Page 331 of Marcello

“I don’t know,” I whispered back.

It was possible Marcello had sold us out, and gunmen were waiting in the courtyard to ambush us –

But that didn’t seem likely.

If he wanted us dead, Marcello could have brought the Camorra to kill us earlier in the day.

There had to be another reason he wasn’t here yet.

“We can’t wait,” Niccolo whispered from the base of the ladder. “Cesare or Lucrezia might have figured out something was wrong – they could be torturing the truth out of him at this very moment. We have to move now.”

“Agreed,” I whispered.

“How are we going to get up to the top?” Dario asked. “With the cover closed, there’s nothing for the grappling hook to grab on to.”

“I’m going to have to improvise,” I replied. “Everybody, get out of the way in case I fall.”

Everyone stepped back except for Giorgio and Vincenzo, who were holding the ladder steady.

I switched my assault rifle so it was hanging off my side. Now there was nothing on my back.

The well was about three feet in diameter –

Just enough space for me to brace myself between the two walls.

I placed my back against one side of the well…

Kicked up my right leg…

And pressed my foot hard against the other wall.

The stone surface was slick with slime, but I was able to keep the sole of my boot in place.

Then I kicked up my left leg and planted my other foot.

Once I was braced between the opposite sides, I began to inch my way up.

I would scoot my back up the stone…

Move one foot to re-brace my weight…

And lift the other foot to join it.

That was how I slowly made my way up the inside of the well.

117

Romeo

Secret Passageway

As soon as I got through the hole in the wall, I pulled out my phone and switched on the flashlight app.

Now that I could actually see, I began to run towards the far end of the corridor where the hole in the ceiling was –

Except it was no longer a hole in the ceiling.

A huge chunk of the stone wall had been bashed in with a sledgehammer, which lay on the ground amongst the rubble. It would be a tight fit, but I figured I could wedge myself through the gap Schizzato had made.