the stairs with Darwin a few steps back. Then they entered the brightly lit lobby.
“May I help you?” the clerk asked.
Paul moved off to the side a little. Darwin stepped closer.
“Do you remember me? I stayed here for four nights with my wife, Rosina?”
“Ah, yes, of course. She already checked in. You’re in room twenty-seven. I don’t think she’s in her room right now. Would you like your key?”
Shit. It was true.
“No, it’s okay. We’ll come back later.”
He turned away and motioned for Paul to join him, the whole time his hand in his jacket pocket, fingers wrapped around the butt of Paul’s gun.
They got back outside without incident, and Darwin looked for a taxi. At first, he was surprised the guy hadn’t tried anything yet. But then he thought of Big John and how he’d looked after the car accident. This kind of man understood what it took to take down someone like Big John. For him to do it in handcuffs would intimidate them to no end.
He hailed a cab with all the confidence of a man in complete control. He knew Paul wouldn’t run. Bullets were faster and, as far as Paul knew, Darwin had two guns on him.
When the taxi pulled up, Darwin stood on one side and ordered Paul in first. Then he bent down to watch as Paul shut his door.
“Lock it,” Darwin said.
Paul did.
Then Darwin slid in beside him.
“Where to?” the cab driver asked.
Out of the driver’s line of sight, Darwin withdrew Paul’s gun and rested it on his lap, pointed at Paul.
“Tell him where to go.”
Paul looked down at the gun and then up at the driver.
“Take us to Via Roma in the Eur Zone.”
The driver nodded and they started off.
Rome’s allure tempted Darwin to look out the window and take it all in, but he couldn’t. The afternoon was waning, the sun dropping and his wife was a prisoner because of him. The man sitting next to him was supposed to deliver Darwin to the Fuccini boss, but Darwin was coming to surprise them instead.
The man beside him was dangerous.
But Paul thought Darwin was the dangerous one.
I’d do good to remember that and act the part, he thought.
He tilted his head a little and stared at Paul like he was angry again.
This is crazy. I’m not a mobster. I can’t do this. How am I supposed to scare these guys?
Paul stared out the window. He kept his hands on his lap and waited until the cab ride was over.
The driver eased up a building at least five stories high. It appeared pretty modern for Rome, with glass windows and an art deco front.
“That’s thirty-eight euros,” the driver said.
Darwin pulled two twenty euro bills out of his inner jacket pocket and handed them forward.
“Get out,” he told Paul.
They exited in unison. The cab drove away from the curb and Darwin got off the street before he got hit. Cars raced up and down Via Roma without any regard for safety. A horn blared and then another. He almost turned to see what was happening, but refrained so he could keep his eyes on Paul.
“Okay, we made it this far. Now, where is the boss?”
Paul turned to the glass building. “Up there. Top floor.”
“What office or room number will I find my wife?”
“First off, I have no idea where, exactly, your wife is. I’ve been at Termini all day watching for you. Second, there is no room number. The Fuccini Family own the building and the boss’s office takes up the whole floor. But it won’t be easy getting in.”
Darwin cocked his head to the side. “Why’s that?”
The sun had dropped behind the buildings in its final descent. Tension in Darwin’s stomach caused him to consider abandoning this until tomorrow. He couldn’t operate out at night, in the dark. Paul’s face was cast in the golden light, making him look like he was smiling.
“Because, whenever the boss is up there, extra security
“May I help you?” the clerk asked.
Paul moved off to the side a little. Darwin stepped closer.
“Do you remember me? I stayed here for four nights with my wife, Rosina?”
“Ah, yes, of course. She already checked in. You’re in room twenty-seven. I don’t think she’s in her room right now. Would you like your key?”
Shit. It was true.
“No, it’s okay. We’ll come back later.”
He turned away and motioned for Paul to join him, the whole time his hand in his jacket pocket, fingers wrapped around the butt of Paul’s gun.
They got back outside without incident, and Darwin looked for a taxi. At first, he was surprised the guy hadn’t tried anything yet. But then he thought of Big John and how he’d looked after the car accident. This kind of man understood what it took to take down someone like Big John. For him to do it in handcuffs would intimidate them to no end.
He hailed a cab with all the confidence of a man in complete control. He knew Paul wouldn’t run. Bullets were faster and, as far as Paul knew, Darwin had two guns on him.
When the taxi pulled up, Darwin stood on one side and ordered Paul in first. Then he bent down to watch as Paul shut his door.
“Lock it,” Darwin said.
Paul did.
Then Darwin slid in beside him.
“Where to?” the cab driver asked.
Out of the driver’s line of sight, Darwin withdrew Paul’s gun and rested it on his lap, pointed at Paul.
“Tell him where to go.”
Paul looked down at the gun and then up at the driver.
“Take us to Via Roma in the Eur Zone.”
The driver nodded and they started off.
Rome’s allure tempted Darwin to look out the window and take it all in, but he couldn’t. The afternoon was waning, the sun dropping and his wife was a prisoner because of him. The man sitting next to him was supposed to deliver Darwin to the Fuccini boss, but Darwin was coming to surprise them instead.
The man beside him was dangerous.
But Paul thought Darwin was the dangerous one.
I’d do good to remember that and act the part, he thought.
He tilted his head a little and stared at Paul like he was angry again.
This is crazy. I’m not a mobster. I can’t do this. How am I supposed to scare these guys?
Paul stared out the window. He kept his hands on his lap and waited until the cab ride was over.
The driver eased up a building at least five stories high. It appeared pretty modern for Rome, with glass windows and an art deco front.
“That’s thirty-eight euros,” the driver said.
Darwin pulled two twenty euro bills out of his inner jacket pocket and handed them forward.
“Get out,” he told Paul.
They exited in unison. The cab drove away from the curb and Darwin got off the street before he got hit. Cars raced up and down Via Roma without any regard for safety. A horn blared and then another. He almost turned to see what was happening, but refrained so he could keep his eyes on Paul.
“Okay, we made it this far. Now, where is the boss?”
Paul turned to the glass building. “Up there. Top floor.”
“What office or room number will I find my wife?”
“First off, I have no idea where, exactly, your wife is. I’ve been at Termini all day watching for you. Second, there is no room number. The Fuccini Family own the building and the boss’s office takes up the whole floor. But it won’t be easy getting in.”
Darwin cocked his head to the side. “Why’s that?”
The sun had dropped behind the buildings in its final descent. Tension in Darwin’s stomach caused him to consider abandoning this until tomorrow. He couldn’t operate out at night, in the dark. Paul’s face was cast in the golden light, making him look like he was smiling.
“Because, whenever the boss is up there, extra security
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