Page 105 of Kings of Cruelty

Silvano shakes his head. “Giulio Pavone. Every single time.”

“What do Bellini and Corvi have to do with Giulio Pavone?” Nikolai asks, voicing the question I’d been about to ask.

“Now I know you aren’t local,” Silvano says. “Giulio’s wife is Lucia Bellini’s sister. It’s no secret she—Lucia—loathes Giulio.”

“Whodoesn’tloathe Pavone, though?” Maddox asks with a derisive snort.

“Is he going to help or not?” Nikolai asks. “He doesn’t sound like the most reliable guy.”

Silvano’s staring at the phone, tapping his lip. “I wouldn’t count on it, but…”

Pavone might not help, but regardless of how Lucia had tried to spin things, Corvi owesme. Sierra was the one who saved him and his woman from death by poison.

“Do you have Corvi’s number?” I ask Silvano.

Silvano nods, and this time he hands the phone to me directly. “I’ll allow you some privacy, but please return the phone as soon as you’re done.”

Nikolai’s brows shoot up.

“How generous. Why insist on the speaker call with Pavone?” I ask, suspicious.

“Oh. Because he always puts me on speaker, and I find Giulio Pavone infinitely more amusing when he’s being irritating at other people,” Silvano answers. He makes a shooing motion. “Go on, before I change my mind.”

I head into the neighboring room and shut the door. I’m not naive enough to think this will keep the others from eavesdropping, but the semblance of privacy does help. I dial Victor Corvi’s number.

“Victor Corvi’s phone,” a feminine voice responds, sounding slightly breathless.

“You aren’t Corvi,” I say gruffly.

“And you aren’t Silvano Cresci,” she answers. “If I had to make a wild guess, I would say this is Konstantin Voronkov, yes? To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“What gave it away? The accent?” I shake my head, although she can’t see the gesture. “Lucia Bellini, I assume?”

She chooses to ignore my first question, instead replying, “Yes. Victor is busy. How can I help you, Voronkov?”

Somehow, I don’t get the feeling she plays receptionist because he doesn’t feel like answering the phone.

I don’t want to deal with her—and I think I know why Pavone calls her “bitch auntie” —but I know asking for Corvi won’t get me far either.

“Corvi has some minor operations in New Bristol, yes?” I hedge. I haven’t dealt with them much, but I know part of the animosity between Pavone and Corvi is that they’re fighting over territory. A few years ago, Giulio Pavone’s father had attempted a massive takeover in Benton, and been killed for it, but that hasn’t seemed to dissuade Pavone much.

“Information like that has a price,” Lucia says. “But I’m curious to know what has the Voronkov outfit calling, so for the sake of expediting this conversation: yes.”

“I’m calling in that favor,” I say bluntly. “You owe us—you owe Sierra.”

“I believe we saved her life,” Lucia says mildly.

“No. If not for her, both you and Corvi, probably even Guerra, would have died that night.” I don’t bring up the fact that I would have died too.

“And if not for our help, she would be dead,” Lucia says. I can practically see her shrug, and it makes my blood boil. “But again, for the sake of curiosity, what is it you want, Voronkov?”

I do have one extra card to play. “The people you have in New Bristol, harassing Pavone. I need them for a job.”

The line goes so quiet I’m sure she’s hung up on me. Right as I start to scowl, though, I look down and see that the call is still connected.

After several long seconds, sound picks up on the other line again, and I realize she’d muted me.

“What ‘job’?” she asks more bluntly.

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