Page 56 of The Fixer
“Don’t tell anyone,” he warns. “Tomas is very private.”
“I won’t,” I promise. “But I would give almost anything to be a fly on the wall when Alina finds out.”
Our pizza arrives. This time, I got spinach and ricotta while Leo ordered the mushrooms, black olives, and pepperoni. Before I can ask, he cuts his pizza down the middle and puts half of it on my plate. I beam like an idiot, and he quirks an eyebrow. “What? You wanted to share, didn’t you?”
“I did, thank you. Did Tomas beat up Simon, or was that you?”
“That was me.”
And he’s completely unfazed by it. I tilt my head and survey my future husband. “Anything you want to share with me?”
“Not really.”
I put half my pizza on his plate. “Leo.”
He sighs. “Okay, fine. One of your guards saw Simon accost you at the gym, so I did what I needed to do to discourage his behavior.”
One of my guards. What? I make a mental note to come back to that.Guards?“By breaking both his wrists? Doesn’t that seem rather excessive?”
“Not at all. Excessive would have been me chopping off his hands with a machete for daring to touch you and then tossing that useless excuse of a human being into shark-infested waters.” He takes a bite of my pizza. “This is really good.”
“So you’re going to beat up anyone who comes near me? That’s a crazy level of possessiveness.”
He puts his slice down. “I’m not crazy,” he says. “There are two guys in your class, Salim and Matteo. Their hands are all over your body when you’re grappling. I don’t like it, but I understand that you’re in an MMA class, and you can’t fight without touching someone.” He fixes me with a look. “That’s not what Groff did. He touched you without your consent, and he made you uncomfortable. So I took care of it.”
There’s some logic here. Twisted logic, but Leo’s not wrong. Also, who am I kidding? I’m delighted I’llnever run into Simon again. “You know the names of the guys in my class?”
“I have a file on everyone there.”
And that’s not crazy at all. “Next time you’re going to beat up someone I know, can you run it by me first?”
He smiles as if I said something very funny. “Check in with my wife before I hit someone. Okay, my sweet principessa. But you do realize that inflicting violence is more or less my job description?”
I’m aware, yes, but I don’t like it. Leo’s profession is dangerous, and the thought of him getting hurt makes my insides twist. I don’t know how Lucia and Valentina live with the danger. Valentina at least works for the Mafia. Lucia, like me, is an outsider.
Speaking of danger. . . “Whydidyou put guards on me? Am I not safe in Venice? Is someone going to hurt me?”
He doesn’t meet my eyes. “No, it’s just a precaution.”
“Are you sure?” Hugh’s words come back to me.Right now, you’re Cesari’s fiancée, not his wife. Romeo could argue that we’re not yet family.“Should I be afraid? I thought you made a deal with Spina Sacra, but if?—”
“There isn’t a threat. There is no need for you to be afraid.”
“Do you think they might renege on the deal?”
Leo looks puzzled. “No, why would they do that?”
“I don’t know. But they can, right? As long as we’re not married, Spina Sacra could kill Hugh.”
“No,” he says. “You wear my ring on your finger. They made a deal. They can’t touch your family.”
“But I’m not part of the Mafia until we’re married.”
“That’s irrelevant.”
“Are you sure?” I probe.
He reaches across the table and takes my hand in his. “I’m not a lawyer,” he says. “Daniel could probably tell you a hundred ways they could break the agreement. But I was there when the deal was made. Santini got his ten million euros back, along with an extremely valuable trade route that he can brag about. He gave a good talk about honor, but the truth is, he’s not going to do anything to jeopardize the agreement. If we lived separately, he might be compelled to act to save face, but we live together, and we’re getting married in three weeks. You’re fine. You’re safe.”