Page 7 of The Fixer

“Rosa is in big trouble.”

4

LEO

Valentina insists on rushing immediately to Antonio’s house. It’s not until we’re seated in his office that she tells us what’s going on. “Rosa just called me,” she says. “Her brother Hugh has gotten himself mixed up with the Mafia in Lecce. He’s been doing their books and giving them financial advice, but it sounds like he just lost ten million euros of their money.”

I bite off a swear. This isn’t good.At all.Antonio leans back in his chair and shuts his eyes. “Fuck.”

“Rosa said that her brother thinks they’re going to kill him.”

“They are,” the padrino confirms. A shadow passes over his face. “Depending on how angry they are, they could kill his family as well.”

“What?” Valentina breathes, horrified. “Why?”

I speak up. “The outfit that controls Lecce and all of Puglia,Spina Sacra,is as old-school as they come. Rigid protocols, elaborate oath ceremonies, and blood vendettas. If Hugh Tran’s lost their money, they’re going to make an example of him.”

“Is there anything we can do?”

The padrino winces. “I don’t like getting involved with Southern Italy,” he replies. “They’re all insane.” Valentina opens her mouth to say something else, but before she does, Antonio continues, “I’ll call in a favor and get her family out of there.”

“But Hugh will still die?”

Antonio spreads his hands. “Valentina, I have no grounds to stand on here. Hugh Tran is not a member of our organization. Spina Sacra isn’t going to back away because I want them to, and I cannot go to war over this.”

He’s right to be cautious. If we get into battle with Spina Sacra, it won’t just be us versus them. The Spina Sacra is allied with the ‘Ndrangheta and the Camorra, who are just itching for an excuse to come after our territory. In Milan, Ciro Del Barba will step in to help Antonio, not because of any love he bears for the man, but because he won’t let the Sicilians take over Northern Italy. And in thebackground, the Russians will hover like vultures, ready to take over the country once we’ve destroyed each other.

No, Antonio can’t stop this. The cost is too high.

“But if we pay back the ten million euros he lost. . .”

“It’s not the money,” Dante says regretfully. “It’s the principle. I’m sorry, sparrow, I really am. Rosa is like family to me as well, but there’s nothing we can do.”

Family.

The instant I realize how we could save Rosa’s brother, I flinch. There’s one way out of this mess, but I cannot.I will not.Not even to spare Rosa the pain of seeing her brother die.

Except I find myself speaking up. “Not nothing,” I say. “There is one thing we can do.”

I see the exact moment Antonio realizes the way out of this trap. He stares at me, a question in his eyes. Dante and Valentina are ignorant about my past, but the padrino knows every secret in Venice, mine included. “Leo?” he prompts. “I cannot force you to do this. This has to be your choice.”

“What is it?” Valentina leans forward. “What could we do?”

I can’t make myself say the words out loud.Antonio glances at me and then steps in to explain. “If one of my inner team were to marry Rosa, I could claim that Hugh Tran is family and is therefore entitled to my protection.” He turns to me. “Leo?” he asks. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

No. I’m not sure. I’m not sure at all. Everything in me rebels at the idea. I was married once. IlovedPatrizia. It feels disloyal to even contemplate this crazy idea. She took a bullet meant for me, for fuck’s sake. And now I’m betraying her memory by suggesting this travesty.

But I can’t stand by and do nothing while Rosa’s life gets ruined the way mine was. Plus, I owe Valentina and Dante. Their daughter got kidnapped on my watch. Angelica’s thankfully suffered no aftereffects from the incident, but Valentina hasn’t recovered as well. She hides it as best as she can, but I see the way she’s on edge when her daughter is on a playdate. I see the way she flinches whenever the phone rings.

I can’t make amends for my failure, but I can atone for it.

“Marriage?” Valentina sits up, shock warring with hope in her eyes. “Would that work?”

“It’s the only thing that might.” Antonio turns to me. “Think hard, Leo. This is not a temporary union.This is a wedding in church, with the two of you making your vows in front of family and friends. This is the rest of your life. This isforever.”

Forever is what I thought I had with Patrizia.

I‘m never going to feel for Rosa what I did for my wife. We won’t share a bed. We won’t come together in passion. We won’t lie on a hill on a warm sunny day and look at clouds and talk about our future, and we won’t build a family together.

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