Page 88 of The Godfather’s Christmas Twins
"Ricky's convinced himself he's got what it takes to be the new Don. Says he'll bring back the real money makers, the girls in particular." Benny shifts uncomfortably. "He's been studying Nic's moves, looking for weak spots. He bragged about how much Nic respects him and sees him as a top soldier.”
“What’s his plan?” Every word from Benny's mouth feeds the rage building inside me. The thought of Ricky laying hands on Gia, planning to use her as some pawn in his sick game, it takes everything in me not to snap Benny's neck right here.
“I don’t know, Max, I really don’t.” His expression is pitiful as he looks up at me. “It was just the booze talking. I thought he was just griping, you know. I mean, who’d ever think Ricky could outsmart Nic?”
I hear footsteps behind me and know it's Nic without turning around. His presence fills the room, making Benny shrink even further into his chair.
"Tell him what you just told me," I growl at Benny.
Benny's eyes dart between us, his chest heaving. "I… I…"
"Speak," Nic commands, his voice carrying the full weight of his authority as Don.
"I don’t know anything except Ricky wants revenge on you. He wants to take over the business… restart the girls… that’s it.”
“Who’s with him?”
Benny shrugs, his eyes darting from me to him. “I don’t know. Like I said, I thought he was all talk.”
“Where would he take my sister?” Nic leans over him, and I step back, giving him space.
“I’m telling you I don’t know anything.”
“Where did you run into Ricky?” I ask.
“Atlantic City. I was gambling. Drinking… You know how it is.”
I look at Nic. “What did you do with the properties your father had in Jersey?”
Nic sucks in a breath as he thinks. “Some are empty. Others are holding imports from Italy.”
They’d gone from holding women to storing counterfeit olive oil or something. Gino had to be rolling in his grave.
“Oh… Ricky said he was going to make his father proud,” Benny says. “Does that help?”
“Was Ricky’s father in charge of any of them?” I ask.
Nic nods and pulls out his phone, I suspect to pull up a list of buildings.
"There's one… Newark, I think. Your father used it for his special merchandise." Benny's voice cracks. "Ricky talked about it once, said it was perfect because you'd shut it down temporary-like."
“Avila was helping Gino run the girls up to Buffalo in that deal with Rinella,” Nic says. “That warehouse isn’t being used at the moment.”
"If he’s out for revenge, it adds a poetic justice to use the building his father was in charge of.”
"We need to move fast," Nic says, already poking buttons on his phone to mobilize his men.
Before he finishes, the phone rings. He studies the screen and then looks at me. “Speak of the devil.” He pokes the answer button.
"Hello, Don Nardone. Missing something?" Ricky’s smug tone makes my blood boil. I’m already envisioning torturing him before finally killing him.
Nic's face hardens. "Where is she?"
"Your sister's been asking for you. Why don't you come get her?” He gives the address, and like we thought, it was the location his father had been in charge of. “One hour. Come alone or she dies."
The line goes dead. Nic's already heading out the door, but I step in front of him.
“Let me go,” I say.