Page 135 of The Beast Who Begged Me

I close the door. In their rooms, Sammy and Ricky are watching a movie, Sammy’s injured arm propped up on pillows. Rosa and Vito are safe in the kitchen. This study was soundproofed during the rebuild. At the time, I’d been thinking about conversations I didn’t want the Feds listening in on from outside.

Now it’ll be useful to keep the rest of the house in blissful ignorance, too.

Caligula wanted Stuccio here, in the room where his grandfather used to receive him. I see the strategy behind that now as Stuccio takes in the restored walls, the furniture, the painting of the medieval village behind the desk. Then his eyes find the ring on Caligula’s hand, and stay there.

“You’ve nicely restored the place,” Stuccio says, trying to make out like this is just another business meeting.

“We had to, after you tore it apart.” Caligula sits back, watching him. “What were you looking for?”

“Me? Cal, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I pull up another chair and sit beside the desk. My hands are throbbing, but I’d still find a way to hurt this fucker if Caligula asked me to. He hasn’t asked.

Yet.

“Then let’s start somewhere easier,” Caligula says. “My mother tried to reach me after the murder of my family members began. She asked you for help to find me, and said you were not helpful.”

“I told her I didn’t know where you were.” Stuccio looks offended. “You’d been living on the streets.”

“Yes. One of your first questions to me when I came to your office was where I was staying. You were very interested. But you didn’t offer me a bed.”

Stuccio glances toward me, as though I’ll be any help. Caligula waits until he looks back.

“I didn’t give you an address,” Caligula continues. “And nobody came looking for me that night.”

“You cannot seriously be suggesting⁠—”

“You were at the auction,” I tell him. “As King’s guest.”

His mouth closes. I remember being in that room, watching Caligula on the stage, and it makes me sick to think this bastard was there watching from the shadows, having known Caligula since he was a baby.

And then I was the bastard who bought him.

“You sent someone ahead of you,” Caligula says. “A man who claimed to represent an Italian faction. He asked King about the ring, and King sent an invitation back through him.”

“Daniel King is hardly a reliable source,” Stuccio scoffs.

“He was surprisingly forthcoming toward the end.” Caligula rests his hand on the desk. “And he wasn’t the only person who noticed you. Someone remembered you for repeatedly using the word ‘advantageous’ while discussing business with the Russians.”

Stuccio lets out a short, disbelieving laugh. “That’s your evidence? A word?”

“It gave us somewhere to look. My mother used the same word when she described her marriage agreements. She said they were more advantageous to my father than to her, despite your promises. Agreements you drew up. I wonder if you used that word when describing them to her.”

“I’ve drafted hundreds of agreements. Thousands⁠—”

“Yes, you have—for the Clemenzas. You knew who stood to inherit. Every person who could conceivably get hold of this.” He holds up his hand, letting Stuccio look his fill of that little snake around his finger. “Tell me why you wanted this ring—or rather, the inscription inside it.”

Stuccio leans back as far as the chair allows. Caligula’s expression hasn’t changed, but I wonder if Stuccio is seeing him right now, or his dead grandfather. “Cryptocurrency,” he croaks out at last. “Your grandfather began acquiring it years ago. I assisted him with the initial arrangements. It was separate from the ordinary Family accounts. Off the books.”

“How much?”

“At its present value?” He hesitates, watching Caligula. “Billions.”

I look at the ouroboros. All that money, sitting unknown. Forgotten. Except for the Family lawyer.

“And Nonno Lou told you about the ring? The words inside it?”

“Lou told me he was having them engraved. The ring never left his finger.” Stuccio shifts, trying to ease the pressure on his wrists. “He wouldn’t let me retain a copy. I handled his affairs for years, but he still insisted on keeping that part to himself.”