Chapter 77

First we went to Siracusa – Syracuse in English. It’s a seaport in the southeast.

Isabella was all excited. Syracuse is apparently one of the oldest cities in Sicily, with a history stretching back to the ancient Greeks.

We had a boring morning looking at ruins in a giant park, which Isabella couldn’t get enough of –

And then we went to Ortigia, where I was meeting Cat.

Ortigia was a small island off the coast of Syracuse, with a single bridge connecting it to the mainland. Though there were plenty of thousand-year-old buildings, it also had the feel of a beach resort town.

The west side of Ortigia looked out on a bay filled with sailboats.

Along the walkway bordering the water, restaurants served Aperol spritzes and massive seafood platters under shaded canopies.

One hotel even had a bayside sunning deck complete with a DJ spinning dance music.

The place was jammed with tourists and felt like a fucking party.

“Whoa,” Isabella said as she stared at the throngs of people.

I knew she was overwhelmed. Ortigia was by far the most crowded place we’d been in, even more than Cefalù.

“You alright?” I asked.

“I’m fine,” she reassured me.

“I love it,” Ludavica said. She was bobbing her head along to the DJ’s set.

“We can go someplace a little less jampacked,” I offered, ignoring the dirty look Ludavica gave me.

“No – I love the sailboats,” Isabella said as she stared out dreamily at the bay. “I’ve read about them all my life, but I’ve never seen one. Except in drawings in books.”

Jesus.

To live an entire life without ever seeing a sailboat – not even on TV –

It was hard for me to comprehend.

Me, the girls, and Paolo got a seat in a restaurant so Isabella could have a view of the bay. And we were out of the broiling summer sun, so that was a plus.

Paolo checked his phone.

“You got a text, boss. She’s at the Locanda dell’Ortigia,” he said, then held it out to me.

I read the rest of Cat’s message:

Locanda dell’Ortigia, Room 301. Meet you out front – the view is amazing!

I checked Google Maps on Paolo’s phone and saw the hotel was on the waterfront on the opposite side of the island.

“See you guys later,” I said as I gave Paolo back his phone.

“Enjoy your sex,” Ludavica taunted me.

Isabella tried to shush her but laughed in spite of herself.

“I will – thanks,” I said with a smile as I walked off.

I cut through the sandstone-colored buildings in the center of the island until I got to Ortigia’s eastern shore.

Things were a lot more subdued on this side. No tchotchke shops or tourist-packed restaurants. In fact, almost no restaurants at all, despite the wide-open view of the Mediterranean.

Most of the buildings were centuries old and had been renovated into hotels or living spaces, so there were only a few tourists here and there. Most of them were heading for the hotspots on the west side.

I walked along the sidewalk that bordered the Mediterranean.

To my left was a one-way street with cars parked on both sides of the road – probably local residents. There was hardly any traffic.

To my right was an iron railing that protected you from falling 20 feet into the water below.

I passed a couple of stairs leading down to the ‘beach,’ if you could call it that. It was mostly a bunch of giant, craggy rocks next to the ancient seawall that surrounded the entire island.

A ring of boulders farther out in the water formed a breakwater – enough that you could swim without getting tossed around by the waves.

I saw one guy swimming laps while a girl took selfies on one of the giant rocks.

Other than that, it was deserted.

As I was looking down at the water, I heard a voice.

“Hey, hot stuff!”

I looked and saw Caterina on the other side of the street.

I grinned and immediately started towards her –

“Wait, hold on,” she said, and crossed over to me instead.

We kissed by the iron railing, the waters of the Mediterranean lapping down below us.

Then she rested her head on my chest so she could look out at the view.

“Isn’t it beautiful here?” she murmured.

“It is.”

“We’ve got a window that looks out over the sea. It’s spectacular!”

“Let’s go up and see it,” I said, a seductive tone in my voice.

She grinned. “I wanted to look at it out here because I knew that as soon as we up to the room, you’ll have me naked and in bed in 30 seconds flat.”

“Probably true,” I admitted as I squeezed her ass.

