Page 11 of The Fixer

LEO

Only one thought runs through my head on the short drive back.

I’m betraying Patrizia.

I stood in front of a priest with my first love at my side and promised to love, honor, and cherish her forever.Until death do us part.I meant those vows with every fiber of my being. But now, I’m spitting in the face of my promises. On my wife’s fortieth birthday, no less, I’m asking another woman to marry me.

My phone dings with a text from Antonio.

I’m meeting Santini at midnight. How did Rosa take the news?

I give my passenger a sidelong look. Rosa’s reaction had been unexpected in the extreme. I thought Ihad her pegged: a romantic who believed in fairy tale fantasies of true love and happy endings, someone who lived in a bubble made of silk and satin, a pretty world filled with pretty things.

And all of that might be true, but there’s more to her. When I revealed that the only way to save her brother was to marry me, she didn’t flinch. When I told her that our marriage would be a farce, she didn’t cry or carry on or wallow in self-pity.

Instead, she told me that she was getting the better end of the deal. She said, “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’re pretty easy on the eyes.”

Then she asked me if I was planning to be celibate for the rest of my life.

Fuck. I was not prepared for that question. I haven’t thought this through, not at all. In the heat of the moment, I replied that I didn’t see a problem in taking a lover after a few years, but that’s a lie. Real marriage or sham, everything in me rebels at the idea of cheating on Rosa. And when I think about another man touching her intimately, I want to punch my fist into the wall.

She took it well. I’m on my way to meet her parents.

Good. You have a ring?

Shit. I totally forgot. I need to get my head in the game. Spina Sacra consists of half a dozen clans, and Rocco Santini heads up the most powerful. He’s a dangerous man, slow to anger but ruthless when provoked. If his people aren’t watching me now, they will be as soon as Antonio tells him I’m marrying Hugh Tran’s sister. There’s no room for error, no room for slip-ups.

I’ll get one.

I screech to a halt. Rosa quirks an eyebrow. “Why are we stopping on the side of the road?”

“We need an engagement ring.” I pull out my phone and search for a jewelry store that’s open late. “I can’t ask you to marry me without one.” Oh, good. There’s a store not too far from here with decent reviews. I put the car in drive again and make my way there.

Rosa makes a face when we come to a stop. “This place,” she says, her voice unenthusiastic.

“You don’t like it?”

“I’ve never been inside, but the pieces in the windows are always. . .” She struggles for the rightword. “Showy.” A wry smile crosses her face. “I’m being ridiculous. Who cares what the ring looks like?”

“You don’t?” If she doesn’t, she’s in the minority of women.

“Like you said, it isn’t a real marriage.” She forces a smile on her face, and guilt sloshes through me. She’s young, only twenty-five. This morning, she had her entire life ahead of her, and now she’s walking into a cage of her brother’s making.

And I’m not making it any easier.

“We need to pretend otherwise,” I remind her.

“I know.” She takes a deep breath. When she looks at me again, her face is shining with joy. “An engagement ring?” she says, her voice high with surprise. “That’s why we’re here?” She leans over and kisses my cheek. “Oh God, Leo, I’m so surprised.”

I asked her to sell it, and she’s doing exactly that. But when her lips press against my skin, my heart skips a beat.

Fuck.

My shock is obvious, but Rosa misunderstands the reason for it. “I was in the theatre club at school,” she says with a laugh. “This is just like that.” She opens her door and gets out. “You coming?”

She smells like jasmine, soft and delicate, and makes me want things I cannot have. “Your lines need work,” I snarl. “‘Oh God, I’m so surprised?’ Seriously?” I push open the door and gesture her in. “After you, principessa.”

Her lips tighten in annoyance at the nickname. I probably shouldn’t needle her, but I already know I’m not going to stop. This situation sucks, and I’m going to take my victories where I find them.

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