Page 8 of Night's Reckoning
“I was in Genoa.”
“The smugglers are in Genoa. That makes sense.”
“But his headquarters aren’t there.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Where then?”
Ben paused. “They obviously have an office of some kind in Genoa, but the headquarters of the operation is in a little town called Finale Ligure. It’s west of Genoa in Savona, about halfway to France.”
“I know that place.” Filomena narrowed her eyes. “Why would their headquarters be in such a place? That’s a seaside resort. It’s for tourists.”
“Probably because he’s an earth vampire and he’s from there.” Ben opened his tablet and flipped it over so she could see the grainy picture Ben had found. “Piero Caviglia. Or at least that’s my best guess about who Piero is. I asked around with some trusted sources. He’s loosely under Emil Conti’s aegis, but only very loosely. He was more connected to Conti’s wife. After she died, he worked with Jean Desmarais for a time, but of course—”
“Poor Piero,” Filomena said. “His benefactors seem to have a habit of dying.”
Jean Desmarais had been killed rather famously for working with the old Athenian court, who were trying to addict vampires to an Elixir that eventually killed them. The old Athenian court had been wiped out by the resurgence of four ancient vampires on a small island called Alitea, and anyone connected to Elixir was eliminated. If this Piero had survived, he must have kept his nose relatively clean.
“He’s an opportunist,” Ben said. “Works in Liguria and the south of France. I don’t think any of his missteps in Naples have been intentionally aggressive toward you. I think he’s looking for work and he’s stepping on toes. It might be deliberate, or your ships might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. If you approach him right, he’d be likely to make amends and it could be beneficial to you.”
Her eyes cut to him. “Why do I need a clumsy immortal from Savona?”
“He’s connected loosely to Rome, and more importantly, he’s in the north.” Ben shrugged. “I’m just saying that you’re very powerful, very influentialhere. But your reach only extends so far.”
Filomena’s eyes were guarded. “I have no desire to rule Italy.”
Liar.
“Who said anything about ruling?” Ben put on his shocked face. “I know how deeply Naples and Rome are bound together. Sister cities, if anything.”
Filomena’s eyes danced with unspoken ambition. “Exactly.”
“I’m only speaking of business,” Ben said. “Building a business alliance with someone from the north could be beneficial to you both.”
“Hmmm.” She crossed her legs, drawing Ben’s eyes to one of her best features. “Do you have a report for me?”
He handed over a folder. “Of course.”
“I’ll look it over. You might be right.”
“It happens occasionally.”
“More than occasionally. I’ll make sure your fee is transferred in the morning.” She tapped the edge of her empty glass and the server was at her side, filling the glass to the brim. “Nice work, Ben.”
“Thanks, Nena.”
She smiled at the old nickname. “It’s been a couple of years since you called me that.”
“Has it been?”
She leaned forward, rested her arm on the table, and stroked a thumb over the corner of his unswollen eye. “I see it now.”
He captured her hand and dropped a kiss on her wrist. “See what?”
“The man you’ll be. Are you so determined to leave us,gigio?”
He smiled. “Do you know how many times I’ve answered this question?”
“Maybe that means you should rethink your answer.”
