We chatted the entire hour it took to reach the Rosolinis’ compound.
We entered the front gate and passed the vineyards and olive groves. When I pulled the car up to the front door of the mansion, Adriano told me, “Get one of the new guys to park it. You’re coming with us.”
Four foot soldiers were guarding the front door. I shouted, “Bernardo,” and the newest hire hustled over.
“Park it in the garage,” I instructed him, then followed Adriano and Raffaelo into the house.
Valentino just happened to be passing through the foyer.
“Where’s Dario?” Adriano asked him.
“Good morning to you, too,” Valentino said. “Hey, Raffaelo. Giorgio.”
Raffaelo and I greeted him back.
“Well?” Adriano demanded. “Where is he?”
“Jesus, keep your panties on. He’s down in the basement sparring with Lars.”
“What?!”
“Come on, I’ll show you.”
The four of us descended the stone steps to the basement, a giant maze with multiple wine cellars.
They’d cleared out one of the bigger rooms, and the stone floor had been covered with gymnastics pads. Sunlight filtered in through a barred window just slightly above ground level, a good three feet above my head.
In the center of the room, Don Rosolini and Lars were barefoot and stripped down to just their pants. Each man gripped a long-bladed knife as they slowly circled each other. Sweat dripped off both their bodies.
Both were incredibly muscular and in excellent shape. I was used to seeing Lars like this from his training sessions with the foot soldiers – but not the Don.
With his shirt off, I could see the tattoos covering his back, chest, and arms. They were dark and ominous – artistically done, but more in line with a prison inmate.
It wasverydifferent from the way I normally saw Don Rosolini, which was wearing a $15,000 suit.
Massimo stood off to the side, fully dressed with a couple of towels draped across one arm. He appeared to just be watching.
As they circled each other, Lars talked calmly.
“If you get in a knife fight, it’s not like the movies. You’regoingto get cut, so go in expecting it. If you can, wrap your non-knife arm in a jacket or shirt – that’ll at least let you block with minimal damage. Just know that the blood will make everything slippery. Don’t try to grab the other guy – you won’t be able to hold onto him half the time. Instead,cuthim. Always go for the weakest points: eyes, throat, groin, belly, kidneys. And remember, it doesn’t matter who bleeds first – it’s who bleedsout.”
“Jesus, are thosereal?!”Adriano whispered to Massimo.
The big man shook his head. “Nope. Rubber. But they hurt plenty if you get stabbed. Trust me.”
Lars lunged at Dario, who jumped back out of the way.
When Lars continued advancing, Dario unexpectedly leapt forward with his free hand out to block.
Lars’s knife slashed Don Rosolini across the forearm –
But the Don followed through and stabbedhardinto Lars’s belly, with the tip angled up under his ribs.
The rubber knife bent – but it left an angry red welt across Lars’s abs.
“Excellent,” Lars said as he stepped back. “You took some damage, but you dealt out ten times as much. You were going for the diaphragm, right?”
“I was.”
