“Then… things got complicated.
“People started coming after us. We didn’t know it while it was happening, but Adriano’s uncle and cousin were trying to kill him and his brothers. To us, it just looked like different strangers trying to kill us out of nowhere.
“But we survived. We made it through.
“And then… we went to San Michele. It’s a cemetery on an island outside of Venice. Lucia got kidnapped. We didn’t know who she was at the time, but Massimo – one of my bosses – was already in love with her. A bunch of us went to the island and fought to set her free. We fought Russian mercenaries… dozens of them. Most of my friends didn’t make it.”
Giorgio turned to me. “Lorenzo was one of them.
“I watched him die. He got shot by a sniper on a bell tower. I watched him bleed out on the ground, and there was nothing I could do. Nothing.
“But we were there to do a good thing,” he said fervently. “We were there to rescue a woman who’d been kidnapped. It was agoodthing we did.It was a good thing.
“I tried to tell Lorenzo’s mother that at his funeral – that he died trying to save a woman from her kidnappers – but she wouldn’t hear it. She just slapped me in the face and then broke down crying.
“My father won’t believe it, either. No matter what we do… no matter how much good we try to do… all my father sees is a bunch of murderers and criminals. But it’s not like that.They’renot like that.I’Mnot like that.
“Emilia,” he whispered, “I’ve lost my father because of what I do. He won’t believe a single good thing about me or the people I work for.
“I’m afraid I’ll lose the rest of my family, too. I’m worried they’ll eventually start listening to him and turn against me.
“I could deal with that… but it wouldkillme to lose you.
“Please… you’ve got to believe me. I’m not what my father thinks I am. I’m trying, Emilia. I’m trying to be good. I’m really fucking trying.”
“I know,” I whispered. I leaned over and hugged him. “I know.”
And Ididknow.
IknewGiorgio was trying to be good.
But that was all I could say…I know…
Because, underneath it all, I was terrified his father was right.
And that if Giorgio continued working for his bosses…
He would wind up just like his father had said:
Dead like a dog in the gutter.
Andthatwould killME.
PART IX
Early Morning, October 24
Naples, Italy
72
Lucrezia Caproni
My brother was a fuck-up.
A chaotic, psychopathic fuck-up with no impulse control.
But he was apowerfulfuck-up.
