Page 96 of The Beast Who Begged Me

“And what have you heard about Daniel King?”

I half expect Benedetti to clam up. If he and his grandfather have been neck-deep in intel, the only way they’ve stayed alive this long will have been complete discretion. But he comes over to the table, sits down opposite Caligula, and information starts falling out of his mouth.

“He owns and operates the Obelisk, but he answers to a bigger fish in Moscow. Aside from the Obelisk, he owns a few brothels that operate out of Brighton Beach, and a sports betting business that launders money for the Bratva in New York. Once I heard he was in talks with one of the Mexican cartels…”

And it goes on. Caligula stops him occasionally to ask who said something, or how long ago, and Benedetti answers as best he can. Sometimes he admits he doesn’t know, but what he does know is impressive.

“You just burst like a fuckin’ water balloon,” I say when he finally dries up, and I stand over him, looking down, my arms folded. “You ever spilled like that about me?”

He looks back up at me, stubborn and defiant. “Of course not.”

“There’s no ‘of course’ about it.”

“Mr. Orsini, when it comes to Sammy, I will do and say whatever I need to do and say. If it earns me a target on my back, I don’t care, as long as it saves him.”

Okay. Maybe I didn’t give this asshole a fair chance the first time I met him. Or the second.

Or any other time.

“That’s good to know,” Caligula says, “because we’re going to need your help, Ricky. Are you up for it?”

He nods.

“Come on,” I say uneasily. “That ain’t a good idea. Whatever we’re doing, people are going to die. It’s no place for green men.”

“Dami, we need everyone we can get. That doesn’t mean everyone needs to be able to kill.” Caligula looks up at me. “Ricky knows people we don’t. He’s heard things we haven’t. And he saw the men who took Sammy.”

“Please,” Ricky says. “I need to help.”

Caligula looks at me. I sigh. “Fine. But he does not pick up a gun. So what now?”

“Ferraro is checking the scene. Luca is calling the Commission. We get our men ready, so we can move as soon as we know where Sammy is.” His eyes hold mine. “And when he’s safe, we eliminate King.”

“I don’t like it,” I tell Caligula once Rosa has taken charge of Ricky and we’re upstairs, phones within reach while we wait for news.

“I know you don’t like it,” he tells me. “But last time you took this same bait, you ended up with your hand half-flayed.”

“It’s not bait this time,” I snarl. “Sammy is really in danger.”

“I know, Dami. That just makes it better bait.” He holds my gaze. “They left Ricky alive with a calling card. They want us to come running. We’re going to get Sammy, but we’re going to think first. If you go running in alone to a Bratva hotspot, guns blazing, it’s not going to end well for anyone.”

He glances out the window and I follow his gaze. Beyond the bullet-resistant glass, the street is empty. I built this place to keep everyone safe, and Sammy hadn’t even been inside it when they took him.

Caligula reaches for my injured hand. “Trust me,” he says softly. “Can you do that?”

A few hours ago, I swore my life to him. But he’s asking for my trust now, and that’s a hell of a lot harder to give. “If we lose Sammy—” I start.

“We are not going to lose Sammy,” he says firmly.

Your people are my people. He swore that to me tonight. Now he’s making good on it, and I keep trying to get past him.

“D’Amato’s right about one thing,” I tell him heavily. “We do this, we need to do it right, or we’ll cause more problems.”

He smiles, a chilly smile that reminds me of his grandfather, and for once, I’m glad to see it. “Sammy is our priority. I don’t care how many problems we cause for the Morellis, as long as we get him back.”

I lift his hand to my mouth and kiss the ring. “Yes, Don Clemenza.”

CHAPTER 31