Page 286 of Marcello

“…thank you.”

“That’s the difference between us and the Camorra,” Niccolo said. “We recruit for loyalty; they recruit for monsters.”

After what had happened yesterday at the Ponte Vecchio and the hospital, I believed it.

As we approached the outskirts of Naples, Niccolo’s phone rang.

“Yes?”

Lars spoke. “Where should we meet you after you’ve got the mole?”

“There’s a place on the coast called Parco Virgiliano,” Niccolo said as he looked at the laptop. “It’s far enough from the city that there shouldn’t be any Camorra presence nearby, and it’s close enough that we can reach it in half an hour from nearly anywhere in Naples.”

Dario chimed in. “You just chose it because going to ‘Virgil’s Park’ makes you sound smart.”

Niccolo grinned. “You know me so well.”

“Alright… we’ll meet you there.”

Then they hung up.

It wasn’t too long before we peeled off from the rest of the convoy and headed into the heart of Naples.

The city was huge – and grim and trashy, with graffiti everywhere.

Niccolo guided me to a particularly shitty neighborhood as he looked at the map on the laptop. “Okay, he’s right up ahead of you – 400 feet at most.”

“Keep your distance,” Adriano warned. “There’s nobody out on the roads at this time of the night, so he’ll spot you in an instant.”

I hung back and went extra slow.

“I think he’s parked,” Niccolo said. “Yes, he’s stopped. Take the next right. We’ll get out and go nab him. Once I confirm we’ve got him, you head for Parco Virgiliano. Got it?”

“Got it.”

I pulled onto a side street. Once I was out of sight, I slowed to a stop.

“Wish us luck,” Niccolo said as he and Adriano got out of the Mercedes.

“Good luck,” I said –

But they had already slammed the doors and were gone.

PART VII

Naples

93

Romeo

The guy in the backseat kept his gun on me as Adriano drove the SUV.

“You’re Niccolo, aren’t you,” I muttered.

“At your service,” he said cheerfully. “Though I don’t remember my uncle telling you my name.”

“He didn’t – Amato did. You fit his description.”