Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
Enzo approached Kathleen’s door, and the security guard let him in.
He immediately wondered how Kathleen would feel about that since the guard hadn’t asked her.
He was sure he was about to find out. He walked around the corner and into the living area to find Kathleen arguing with someone on the phone.
“I don’t need all that. I really don’t. It’s fine. You’re overreacting because of what happened before. This is not that. This is…just a silly misunderstanding.”
Enzo made a noise, and Kathleen jumped, her gaze searching for the cause of the sound and jerking when she found him standing near her elbow.
She frowned at him and then went back to her call.
No doubt it was Drake. By now, he’d want a full army with round-the-clock protection for his sister, which is exactly what she didn’t want.
Enzo took a seat on the couch and watched Kathleen as she battled with her brother.
She looked stressed. Her green eyes had a sad quality, and the lines at the corners of them were probably more pronounced than they had been just a day ago.
The light dusting of freckles across her cheeks made her look younger than her forty-something years, as did her red hair. That color didn’t come from a bottle.
Kathleen strode over and thrust her phone at him. “Talk some sense into your friend. I’m done.”
Enzo took the phone and watched Kathleen storm up the stairs to the bedroom. Once the door slammed, he lifted the phone to his ear. “Well, this time it’s you who’s really pissed her off.”
“She is not being reasonable,” Drake commented icily
“She feels the same way about you.”
“Someone broke into her hotel room, for which I will make heads roll, but she needs full-time security. I can call Mitch Callahan and get someone over there ASAP.”
“Agreed, she needs security,” Enzo said, “but I think there’s a way to make both of you…if not happy…less pissed off.”
Drake let out a breath. “What is your idea?”
“I’ll be her bodyguard until we get this sorted. I promise not to let her out of my sight, and if I think I’m out of my depth at any point, I will call in my people. It offers her a win that it’s not your people, and you a win that she’s still being protected.”
“I don’t like it,” Drake growled. “You aren’t exactly trained in personal security. What makes you think you can guard my sister?”
Enzo did his best not to rise to the bait but rather answer in a neutral tone. “I spent years in a very deadly industry, and I am still alive, mostly unscathed. I know people who can do the job, should I find myself out of my depth.”
“That’s precisely what worries me,” Drake retorted.
“I don’t think you’re going to have much of a choice. I heard your discussion, and I’m guessing your sister is not going to give in.”
“She’s too damn stubborn,” Drake lamented.
“She gets that honestly, I’m guessing, because you’re the same way.”
Drake blew out a long breath. “Fine, you take care of her. But if you let anything happen to her, I will end you.”
Enzo knew how much Drake had missed his sister, and now that he found her again, he was determined to never have her in danger, so he didn’t take offense at the threat.
However, he did take it seriously. “I will keep her safe.” He didn’t bother to explain that Drake, no matter how powerful, wouldn’t have a hope of ‘ending’ him.
Enzo had too many contacts and too many places to hide.
That’s what came of living as part of la Famiglia for so many years.
“Now we have other things to discuss,” Enzo stated. “And I don’t think you are going to be happy.”
“Why? What else is going on?” Drake demanded.
“We have to determine what the hell we’re going to do with the statue.” Enzo continued, “I think going to the police—”
“Statue? What the hell are you talking about?”
Enzo frowned. “Didn’t Kathleen tell you any of this?”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Drake cut in sharply. “She said the guy from the alley came back to steal from her hotel room because she was carrying lots of bags and he thought she was rich. She didn’t say a damn word about a statue. Tell me the details.”
Enzo hesitated. Kathleen was going to be furious when she found out he’d told Drake. He wished he’d known she’d left this part out. It bothered him to betray her like this… which was ridiculous. He’d only known her for a few hours.
“Okay,” he said finally, his voice low. “Here’s what she told me.”
He walked Drake through everything: the purse, the rip on the handle, the small, ugly statue, the whole setup.
Drake was silent for several beats, as if processing all the new information.
“So,” he said slowly, “they used Kathleen to smuggle the statue into the country or into Europe. And they were supposed to go to Paris?”
