Page 51 of The Fixer
“He says he panicked.”
I cannot with Hugh. I justcannot.“Who is Guerra?”
“Max Guerra. He called himself a consultant, whatever that meant. He started working for Rocco Santini six months ago. I don’t know what Santini hired him to do, but Guerra is smart. Really smart. Somehow, he found out about the missing money. Nobody was even supposed to notice it was gone.”
The pieces are slowly coming together. “Romeo Santini wanted to steal ten million euros from his father?”
Hugh nods.
“Why?”
“He didn’t want to tell me.” His face twists. “He said that if I knew why, I’d be in danger.”
And my brother trusted him. “Guerra found out? He was going to expose you.”
“Exactly. But Rocco wouldn’t have killed me right away. He would have tortured me first to find out who else was involved.”
“Romeo didn’t want his role discovered, so he blew up your car.” Why the hell did my brother get involved in this sordid mess? Telenovelas are less convoluted than Hugh’s life. “Why did you steal the money for him?”
He doesn’t reply, but he doesn’t have to. His hurt expression, his palpable air of sadness—it all makes sense now. “You were involved romantically with him, weren’t you?”
“Not anymore.”
“I thought you liked girls.” It’s an admittedly dumb thing to say, but it’s got to be better than grabbing him by the shoulder and shaking some sense into him. Stealing from the Mafia,my God.What a stupid thing to do.
He rolls his eyes. “I do like girls.And guys.I’m bisexual. If you’re not okay with that?—”
I give him an exasperated look. “Hugh, I don’tcare about that. What I do care about is that you’re involved with someonewho tried to kill you.” My voice rises to a screech on that last bit. I take a deep breath and make myself calm down. Thank heavens Leo isn’t home.
“I already told you. I’m not involved with him anymore.”
“Okay. Good.” He’s hurting. Romeo was clearly much more than a casual hook-up. Hugh’s in love with him, and right now, he doesn’t need a lecture from me about the man’s obvious unsuitability. “Come on,” I tell him. “I’ll make a fresh pot of tea.”
In the kitchen, I fill the kettle with water and turn it on. I find a packet of cookies and place a half-dozen of them on a plate in front of my brother. “Here’s the part I don’t understand. Why don’t you give Romeo the money you stole for him? Then you’re out of it, once and for all.”
“Because I don’t trust him,” Hugh replies immediately, his eyes hard. “I’ve been thinking about this, chi. When Antonio Moretti struck that deal with Rocco Santini, it took the pressure off Romeo. Spina Sacra won’t kill me, and Guerra can’t torture me. For the moment, Romeo is safe from exposure.”
“Okay. . .”
“But I’m still a threat. That hasn’t changed. If I talk, Romeo is in serious trouble.”
“But you’re not going to talk.”
“No, I’m not, but he doesn’t know that.” His voice turns bitter. “He doesn’t trust me, but he also really wants the money. As long as he’s trying to find it, he’s not going to hurt anyone. If he comes near our family, I’ll talk to Guerra. If I disappear unexpectedly, I’ve arranged for him to receive an email implicating Romeo. See? It’s a stalemate. Everything’s fine.”
“Everything is not fine. Everything is the exact opposite of fine.” I massage my temples and reach for a cookie. Maybe the sugar will help me think. “Hang on. Romeo’s bound by the same deal as the rest of Spina Sacra. He can’t hurt you anymore, whether you talk to Guerra or not.”
“You would think that, but Romeo is a wildcard,” Hugh replies. “He feels threatened, and his back is against the wall, which makes him erratic.” He dunks his cookie into his jasmine tea like a weirdo. “Those ten million euros are the only thing keeping me alive.”
“What’s the plan? We do nothing? How long will your stalemate last?” I don’t think he’s thought thisthrough. “We should talk to Leo. He’ll know what to do.”
“No.”
“Hugh! How long do you think we can keep this up? We’re out of our league here. This is Leo’s world. We’ve got to ask him for help.”
My brother relents. “Fine, but only after the wedding. Right now, you’re Cesari’s fiancée, not his wife. Romeo could argue that we’re not yet family.” I open my mouth to protest, and he holds up his hand. “Once you’re married, we’re formally under the protection of the Venice Mafia. At that point, even Romeo is not stupid enough to risk hurting me.”
“And then you’ll give back the money.”