Mafia Kings: Roberto: Chapter 56

In that one instant, my entire world spun out of control.

All my calculations, all my hopes –

Gone.

At that moment, I bitterly regretted not bringing the suitcase filled with C4.

When I didn’t answer, Fausto asked, “Il gatto ti ha mangiato la lingua?”

The Italian equivalent of, Cat got your tongue?

“Hello… Uncle,” I said with undisguised hatred.

“Now, now, Roberto, don’t be cross just because you got outplayed. Although, I must admit I AM disappointed. I didn’t expect you to have Niccolo’s cunning, but I DID expect you to be a bit more cautious.”

I glared at Lau. “When did you decide to betray me?”

“Betray you?” Lau said, then chuckled. “No one has betrayed you. This is an ongoing negotiation.”

I frowned in confusion. “What?”

Lau smiled. “Not that your uncle didn’t try to make us a better offer.”

“You should be thanking Mr. Lau, Nephew,” Fausto said. “I said I’d let him keep your 50 million euros if he’d just kill you… but he said no.”

“Oh, thank you so very much,” I said sarcastically to Lau.

The old man’s smile never wavered. “You’re welcome.”

Bastard.

“Fifty million wasn’t enough?” I asked coldly.

“Apparently not,” Fausto said.

Lau gestured to the phone. “I informed your uncle that this is a Cosa Nostra matter, and we do not wish to become involved. If we killed you, and then your brothers defeated your uncle, your brothers would undoubtedly come after us for revenge. We have no desire for an international war. Not only that, if word got out that the Syndicate had murdered one of its investors, it would be bad for business.”

I laughed incredulously. “Bad for business.”

Lau smiled. “Yes.”

I glowered at him. “You must have cut some kind of deal because you’ve done nothing but stall me for the last three weeks.”

Lau shrugged. “We have no intention of unnecessarily incurring the wrath of either your brothers or your uncle – beyond the annoyance of not agreeing to either of your demands.”

On the speakerphone, I heard Fausto mutter something in Italian, though I couldn’t make out what he said. Then he spoke in English. “Excuse me, gentlemen, I have to take another call. The offer still stands, Mr. Lau.”

“I must regretfully decline,” Lau said with a smile.

“Hopefully not for too much longer. Goodbye, Nephew.”

“Fuck OFF, Uncle.”

Fausto laughed, then hung up the phone.

I stared angrily at Lau. “So if my uncle kills my brothers, then you’ll kill me.”

“That would seem to be the situation,” Lau said, as though he had nothing to do with it.

I pointed at Gota and Xi. “Why the charade, then? Why drag them to Hong Kong?”

“We had to confer and make a final decision about your situation.”

“What, you couldn’t do it over the phone?”

“This is not the sort of decision one makes over the phone. Besides, there is other business to attend to while they’re here.”

“So what’s your decision?” I asked sharply.

Lau smiled. “To wait and see.”

“‘Wait and see’?” I repeated incredulously. “What the hell does that mean?”

“We have been monitoring the situation back in Italy. I must admit, we expected your uncle to win quite handily, but your brothers proved surprisingly tenacious. We didn’t expect them to last longer than a week – yet here they are, still alive, standing toe-to-toe against your uncle.”

I turned to Gota and sneered, “My uncle, the full-blooded Sicilian.”

Gota just chuckled.

I turned back to Lau. “And what are you waiting to see, exactly?”

“Who wins. That is the side we will do business with.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “What are you talking about, ‘do business with’?”

“We negotiated with your uncle. Or I did, on the others’ behalf. I would not consent to kill you, in case your brothers were victorious – but I agreed to keep you here in Hong Kong and make sure your family didn’t have access to the funds. In return… if your brothers perish… then we will kill you, and Fausto will become an investor in the Syndicate in your stead.”

I stared at him. “And if my brothers win?”

Lau smiled. “Then our business arrangement will continue as though none of this unpleasantness ever happened.”

I stared at him as though he was insane. “You think I’ll continue to do business with you after you fucking stabbed me in the back?”

Lau held up his hands like What can you do? “It’s only business.”

“Surely you can understand that,” Gota said with a smirk, “since we’re all in the same line of business.”

I stared at them in impotent rage –

When the phone in my pocket buzzed with a text.

It was either Niccolo or Mei-ling, I was sure of it.

Either way, I had to know what they said.

“Excuse me,” I said, and pulled out my phone before Lau or the others could object.

I saw with the tiniest twinge of disappointment that it was Niccolo, not Mei-ling – but I eagerly read his message.

It was succinct but overwhelming.

We won but at a cost.

Massimo shot. Airlifted to hospital for surgery.

Lars and Adriano okay but most of our men are dead.

Widow’s granddaughter safe.

Aurelio is dead.

I stared at the message in shock.

Fear, grief, and hope all warred within me simultaneously.

“Mr. Rosolini?” Lau asked.

I looked up at him. “You’ve been monitoring Italy, you said?”

“Correct.”

“Then you know what happened in Venice today?”

Lau smiled. “Yes.”

“Do you read Italian?” I asked, preparing to show them Niccolo’s text if he did.

“Unfortunately, no.”

“Then you’ll have to trust me when I tell you my brothers won,” I said coldly. “Not only that, but my cousin Aurelio – Fausto’s son – is dead.”

Lau’s smile disappeared.

“…I see,” he murmured.

“Are you sure you bet on the right side?” I sneered.

Suddenly, the phone on the conference table rang.

Lau frowned and punched a button.

A woman’s voice said something in Chinese, and Lau answered back.

The old man looked at me warily as he punched another button on the phone. “Hello?”

Uncle Fausto’s voice was strained and ragged with grief.

“Lau… keep the 50 million, and I’ll pay you 10 million more if you fucking kill him right now.”