Chapter 26: Foxes’ Cunning

Marco sat in the chair in front of Valerio Rossi, while Franco, Salvo, and Colombo watched the situation warily. The atmosphere was tense, but Marco seemed as relaxed as ever.

"So, you want to be part of your new regime?" Marco said, fiddling with his spoon, twirling it between his fingers as if he didn't care at all about the offer.

Valerio took a sip from his glass, then said, "I want to see if you guys are worthy of it first."

Salvo muttered in a low voice to Franco, "I hate that phrase, it always means we're going to face a ridiculous test that could kill us."

Franco whispered back, "I'm ready to escape out the window if need be."

Valerio tapped the table with his finger, drawing everyone's attention. "I have a mission for you. Simple… but it will determine whether you guys qualify to play in a league or not."

Marco tilted his head slightly. "I'm listening."

Mission Impossible… Almost

Valerio pulled a photo from his desk drawer of a man in his mid-fifties, with a short gray beard and a prominent scar on his forehead.

"This is 'Roberto Grimaldi', one of Rome's most prominent mafia financiers. He's a smart, volatile man, but he has one weakness… his money."

Franco took the photo and studied it. "And what do you want us to do with him? Kill him? Kidnap him? Make him fall in love and then break his heart?"

Valerio smiled wickedly. "I want you to steal 20 million euros from him."

A heavy silence fell in the room, before Salvo burst out laughing. "Great! Why don't we just steal the Eiffel Tower?"

Colombo, who had been quiet, said as he typed on his laptop, "I have an important question… Does he have bank accounts we can hack?"

Valerio nodded. "Grimaldi doesn't trust banks. All his money is in cash, and he keeps it in a secret vault inside his villa on the outskirts of Rome."

Marco put his elbows on the table, pondering. "So… you want us to break into his villa and steal the money right under his nose?"

Valerio lit a cigar. "Easy, yes."

Salvo smiled bitterly. "Very easy, we'll just go up to him and say, 'Hey, we're here to rob you, can you give us the address and the lock code?'"

Valerio looked at them seriously. "Either you succeed in this mission, or you'll forget about any chance of working with me."

Marco let out a long sigh, then looked at his team and said with a slight smile, "Well, it looks like we're going on a trip to Rome."

Preparing for the Heist

The next day, the four gathered in Colombo's small apartment, which was filled with monitors and servers, where they began to formulate a solid plan.

Colombo was monitoring Grimaldi's movements through hacked surveillance cameras, while Salvo studied the villa's blueprints and Franco made calls for equipment.

"Grimaldi has guards working around the clock, a sophisticated security system, and a guard dog the size of a small bear." Colombo said, eating a box of nuts.

Franco muttered, "I hope the dog is bribeable."

Salvo pointed to a point on the map. "We have two main entrances, but both are monitored by cameras. We only have one option… to go in through the old tunnel under the villa."

Marco raised an eyebrow. "A tunnel?"

Colombo nodded, showing an old photo on the screen. "The villa was built over a century-old abandoned wine cellar. The tunnel is still there, but it's… partially closed."

Salvo smiled. "We can open it again."

Marco looked at them and said with a sly grin, "So… we're about to pull off the biggest heist of our lives."

Franco reached out and said, "Let's put our hands together like in the movies?"

Salvo looked at him with disgust. "No."

Marco laughed. "Come on guys, we have a personal bank to rob."