Page 358 of Marcello

“No… either my friends will come and get us, or something bad happened, and we don’t want to be out there anyway.”

“Who are your friends?”

I smiled. “Those brothers you said you’d heard of – the Rosolinis.”

“What?!”

I told her how Fausto had died, how I’d let the brothers know there was going to be an attack on their home, and everything that followed after that.

“What about you?” I asked. “Are you okay? You must have nearly died of thirst!”

“I’m alright,” she whispered, “now that you’re here.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t come for you sooner… I tried, I swear…”

“It’s alright.”

She started to cry.

“What?” I asked nervously, afraid she thought I’d abandoned her.

“…I killed someone…” she sobbed. “With the good luck charm you gave me.”

“I know, and I’m proud of you. Trust me: he fucking deserved it.”

She laughed through her tears, and I hugged her tight.

Suddenly, we heard a voice calling out from the hallway. “Marcello, are you and Laura still in there?”

It was Niccolo.

“Yes!” I shouted back.

“Good – you can come out now. Do you need any help?”

“No, we’re fine – is everything okay?”

“Cesare and Lucrezia are dead, if that’s what you mean.”

Relief flooded my entire body.

Both Fausto and Cesare were in hell…

And for the first time in seven years, I was free.

“But we have to be out of here in two hours,” Niccolo yelled. “Make that… one hour and 54 minutes.”

“Why?” I asked as I helped Giulietta to her feet.

“The rest of the Camorra showed up, and we cut a deal.”

“What?!”

“Just come out and we’ll explain the rest.”

I helped Giulietta hobble over to the hole in the wooden wall.

Niccolo took her hand from the other side and helped her through. “Laura Amato, I presume.”