Page 247 of Marcello

Don Amato spoke, his voice ragged with grief and rage. “You fucking monster!”

“Yup,” Cesare said flippantly.

Pop!

Another thud.

I entered the room to find Cesare kneeling by Don Amato’s body, staring into his eyes like a vulture crouched over a dying rabbit.

Motherfucking psychopath!

I looked all around me. Blood was spattered across the walls. Pools of it oozed slowly beneath the bodies.

How the fuck am I going to tell Giulietta?!

“Did you find the girl?” Cesare snapped.

I tore my eyes away from the carnage and looked at him. “No.”

“Then what the fuck are you doing in here?”

I held up the tablet. “Cicciobello wants to know what to do with the wife and kids.”

“You there, Cicciobello?” Cesare called out.

“Yeah, boss.”

“Kill them all.”

“…okay.”

I could hear the reluctance in Ciccio’s voice, but I also knew he would never disobey Cesare.

“Wait!” I cried out.

I turned to Lucrezia, but she just stared at me with a blank face like, What the hell are you looking at ME for?

Cesare stood up, his face twisted with rage. “WHAT the fuck did you just say to me?”

Lucrezia wasn’t going to be any help whatsoever –

But even though I already knew I would lose the battle, I did my best.

“Come on, man,” I pleaded. “They’re just kids.”

Cesare gave a pitiless laugh. “So?”

“So you’re going to make them watch as Ciccio kills their mother? Or make her watch as he kills her kids?”

Cesare gazed at me in silence… then finally said, “You’re right.”

I stared at him in shock. “…I am?”

“Yeah. Hey, Ciccio.”

“Yeah, boss?”

“Kill ‘em all at the same time.”