Page 55 of The Godfather’s Christmas Twins

“No. I want him brought to me!”

“Yes sir. I didn’t realize you wanted him.”

“Now you do. Get him. Bring him to me. Pull guys from other operations if you have to. I want him found." I stand and pace behind my desk. "And get me surveillance footage from the lobby. I want to see exactly what went down."

"On it."

I punch in another number. "Dominic, I need you to put the word out with everyone to find Benny Cantore. I want to know where he's staying, who he's talking to. Find him and bring him to me."

“That putz?” Dominic is my right-hand man over all operations in Las Vegas. He’s solid. If he can’t find Benny, no one can.

“That putz confronted Don Nardone’s sister in my casino.”

“Oh, fuck. Yeah. I’m on it.”

As I hang up, I can’t figure out how Benny has been roaming around Vegas without my knowing. Gia is right in that he’s not the brightest bulb in the pack. But perhaps we’ve underestimated him. He has been here in Vegas, in my casino. He walked right up to her. How did he know she’d be here? Do I have a mole in my midst?

The idea of that sends me back to the scotch bottle.

My computer beeps with a notification. I open it to find the security feed of the casino. There's Gia walking through and Benny approaching her. My jaw clenches as I watch him get in her face. Fucker. I’ll kill you with my bare hands.

I rewind the footage to before Gia’s entrance looking for Benny. He’s at a blackjack table, losing if his body language is any indication. He shakes his head, and then like a dog catching sight of a squirrel, his eyes widen and then laser focus. That’s when he sees Gia.

I sit back to think about that. It’s almost as if he was surprised to see her. Like he was minding his own damn business losing money when she entered the casino.

My phone buzzes with a text from Tony.

Three men on each hotel. Starting with the low-end joints first. Will update hourly.

That’s followed by a text from Dominic.

Put men at airport and bus terminal, just in case you spooked him and he tries to leave.

Good thinking, Dom, I think.

I respond to both, then take yet another swig of my scotch to call my boss, Nic.

"Max." Nic's voice comes through sharp and clear. “I’m knee deep in diapers. How can Brandon be so little but shit?—”

“Benny showed up.”

“Give me a minute.”

I imagine Nic is handing over diaper duties to Bella or the nanny and finding a private place to talk.

“Is he dead?” Nic asks when he returns.

“No. I’ve got everyone looking for him.”

“What happened?”

I feel the way Tony feels when he fucks up with me. I’ve fucked up with my boss, and while we’re friends, Nic isn’t going to give me a pass. Not when Gia and her kids’ lives are at stake.

“Gia needed to access work computers. Benny saw her, confronted her. Marcus was there, so nothing happened, tossed him out. My guys are searching every hotel and dive in Vegas to find him."

There’s a long pause. The longer it goes, the more my stomach clenches. I steel myself for his justified anger.

“I thought she was working at your home,” he says tightly.