Then we’ll see if you feel like talking.”
He felt the knife touch the top of his ear. The first quick shallow slice, the sudden searing pain. The ropes skinned his wrists raw as he squirmed, struggling to get away.
“I’m telling the truth. It was my wife and your son, and
I can prove it!
”
The knife pulled away. He felt warm blood welling up from the cut, trickling over his earlobe and dribbling down the side of his neck.
Sofia stepped back. She pointed the tip of the knife at his face.
“Talk,” she seethed, “but if you’re lying, your ear comes off. Then I start on your eyes.”
He swallowed hard, struggling to catch his breath.
“First, you have to understand: Basilio Grimaldi was no mere wool merchant.”
Sofia put a hand on her hip. “I know exactly who, and what, he was.”
“Then you know I had nothing to gain from his death. I’m the most hunted man in Mirenze right now, and a hundred hands want to put a dagger in my back or skin me alive. Meanwhile, Aita gets his empire
and
my family business. She just swept the board. She tried to have me killed, to make it a perfect win. Her assassin—he’s the one who told me she’s working with Lodovico.”
He could see her thinking it over. And when he spoke her son’s name, her eyes grew darker.
“Leave us,” she said, looking over his shoulder. Behind Felix, heavy footsteps—the same men, he guessed, who had brought him here—tromped up the wooden stairs. The cellar door shut with a leaden click.
“You already suspect him,” Felix said softly. “Don’t you?”
“Not…not of this.” The knife sagged in her hand, her grip loosening. “What do you really know about the Council of Nine?”
“I know Basilio wanted to wrest control of it, so he could rule the Mirenzei economy.” He paused, trying to anticipate her train of thought. “And I know someone sent a gang of cutthroats after him.”
“Not
only
him,” Sofia replied. “The same night, Costantini, the chairman of the council, drowned in his bathtub, and Terenzio Ruggeri allegedly died in the attack on al-Tali.”
“The attack that sparked the crusade. The crusade your family bank is financing.”
Sofia nodded, once. She paced the earthen floor, contemplating the blade in her hand.
“Lodovico knew we’d be commissioned to provide weapons for the crusaders, several days
before
the crusade was declared. He has Pope Carlo’s confidence. Basilio was going to…”
She trailed off, as if realizing she’d said too much.
“Given his true vocation,” Felix said, “I’m going to guess the next two words are
steal them
. And you knew about it. You were working with Basilio Grimaldi, against your own family.”
She spun, pointing the tip of the knife at him, teeth bared.
“Lodovico was working against
me
. He shut me out of the Banco Marchetti two days after my husband’s burial. Basilio was going to help me oust him and take back control. And now he’s dead and my plans are
ruined
.”
“Helping out of the goodness of his heart, I’m sure,” Felix said.
“He had…influence over me.”
“Blackmail, I assume. But it’s over now,” Felix said. “You’re free.”
Her gaze drooped to the floor.
“Right,” she said, her voice small. “Free.”
The ropes strained as he leaned forward in the chair, studying her face in the lamplight.
“Signora…you’re mourning him.”
She rubbed her hand against one eye and took a deep, shuddering breath, letting it out in a humorless little laugh.
“No. Quite the opposite. I have known Basilio Grimaldi for over twenty years. He knew…things I wanted. Things I couldn’t ask my husband to do for me. And he knew how to make me feel so guilty for it, to make me feel so filthy and worthless that I wanted to
die
. He turned my desires into poison and used them against me. I have been”—she took another deep breath—“
ashamed
, Felix, for every waking hour of the last two decades. He made sure of that. I think a
He felt the knife touch the top of his ear. The first quick shallow slice, the sudden searing pain. The ropes skinned his wrists raw as he squirmed, struggling to get away.
“I’m telling the truth. It was my wife and your son, and
I can prove it!
”
The knife pulled away. He felt warm blood welling up from the cut, trickling over his earlobe and dribbling down the side of his neck.
Sofia stepped back. She pointed the tip of the knife at his face.
“Talk,” she seethed, “but if you’re lying, your ear comes off. Then I start on your eyes.”
He swallowed hard, struggling to catch his breath.
“First, you have to understand: Basilio Grimaldi was no mere wool merchant.”
Sofia put a hand on her hip. “I know exactly who, and what, he was.”
“Then you know I had nothing to gain from his death. I’m the most hunted man in Mirenze right now, and a hundred hands want to put a dagger in my back or skin me alive. Meanwhile, Aita gets his empire
and
my family business. She just swept the board. She tried to have me killed, to make it a perfect win. Her assassin—he’s the one who told me she’s working with Lodovico.”
He could see her thinking it over. And when he spoke her son’s name, her eyes grew darker.
“Leave us,” she said, looking over his shoulder. Behind Felix, heavy footsteps—the same men, he guessed, who had brought him here—tromped up the wooden stairs. The cellar door shut with a leaden click.
“You already suspect him,” Felix said softly. “Don’t you?”
“Not…not of this.” The knife sagged in her hand, her grip loosening. “What do you really know about the Council of Nine?”
“I know Basilio wanted to wrest control of it, so he could rule the Mirenzei economy.” He paused, trying to anticipate her train of thought. “And I know someone sent a gang of cutthroats after him.”
“Not
only
him,” Sofia replied. “The same night, Costantini, the chairman of the council, drowned in his bathtub, and Terenzio Ruggeri allegedly died in the attack on al-Tali.”
“The attack that sparked the crusade. The crusade your family bank is financing.”
Sofia nodded, once. She paced the earthen floor, contemplating the blade in her hand.
“Lodovico knew we’d be commissioned to provide weapons for the crusaders, several days
before
the crusade was declared. He has Pope Carlo’s confidence. Basilio was going to…”
She trailed off, as if realizing she’d said too much.
“Given his true vocation,” Felix said, “I’m going to guess the next two words are
steal them
. And you knew about it. You were working with Basilio Grimaldi, against your own family.”
She spun, pointing the tip of the knife at him, teeth bared.
“Lodovico was working against
me
. He shut me out of the Banco Marchetti two days after my husband’s burial. Basilio was going to help me oust him and take back control. And now he’s dead and my plans are
ruined
.”
“Helping out of the goodness of his heart, I’m sure,” Felix said.
“He had…influence over me.”
“Blackmail, I assume. But it’s over now,” Felix said. “You’re free.”
Her gaze drooped to the floor.
“Right,” she said, her voice small. “Free.”
The ropes strained as he leaned forward in the chair, studying her face in the lamplight.
“Signora…you’re mourning him.”
She rubbed her hand against one eye and took a deep, shuddering breath, letting it out in a humorless little laugh.
“No. Quite the opposite. I have known Basilio Grimaldi for over twenty years. He knew…things I wanted. Things I couldn’t ask my husband to do for me. And he knew how to make me feel so guilty for it, to make me feel so filthy and worthless that I wanted to
die
. He turned my desires into poison and used them against me. I have been”—she took another deep breath—“
ashamed
, Felix, for every waking hour of the last two decades. He made sure of that. I think a
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