taught you better p>
“Sorry, Papa,” Adriano said quietly, all his bravado gone. He had long since dropped his gaze to the plate in front of him.
“Apologize to your cousin. Now p>
Adriano flicked his eyes up to Aurelio, though his gaze was still full of venom. “Sorry, Aurelio p>
When Aurelio didn’t say anything in return, Fausto gave him a raised eyebrow and a warning look. DO IT.
“I’m sorry, too,” Aurelio said coldly, although it was clear he was anything but.
“You two,” Leonardo said in disgust, shaking his head. “One day, when Fausto and I are gone – ”
“Papa,” Adriano said imploringly, like Don’t say that.
“Not for many years, God willing,” Leonardo said, “but it’s gonna happen – you know it, I know it, we all know it. When I do go and join your sainted mother, it’s gonna be up to your generation to carry on the family name. To work together to keep what your grandfather built when he came over here from Sicily. And you’re not gonna be able to do it with all this childish bickering and fuckin’ dick-measuring – capiche p>
“Yes, sir,” Adriano murmured, still looking down at his plate.
Aurelio stayed silent.
“Which is why I hired Lars here, to whip you into shape. To turn you boys into men. Into SOLDIERS, with the DISCIPLINE of soldiers. Got it? Because not only did Lars cut his fuckin’ teeth in the Special Forces – in Afghanistan, where it’s kill or be killed – he proved his loyalty by standing side-by-side with your brother in prison. You remember that when he gives you an order. And if anyone – ”
Here Leonardo glared at Aurelio.
“ – treats him with disrespect, from this moment forward, I’M gonna have somethin’ to fuckin’ say about it. Understood p>
There were a chorus of Yes, Papas from around the table.
Aurelio nodded. “Si, Zio p>
Yes, uncle.
“Alright,” Leonardo said, settling back into his chair. Then he looked at me. “Lars, I ask your pardon for my son and nephew’s foolishness p>
I shook my head slightly. “Not necessary at all. Actually, it feels a lot like being back with my squad members in the military p>
That cut the tension a little. Everybody knew I was lying, but Adriano and his brothers appreciated it anyway. I could tell by their barely suppressed smiles.
“Yeah,” Leonardo said, “except in the military, you mouth off, they throw your ass in the brig p>
“Here they just pop a cap in your ass,” Roberto said nonchalantly.
That brought the house down.
The quietest guy – the one in the three-piece suit, who looked like he had a stick up his ass – was the one with the most ‘mafia’ line of all.
All the other brothers howled with laughter. Fausto chuckled, and even Aurelio cracked a smile.
“That’s my boy,” Leonardo said with a grin as he pointed at Roberto. “Listen to him – he’ll set you straight p>
As the rest of the group went back to good-natured chatter and laughter, I looked over at Roberto.
“Well played,” I said.
He gave me a modest smile.
“Conflict mediation was something I had to learn early living in this family.” Then he leaned over towards me and spoke softly enough that only I could hear him. “By the way, did my father broach the topic of pay p>
“No p>
“I conferred with my uncle – we were thinking 30 grand a month to start. Would that be agreeable to you p>
360,000 euros a year – almost $400,000 US.
That was more than twice what Alistair had offered me for my work with MI6 – and almost eight times what the Swedish military had paid me.
I stared at him in shock.
Roberto mistook my silence for disappointment.
“That’s just to start,” he said as though to reassure me. “We can reassess after the first month or two p>
“No – no, that’s very generous – thank you p>
Roberto shrugged modestly. “We pay new recruits with zero training 50,000 a year. I figure a man with years of experience in Special Forces, who’ll be training those new recruits, is worth significantly more p>
“Well… thank you again. Although, if I could ask you a favor p>
“Name it p>
“Could you advance me some money? Maybe… half a month’s salary p>
“Of course. Might I ask for what, if it’s not too personal p>
“I just need some cash to buy new clothes. Basically, I’ve only got the ones on my back. And I’ll need to rent an apartment and lease a car p>
Roberto looked puzzled. “All that’s included p>
“…what?” I said, stunned.
“You’ll be staying in the main house with the family. No one told you p>
“…no p>
“I’m sorry, that was an oversight. We already have your room picked out. It’s very nice – there’s a beautiful view of the gardens. We’ll also have a tailor take your measurements tonight and get you a week’s worth of suits. If you need anything else – say, t-shirts or sweats for training purposes – just let me know. And we have a garage full of vehicles, from sports cars to sedans. Feel free to take any of them out whenever you want. Or we can have someone drive you, if you prefer p>
Again, I think he misinterpreted my silence because he added hastily, “I mean, unless you want to stay somewhere else. I think we could probably find you a nice house for rent somewhere – ”
“No – this is wonderful – it’s beyond generous p>
Roberto smiled. “It’s the least we could do for the man who saved Dario’s life p>
Then he continued eating lunch as though nothing out of the ordinary had been discussed.