Page 160 of Marcello

As expected, he froze in shock.

It was a move everybody would expect from Cesare, not me.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Cicciobello wailed. “Everybody just calm the fuck down!”

I stared into Ciro’s eyes but didn’t move the gun. “I agree – let’s all just calm the fuck down. We have a job to do, so let’s make sure all of us are alive to do it. What do you say?”

Ciro scowled at me. “This ain’t over.”

“We can finish it after the job is done – but not before.”

Ciro gritted his teeth. “…fine.”

“Good,” I said, and re-holstered my pistol. “See you tonight.”

And I walked out of the library.

48

Imight have acted calm around Lucrezia, Cesare, and the other guys in the crew, but by the time I got home, I was a nervous wreck.

During my time in Naples, I knew that even if I died, my family back in Florence would be safe.

I didn’t care about anything else because I didn’t have anything else.

I’d been miserable for so long, I hadn’t valued my own life that much.

But now… for the first time in seven years… I was happy.

For the first time in seven years, I had something to lose.

Someone to lose.

I paced back and forth in my apartment as I ran through my options.

If I could convince Giulietta to run away with me, I could maybe – just maybe – make it work.

There was 50 grand in cash in my gun safe. That would be enough to hold us for a while.

As soon as I picked up Giulietta, we could drive to Florence, just three hours away.

I could grab my mom – and I guess her new husband –

Tell Mama to phone Edoardo and Gemma, and we could all –

No.

My brother and sister had families now.

They couldn’t just uproot everything and go on the run, especially on the say-so of a brother they hadn’t seen in forever.

Hi, everybody! I know I disappeared, but I had to work for a mobster to keep you all safe. That’s all over now, so pack your things and let’s go!

They would never listen to me – not until it was too late –

And I’d probably wind up in a gunfight with a bunch of Fausto’s thugs.

Unless…