Page 330 of Marcello

A bright red cornicello.

I gasped.

“I know, right?” Cesare said with a chuckle. “Guess it did bring her good luck… but she don’t have it anymore, so her luck’s about to run out.”

“How are you going to get her?”

“Scurtone went in after her. He’s the smallest guy in the crew – well, after Schizzato, anyway – so he fit through the hole the easiest. He’s gonna drag her out here so I can show her what I do to a bitch who kills one of my men.” Cesare laughed viciously. “Then I’ll let everybody else have sloppy seconds.”

My skin crawled at the thought.

I glanced at my watch –

8 PM.

SHIT.

I was supposed to be down in the courtyard to help Dario and his men –

But if I left now, Cesare might get Giulietta.

I couldn’t do both…

So I made my choice.

“Let me go help Scurtone,” I said.

Cesare frowned. “Why?”

“I fucked up when I didn’t find her that first night. I wanna make it right by helping him out.”

Cesare narrowed his eyes as he stared at me.

For a moment, I thought he was going to call out my desperate lie –

But he just wasn’t that smart.

“…yeah, you did fuck up,” he said contemptuously. “Alright, get in there – but no touching the merchandise, or I’ll cut your dick off. I get first crack at her. You can have sloppy seventeenths.”

And he laughed.

Rage filled me. Despite what I’d promised Dario, I wanted to kill Cesare right then and there –

But if I did that, somebody in the hallway would shoot me before I could rescue Giulietta.

And then who knew what would happen to her.

That was the one thing I couldn’t risk.

“See you soon,” I said as I forced my way through the hole in the wall.

116

Lars

Underground Tunnels

“Where the hell is he?” Dario whispered below me on the ground.