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Sleep had evaded me, like countless nights before. It didn't help that I was in the home of my enemy, who had just tried to kill me less than 24 hours before. But he saved me for whatever reason. It unnerved me. I felt as though he was playing some mysterious game and only he knew the rules because he made them up.
The moment the clock hit seven, I was out of there, showered and in the same clothes I had been in yesterday. I meandered my way through the desolate halls and found the kitchen. I made myself a cup of coffee and was sipping it in one of the velvet barstools by the island when Vittorio finally made his presence known. He was dressed in slacks, a soft looking turtleneck, and leather shoes all of which were black. His hair was styled with only one errant strand out of place on his forehead. As he entered the kitchen, he was strapping a watch onto his wrist all the while his eyes were on me.
"Sleep well?" He quipped mindlessly while he headed towards his pricey espresso machine.
"Like the dead." I replied. His reaction was just a slight lift at the corners of his lips, choosing to ignore my jab.
"Have you ever been to Prague?" I ask before taking a sip of my dark roast, savoring the burst of bitterness on my tongue.
"Once or twice. I'm assuming you're gonna convince me to fly there soon, aren't you?" His lips set into a firm line.
"It's so cute that you admit I have so much influence over you. Maybe I should use my power to convince you to slit your own throat." My smile is bright. He picks up an apple from the bowl of fruit behind him along with a knife and begins to cut the fruit into slices, eating them as he goes.
"That's a great idea." He feigns placing the knife against his throat before heaving the weapon in my direction. I shift my upper body to the right some, remaining in my seat and dodging the knife.
"Missed." I deadpan.
"Pity." He mocks me, now just biting into what's left of his honey crisp.
"A Czech politician is hosting a charity gala there in two days. He's as corrupt as they come, but he's using this gala as a front to meet one of Ernesto's most trusted men by the name of Manuel Sanchez. The politician doesn't want to draw too much attention to this meeting since he's found himself in a precarious legal situation." I redirect the conversation to its intended topic.
"So, you want us to go to Prague, capture Sanchez, and interrogate him on everything he knows about Ernesto." Vittorio surmises.
