Chapter 130
130
Meeting Alessandra for the first time was an interesting experience.
Well… speaking to her for the first time, that is. I suppose I’d already met her back at the café.
If you can call looking into a person’s eyes after you’ve killed a man ‘meeting someone p>
When Alessandra walked into the parlor and saw me, she was absolutely terrified – and understandably so.
“Lars, for God’s sake, get away from her!” Niccolo yelled at me theatrically. “You’re scaring the life out of the poor thing p>
“I’m not going to hurt you,” I told her gently, but my words had no effect whatsoever on the panic in her face.
Again, understandably so.
“I said get away from her, not talk to her!” Niccolo shouted.
Man, he was really hamming it up.
I walked over and stood with Adriano and Massimo as we watched the show commence.
Niccolo was a born actor; he more or less handled the good cop/bad cop routine all by himself. He was by turns charming and solicitous – bella this and bella that – then pivoted on a dime to being vaguely threatening and sinister.
I knew from my training sessions that he wasn’t the best at handling a gun – but he was a fucking great interrogator, I’d give him that.
Alessandra was easy quarry, though – just about the most innocent young woman you could imagine. She hadn’t even drunk liquor before, which was evident when she started coughing after Niccolo gave her some brandy.
And she kept staring at me the entire time, like she thought I was going to whip out a machinegun and execute her on the spot.
The other guys just watched in silence, occasionally offering a comment or two, but it was Niccolo’s show.
Dario’s role in the production was… interesting.
He initially chose to remain behind his desk, all regal and intimidating.
When he finally spoke, though, it was to warn everyone in the room not to bother Alessandra. He even rebuked Valentino for a fairly innocuous remark.
“Alessandra is our guest. No one is to touch her. Understood p>
Valentino looked a bit blindsided. “I meant no disrespect p>
“Don’t say it to me – say it to her,” Dario said darkly.
His tone even sent a shiver down my spine.
Valentino was certainly spooked by Dario’s manner, and he apologized immediately. “Sorry, signorina. I meant no disrespect p>
I might have chalked up Dario’s behavior to making Alessandra feel safe… reassuring her that no one would hurt her…
But it didn’t feel like that.
It felt more like Dario was staking a claim.
Declaring she was his.
Later, after Massimo had escorted her out of the parlor and up to her bedroom, Dario and Niccolo started discussing the tiny scraps of intel they’d gleaned from her comments.
I leaned over to Adriano and whispered, “That whole ‘no one is to touch her’ stuff – what was that all about p>
I asked Adriano specifically because I knew he wouldn’t bullshit me. Every other brother might joke about it or be deferential to Dario – but not Adriano. If he was pissed about something, he wasn’t going to sugarcoat it.
“Let’s go outside,” he muttered.
Interesting…
Adriano turned and walked out without a word to the others.
He wasn’t one for social pleasantries – when he wanted to leave a room, he just left – but I wasn’t like that.
“Goodnight,” I said to Dario, Niccolo, Roberto, and Valentino as I followed Adriano out of the parlor.
I got several Goodnights in return –
“Lars,” Dario said, stopping me in my tracks.
I turned back to look at him.
“Thank you again for what you did tonight,” he said.
He meant Fumagalli.
“You’re welcome,” I replied. “I’m just sorry I got the girl involved p>
Dario gave me a smile that could only be described as enigmatic. “I’m sure it will turn out fine p>
…okay…
…THAT was odd…
Niccolo looked at me. “Considering tonight’s events, it’s probably best to stop training the foot soldiers until further notice p>
“No problem,” I said. “They’re 99% ready, anyway p>
“Good. See you in the morning p>
I nodded, then went out to the foyer where Adriano was waiting for me.
“What do you have to say out here that you couldn’t say in there?” I asked.
Adriano raised one eyebrow. “When we were at the café, the girl’s father was shitting bricks. I guess he thought we were going to rape her because he kept going on about how she was a virgin and goes to mass every Sunday. Know what Dario told him p>
“No, what p>
“‘I give you my word, I won’t take your daughter’s virginity… until she begs me to do so p>
I stared at him. “What… the fuck p>
“Yeah,” Adriano snarled, obviously unhappy.
I looked back at the parlor.
Dario’s enigmatic smile was beginning to take on an entirely new meaning.
I muttered, “So I wasn’t imagining it when he said that thing about ‘no one touches her p>
“No. You weren’t p>
“Should I go have a talk with him p>
“No, not yet.” Adriano sighed. “I’m not 100% convinced it wasn’t just to scare the shit out of her. On the other hand… I’m not 100% convinced it was p>
“I’m going to go talk to him,” I said decisively.
“Not YET, I said,” Adriano snapped.
I looked at him, a little pissed off. He immediately backed off.
“Dario’s the don now,” he said in a calmer voice. “It’s different than it was before p>
“Why’s it different?” I asked – although, deep down, I already knew he was right.
“Look… I know you two were tight back in San Vittore – but this is like you and your buddy were both sergeants, and then your buddy got promoted to five-star general overnight. You don’t go around telling five-star generals, ‘Hey, dude, knock it off.’ I’m his fuckin’ brother, and I wouldn’t even say that sort of shit to him now p>
“So what are we supposed to do p>
“I don’t know… just watch and see what he does. If he crosses a line, then we talk to him. But until that happens… just be cool p>
“‘Just be cool,’” I repeated mockingly.
And ignore the fact that the leader of our organization – which appears to be in the middle of a gang war – seems to have his eye on a 20-year-old virgin.
Adriano shook his head as he started up the stairs. “All I know is, we shoulda fuckin’ got him laid as soon as he got out of prison p>
I was beginning to agree with him.