Chapter 96
96
Afew minutes later, a voice in Italian blared over the loudspeakers. I didn’t understand a word of it.
“They’re telling us to return to our cells,” Dario translated. “They’ll probably put the entire prison on lockdown in retaliation for what happened p>
“Great,” I muttered.
“Don’t worry,” Dario reassured me. “I’ll tell them to leave you alone p>
I cocked one eyebrow. “Why would they listen to you p>
“The Camorra aren’t the only ones who can pay off the guards p>
I wanted to say, Just a humble ‘business associate’ of the Cosa Nostra, huh?
But common sense made me hold my tongue.
When we reached the cellblock, Dario said, “Don’t worry, everything will be fine. Try to get some rest p>
Then he slapped me on the shoulder and walked off.
I returned to my cell and waited tensely for a member of the Camorra to show up with a shiv. It was a relief when the guards came and locked my door.
Just as Dario had said, we were put on lockdown for 24 hours. We weren’t given any food, although at least we had water from the sinks in our cells – even if it was yellow and tasted like metal.
The next morning, I was lying on the top bunk thinking about Rachel when someone started shouting in Italian outside my cell.
I looked up to see a guard unlocking my door. Another guard stood behind him.
I jumped off the top bunk, half-expecting them to rush in and beat me –
But the guards stood back from the door as though they expected me to walk through it.
When I didn’t move, one of the guards shouted, “Andiamo, non abbiamo tutto il giorno p>
I hesitantly exited.
Once I was in the hall, both guards pointed down the hallway. I started walking.
We exited my old cellblock and entered a wing I had never been in before. There were cells here, too, but they were larger than my old one – and every cell only had one occupant. Most of them were the silver-haired men who held court out on the bleachers.
Suddenly, a voice spoke up in flawless English. “Ah, good – you’re here p>
I looked over and saw Dario standing inside a cell.
One of the guards unlocked the door and pulled it open.
Dario said something to the guard in Italian, his voice calm and pleasant.
The guard said something back in a respectful tone.
Then they all stood around looking at me.
“Come on,” Dario said, motioning me inside.
I hesitantly stepped inside – and was amazed.
His cell was four times the size of mine.
Not only that, but there was furniture: a chair with cushions, a table with a lamp, and a laundry line strung across the room with a curtain on it that could be drawn back over the toilet area for privacy.
There was a bunk bed – but the mattresses were plush, unlike the ragged inch-thick pallets back in my room.
There were art prints on the wall – old paintings by Renaissance masters.
A thick rug covered most of the concrete floor.
There was also a small table with an electric hot plate for cooking. There were several pots, pans, dishes, some jars of pasta, boxes of noodles – and a bottle of wine.
“I took the liberty of having you moved to my quarters,” Dario said. “I know you have your own room, but you wouldn’t have it to yourself for long. They would give you a new cellmate sooner or later p>
“No, that’s… fine…” I said as I looked around me in shock.
Dario said something to the two guards. They shut the door, locked it, and left.
“Care for a drink?” Dario asked.
“…sure,” I said, stunned.
He poured two glasses of red wine into clear plastic goblets. “They only allow me plastic cups, unfortunately. I also have to turn in the bottle when it’s empty so it can’t be used as a weapon – but it’s a reasonable compromise. And they give me a new bottle as soon as I turn in the old one p>
He handed me a cup and held up his for a toast. “To new allies p>
He tapped his plastic goblet against mine with a dull clunk, then sipped.
I just stood there in shock.
“You don’t drink?” he asked.
“No, I do, I just p>
I stared all around me, then looked back at Dario.
“…what the fuck?” I asked.
He chuckled. “If you want someone killed in San Vittore, you can pay off the prison guards to look the other way. You can also pay a tidy sum to the warden if you want a few creature comforts p>
“…okay p>
“Try the wine – it’s excellent. It’s from my family’s vineyard p>
I sipped the wine.
He was right – it was amazing.
“Sit down,” he said. He gestured towards the chair as he sat on the lower bunk of the bed.
I didn’t move. “Um p>
“Yes p>
“I just need to clarify something p>
Dario raised his eyebrows as he waited.
I cleared my throat. “I’m flattered, but… I’m only interested in women p>
Dario stared at me –
And then roared with laughter.
In fact, he laughed so hard he had to wipe tears from the corners of his eyes.
“I can assure you, Lars, my interest in you does not extend to that particular area,” he said, still laughing.
“Oh… good,” I said in relief.
Then I sat down.
“I merely thought my quarters would be more suitable than yours. Not only that, but I figured it would be better if you were in here so we could watch each other’s backs p>
“No, it’s a great idea,” I said as I sipped my wine.
After a week of garbage food from the prison cafeteria, it was the most delicious thing I’d ever tasted.
“Also, I would like to ask you a favor,” Dario said.
“What?” I asked warily.
“I would very much appreciate it if you would teach me to fight like you did. I also figured it would be easier to train in here than out in the yard – in private, away from prying eyes p>
“…ah,” I said, understanding a bit more why my situation had so vastly improved in the last five minutes. “I can do that – sure p>
“Were you a soldier, by any chance p>
“Yes p>
“But not just any soldier. You fought with a speed and brutality I’ve never seen before – not outside of movies. Were you in the Special Forces, or whatever your country’s version is called p>
“I was,” I admitted. I wasn’t about to tell him about MI6, but I figured revealing my military background couldn’t hurt.
“I thought so,” Dario said. “I’ve been in a few fights myself… but you, my friend, are in an entirely different league p>
I wanted to say, Considering I saw you kill a man yesterday by stomping on his windpipe, I’d say that’s high praise.
But instead, I just nodded and sipped my wine.
“Are you Swedish?” Dario asked.
“Is my accent that obvious p>
“No,” he said with a smile. “I could only detect the smallest hint of it… mostly because I’ve dated a couple of Swedish girls in the past p>
Interesting.
“I was surprised you spoke English,” I said.
He laughed. “I could tell p>
“I thought nobody in here spoke English – not even the guards p>
“They offer it in every school in Italy, but our fellow inmates aren’t exactly scholars. The same goes for most of the guards p>
“But your accent is flawless – I never would have guessed you were Italian p>
“I have my father to thank for that. He insisted that my brothers and I have the best English tutors money could buy p>
“So you were… well-off,” I said diplomatically.
Dario smiled. “You could say that p>
I looked around the room and wondered how much money it took to bribe a warden for this kind of set-up.
“In return for teaching me to defend myself,” Dario said, “I can offer you wine, good food, and better accommodations… but is there anything else you want p>
“Well… there is one thing p>
“Name it p>
“I’d like to learn Italian p>
Dario nodded. “It would be beneficial to know it in here p>
“Yes, but there’s another reason p>
Dario gave me a quizzical look.
I thought of Rachel and how she whispered to me in bed.
Sei cosi seducente… Hai gli occhi più belli che abbia mai visto…
“Well… there’s this woman p>
Dario grinned. “If there’s a better reason to learn Italian, I’ve never found it. They say that French is the language of love – but I say that Italian is the language of passion p>
The language of passion.
I liked that.
“You can teach me to speak it p>
“How long are you in for? Five years p>
“Yes p>
“You turn me into a fighter… and I’ll turn you into a master of the spoken word p>
“It’s a deal,” I said –
And we lifted our glasses in a toast.