After a few seconds of passionate kissing, she took my hand.

“Okay, enough of the view. I want to have sex,” she said as she led me across the street.

I chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.”

And it wasn’t true – it didn’t take 30 seconds to get her naked and in bed.

It took 67.

I counted.

I was deep inside Cat and on my way to making her come the first time –

When I heard rapid knocking at the door.

“What the fuck?!” I exclaimed.

“Was I too loud?” Caterina whispered, mortified. “It is the middle of the day...”

“You’re fine – WHO’S THERE?!” I yelled angrily.

I’d put out the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign, so if it was Room Service, I was going to kick somebody’s ass.

“Boss, I’m sorry to interrupt,” came Paolo’s muffled voice, “but we got a big problem!”

“Goddammit,” I muttered as I pulled out of Cat and walked towards the door. “What’s the problem?”

“It’s Isabella – something bad happened, boss!”

SHIT.

My head filled with visions of Don Vicari torturing me in his barn.

I was so unnerved I didn’t even bother to put a robe on.

I just opened the door a crack so I could hear Paolo better. “What ha– ”

WHAM!

The door slammed into my face – and my cock.

I staggered backwards as stars filled my vision and pain filled my crotch.

“WHAT THE FUCK!”

Then I looked up to see Paolo standing there with his revolver pointed in my face.

Except it wasn’t the old, nervous, shit-eating Paolo.

This guy’s eyes were cold –

And his expression was even colder.

“Get over there by the bed,” he commanded as he slammed the door behind him.

Caterina screamed and pulled the sheet over her exposed body.

Paolo swung the gun over towards her. “Shut the fuck UP, bitch!”

Caterina immediately dropped from a scream to a whimper.

While the pistol was pointed at her, I calculated whether it was better to play it safe or lunge at him.

If I went for the gun, it could go off and Caterina could get hit –

So I decided not to do anything.

Not that I could have, because Paolo took a quick step back and aimed at me again.

“Don’t go getting any crazy ideas, asshole. Now get over by the bed.”

I backed up until I was against the mattress.

Paolo’s eyes drifted down below my waist –

“Jesus Christ, some guys get all the fuckin’ luck,” he muttered, then looked me in the eyes again. “Put on some fuckin’ clothes.”

“Just point that thing somewhere else, will you?” I growled as I picked up my pants and stepped into them.

“I could say the same to you,” he joked, then glanced at Cat. “With a pipe like that, I can see why you keep coming after him like a crack whore.” He looked her up and down lecherously. “And why he likes his little crack whore. Damn.”

Rage consumed me. “DON’T YOU FUCKING TALK TO HER LIKE – ”

“Shut the fuck up, asshole,” he interrupted. “I’m the one in charge here, not you.”

“What happened to Isabella?” I asked angrily.

Paolo laughed. “Nothin’. She’s still out there with that other chick, pointin’ at sailboats like a fuckin’ moron.”

Shit.

He’d tricked me...

And I’d never seen it coming.

“This is a shakedown,” I said bitterly, finally realizing what was going on. “Just like Rocco does for his father.”

“I guess you could call it that. Though you’re gonna have to cough up a lot more than some two-bit drug dealer.”

I cursed myself silently.

I’d known Paolo was a traitor to Don Vicari –

But I hadn’t thought he’d be a traitor to me.

I’d let myself be lulled into a sense of false security, thinking he’d be happy with whatever cash Alessandra had thrown his way.

As much as I hated Niccolo, I had to admit, he never would have let this happen to him.

He never would’ve let his guard down, and he would’ve seen it coming from a mile away.

“I h-have some cash,” Caterina said miserably as she pointed at her purse on the dresser.

Paolo rifled through it while keeping his gun on me.

“Not bad,” he said as he pulled out the money and stuffed it in his pocket. “But that’s chump change compared to what you’re gonna pay next.”

“That’s all we’ve got,” I snarled. “We don’t have anymore.”

“Maybe you don’t, but that sister-in-law of yours does.”

Alessandra.

