Chapter 162
162
The job was a logistics nightmare.
A ten-foot wall circling 100 acres, with another thousand acres of land around it owned by Rosolini.
A three-story mansion as big as a palace, with 40 to 80 armed guards at any given moment.
“Where is this place?” I asked as I stared at the map.
Rosolini was Italian, so I was expecting somewhere in Italy –
“Just down the road,” my host said.
I wasn’t expecting that.
I looked at him in shock. “How ‘just down the road p>
“About a 45-minute drive p>
I stared at him. “You live 45 minutes away from the man you think might KILL you p>
He smiled. “You can understand my concern p>
“I guess so.” I looked back at the map and formed a mental checklist of basic information. “What are the surveillance systems like p>
“What do you mean p>
“How many cameras are there p>
“That I do not know,” my host said apologetically. “I know they’ve installed some recently, but that’s all I know p>
I stared at him. “You expect me to go in there without knowing how many cameras there are or where they’re pointed p>
“For 200,000 euros?” the son/nephew/associate sneered. “Yeah – we do p>
I was about to rip him a new asshole when my host intervened.
“If you can’t be helpful,” the older man snapped, “be quiet p>
The younger guy shut his mouth and stewed in silent resentment.
“Does Rosolini come out of the house much?” I asked.
“Why do you ask p>
“I want to know if I can get a clear shot at him while he’s outside. Otherwise, I’m going to have to aim through a window p>
“What about an outdoor wedding? He’d be outside for that p>
“Why, is there one coming up?” I asked.
“Yes. Very soon, in fact p>
Huh.
My client was full of surprises.
“Is it a mafia wedding?” I asked.
“Obviously,” he said drily.
“Then I’m guessing there will be triple the level of security. So, no – I don’t think the wedding’s a good idea p>
“What if I could get you into the wedding as a guest p>
I stared at him. “How would you do that p>
“I’m his cousin, remember p>
I shook my head. “No p>
“Why not p>
“A big part of this is getting out alive. Trying to kill the most heavily guarded man during an event when they’re preparing for trouble – the odds are terrible p>
“They do it in the movies,” the younger guy sneered.
“This isn’t the fucking movies,” I snapped.
The younger guy fixed me with a hateful stare but said nothing back.
“What about infiltrating the house?” my host suggested.
I pointed at the map. “See all this open area around the mansion? That’s a kill zone. They’ll see me coming a mile away, and I’ll be a sitting duck. Infiltration is the last thing I want to do – which leaves a sniper shot p>
“Then assume you’ll need to make the shot through a window p>
“Is the glass bulletproof p>
“I’ve heard some chatter about it being replaced recently. You should assume it is p>
“Any idea what level of protection it is p>
“Assume the very highest p>
“So what you’re telling me is, assume the worst in all situations p>
The older man smiled wryly. “More or less p>
Great.
“So… can it be done?” he asked.
I looked down at the map.
I’d gone into worse situations than this before, killed my target, and come out alive.
“…yes,” I replied. “It can be done p>
“Wonderful p>
“There are no guarantees, though,” I cautioned. “There’s a high likelihood something will go wrong p>
“Understood p>
“Alright. We – ”
“One more thing,” the client interrupted.
“What p>
“There’s one other tiny little fly in the ointment p>
“Which is p>
“Our time window is limited, so I’ll need you to be ready at a moment’s notice p>
“‘A moment’s notice’ as in 24 hours, or 24 minutes p>
“The shorter the timeframe, the better p>
“Since the target lives down the road,” I said sarcastically, “I could just stay here while I’m waiting p>
My host beamed. “That’s an excellent suggestion p>
I stared at him. “I wasn’t being serious p>
“Nevertheless, an excellent suggestion p>
“I don’t have any clothes – ”
“We’ll get you an assortment from Florence p>
“I need very specific supplies for the mission – ”
“I can get you anything you need. Just give me a list p>
I looked at him in shock. “Are you sure about this p>
“I think it’s a wonderful idea p>
“I don’t,” the younger asshole said.
That decided it.
I gave the younger guy a Fuck you smile. “Too bad p>
Then I turned back to the older man. “Let’s do it p>