He means Alessandra.

Paolo threw Cat’s purse at me. Despite being caught off-guard, I caught it.

“Now get out the phone and call her,” Paolo ordered.

“My family’s broke, you idiot. My uncle stole all our money – ”

“Then how the fuck did she pay me 50 large? And I’d watch who you call idiot, IDIOT, seein’ as I’m the one who’s got the fuckin’

GUN.”

“It was her grandmother that paid you, not my sister-in-law,” I said. “Another family in Geno.”

“I don’t care who pays me, but somebody’s fuckin’ payin’ me. So here’s what you’re gonna do. You’re gonna call her up and get her to send me one million euros in Bitcoin – ”

“One MILLION?!” I shouted.

“Yeah, or Don Vicari’s gonna find out where you been stickin’ your dick all week. I’m guessin’ he’s not gonna be too happy about it.”

“Did you stop and think what he’s going to do to you once he realizes you went behind his back?” I asked.

For the first time, Paolo’s face showed uncertainty.

He obviously hadn’t considered what to do if I said ‘no.’

He’d just automatically assumed I would pay up.

Which meant he was a moron with a half-baked plan.

Except that means you got played by a moron, said a voice in my head that sounded like Niccolo.

Fuck off, I told the voice. I’m handling it.

It took Paolo a second, but he finally recovered.

“If you don’t pay, then I kill you. Or maybe I’ll kneecap you so you can’t walk, then call Don Vicari after I’ve gotten the hell out of Sicily. Let him finish the job.”

I must have twitched, because Paolo gave me a sadistic grin. “Yeah, I noticed you didn’t tell Isabella about what Don Vicari’s doin’ to Eliseo out in the barn. What was that all about? Tryin’ to save her from finding out Daddy’s a stone-cold psycho?

“Or maybe I’ll just shoot off your cock and fuck your bitch in front of you while you bleed out. Show her what she’s been missin’.”

He leered at Caterina though he kept the pistol pointed at me. “What do you say about that, sugar tits? Ready for a real good time?”

That was it.

That last part –

Him talking to Caterina like that –

I fucking lost it.

I acted on instinct –

Instinct honed by hundreds of hours training with Lars.

Paolo’s gun was pointed at me, so even if it went off, she wasn’t in danger.

Just me.

While Paolo was still eyeing Cat, I threw the purse out from my chest like a basketball.

The bag was heavy enough that when it slammed into Paolo’s face, his head jerked back.

“WHA– ”

Before he could get the word out, I was already on him.

I grabbed the revolver in his hand first.

That was the most important thing – to stop him from firing.

Not only so he wouldn’t kill me, but so nobody would hear and come running.

I clamped a hand against the revolver’s hammer.

The fool hadn’t cocked it.

Even if he tried to pull the trigger, the hammer wouldn’t be able to move –

And if the hammer couldn’t move, the gun couldn’t fire.

Paolo struggled, but he was still disoriented by getting hit in the face.

That’s when I dropped down with all my weight pulling on his forearm –

And slammed his elbow across my bent knee.

I heard his arm CRACK as it bent in a direction Nature never intended.

He screamed in agony –

But by then I’d knocked the gun out of his hand. It went clattering across the marble floor.

Paolo swung at my head with his left fist.

He didn’t land a solid punch, but even the glancing blow made me see stars.

I slipped behind him so I could use a chokehold to cut off his air.

I couldn’t take the chance that anyone would hear him scream again.

The fucker had just tried to blackmail me –

And threatened to rape the woman I loved.

So he was going to die.

As I put him in a chokehold, he reached over his head, trying to grab at me –

But I kicked his knees from behind.

His legs buckled –

And I SLAMMED his head into the tile floor.

Dazed, he stopped struggling for a couple of seconds.

A couple of seconds was all I needed.

I dragged him across the floor and into the bathroom, just five feet away –

Then plunged his head into the toilet.

When he realized what was going on, he tried to fight back –

But I stood up, grabbed his shoulders, planted a knee in the center of his back –

And forced his face underwater.

He screamed, but it came out as bubbles and a muffled “Bllrrbbb!”

I bore down with all my weight and stayed clear of his one good arm as it flailed around.

His other arm was bent sickeningly at the elbow where I’d broken it.

He stopped screaming –

Then started choking as he involuntarily inhaled water.

Within twenty seconds, his body began jerking uncontrollably as he drowned to death.

I waited another full minute until the spasms ceased and he was still as a rock.

I finally backed away, sweat pouring down my chest and back.

I didn’t realize how strenuous that had been –

How hard it was –

To kill him.

I killed him!

I stared at the body in horror.

It wasn’t that it was my first time. I’d killed other people before.

But I’d always shot them.

Cold – impersonal – at a distance.

Never with my bare hands.

And never somebody I’d actually known –

Even if they were a piece of shit who’d betrayed me for money.

I stared down at Paolo’s lifeless body and tried to get a handle on my emotions.

Then I heard Caterina wail behind me.

I ran to her and put my hands on her arms. “Are you okay?!”

She nodded as tears streamed down her face. “Y-yes – are YOU okay?!”

“I’m fine,” I said as I pulled her into a hug.

Then, slowly, I began to realize the consequences of what I’d just done.

“...oh fuck...” I whispered.

“What?”

“Fuck – FUCK!” I swore as I stood and started pacing.

“What’s wrong?!”

“How the fuck am I supposed to explain this to Don Vicari?!”

“I don’t – oh,” Caterina said, her eyes widening as she realized just how much shit we were in.

First problem:

I’d just killed a man.

Self-defense or murder, it didn’t matter –

I now had a dead body on my hands.

The bigger problem:

Don Vicari could never know about Paolo’s death.

Because if he found out where it happened, he’d know I was fucking someone other than his daughter.

Then he’d want to know why it happened.

I mean, it wasn’t like I was just going to kill a guy randomly in a hotel room.

If Vicari got Paolo’s phone, he would find the texts and phone calls leading to Alessandra –

And Cat.

I turned around in horror. “Did you rent the room under your own name?”

“Y-yes?” she whimpered, like Why is that so horrible?

FUCK!

I grimaced. “If you paid under your real name, that means we can’t just leave the body and run for it.”

“Because the cops would find out,” she murmured.

“I’m more worried about Don Vicari finding out.”

She struggled to think of a solution. “What if – what if I paid for another two weeks and left the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door?”

“It wouldn’t matter. Somebody would eventually smell him and come looking.”

“...oh my God... I’m so sorry, Val...”

I laughed darkly. “Babe, it’s not your fault – it’s mine for trusting that fucking piece of shit.”

“But I trusted him, too.”

“Yeah, but I knew he was a piece of shit, and I didn’t keep my eye on him. This is all my fault, not yours.”

I had to figure out what to do – and quick.

More than anything, I wanted to call my brothers –

But then I’d have to explain what I’d been doing with Cat.

I couldn’t risk telling them.

Not Dario...

And especially not Niccolo.

This was my mess, and I was going to have to get us out of it.

“What can I do to help?” Caterina whispered.

I looked back at her, and suddenly my heart swelled.

This woman I’d put in so much danger –

She was asking how she could help.

What we could do. Together.

“Let me think for a second and I’ll figure it out,” I said reassuringly, then kissed her.

As I paced back and forth, the pieces came together slowly...

And there were a few things that would depend on luck...

But I had a plan.

First I went over to Paolo’s body and rifled through his pockets.

“What are you doing?” Cat asked.

“Getting your money back,” I said as I pulled out the cash he’d taken.

I kept some for anything I might need to buy over the next several hours, then put the remainder back in her purse.

Cat made a face – probably because she’d now have to touch money I’d pulled off a corpse – but she didn’t say anything.

I took Paolo’s phone in case I needed it.

I dumped his wallet and keys on the floor.

I used a washcloth to wipe off the gun so my fingerprints wouldn’t be on it.

Then I sat on the bed next to Cat and explained what was going to happen next.