“Yes,” Enzo said. “I think they had someone waiting in Paris to bump into her, swap bags, take the statue back, and walk away. Kathleen would never have known. But because she switched her destination to Lake Lugano, they had to create a new plan. Breaking into your hotel’s security?
That’s part of it. Whoever this is… they’re organized. And they’ve got resources.”
“Wait.” Drake’s voice went cold. “This statue, it’s small, ugly?”
“Yes,” Enzo said carefully. “Why? What do you know?”
Drake exhaled sharply, as if he’d just been punched. “This is so much more complicated than you know.”
Enzo’s gut tightened. “What do you mean?”
Drake explained how Alex Buchanan, now Callahan, had been hired to steal this exact statue, but the job had gone sideways because someone else had beaten them to it. Gage Callahan had even been accused of the theft.
“You think it’s a coincidence that they picked Kathleen?” Drake asked.
Enzo hesitated, then said slowly, “No. My guess? She was targeted, but not because she knows the Callahans. Thinking like a thief, it makes sense. You pick someone high-profile enough to breeze through security but not famous enough to draw attention. Someone like Kathleen. Very few people would ever dare to search her bag.”
“She was targeted because she’s my sister?” Drake said, his voice sounding as if he’d aged twenty years in the last few minutes.
Enzo didn’t answer right away, but the silence was weighted. “I think she was chosen because she’s the kind of person who wouldn’t raise eyebrows.”
“So where does that leave us?” The tone of Drake’s voice had shifted completely, less raw anger now, less edge in his words, but sharper. More focused.
It always amazed Enzo how quickly Drake could shift his focus. “We have two choices here when it comes to dealing with the statue.”
“What do you mean by two?” Drake asked. “You have to take her to the police and tell them what happened.”
“Um…that may not be the best plan.” Enzo continued, “Okay, I need you to get out of your head as her brother and an upstanding citizen for a second and start thinking logically. If I go to the cops and tell them that she accidentally smuggled a statue into the country, that’s going to raise an awful lot of questions, particularly about the ‘accidental’ part.
It’s going to open her up to a lot of poking, prodding, and investigation.
And after what she’s been through…” He let the words trail off deliberately.
Drake cursed under his breath. “Shit. They’re going to be rough on her.” There was a pause, then his voice sharpened. “I’ll have lawyers there to deal with it.”
“You can have all the lawyers in the world present, but that’s not going to make it easier on her.
No matter what, she’s going to spend hours being grilled.
In fact, too many lawyers will not help matters.
Even if you hire locally, it won’t speed things up.
You get where I’m going with this?” Enzo pressed.
Drake sighed. “You’re saying this gets way more complicated for her than if it were just some random person.”
“Exactly.”
“And you’re saying it’s going to be almost impossible for Kathleen to come out unscathed if we go to the authorities.
“Yes.”
Silence stretched for a moment before Drake finally asked, “So… what’s the other option?”
Enzo leaned back, exhaling slowly. “I put out feelers. Find out who the thief is. Go to them directly and hand the statue back. No cops. They get what they want; Kathleen gets out of it. Clean. Quiet.”
“Do you think that will work? What if the police catch wind of it? Kathleen could go to prison for having stolen goods, and she won’t have a defense if she’s the one giving the statue to the thief.”
Enzo bit back an oath. Drake, who was usually so smart, seemed to be missing a crucial step. “I will be making the exchange. I wouldn’t let Kathleen anywhere near this. I will handle it all. She will have plausible deniability.”
Drake was silent for a moment. “I can’t let you do that. I appreciate what you’re offering, but it’s a big risk that I can’t let you take.”
Enzo let out a bark of laughter. “My friend, I think you’ve forgotten how I’ve spent the last twenty years. This is a very small, very well-calculated risk for me. It’s something I’ve done more times than I can count. I will handle this, and it will go smoothly.”
“But if it doesn’t, you will be on the hook for it. With your past and reputation, they could throw the book at you.”
Enzo was losing patience. Drake needed to understand that this was his area of expertise.
He knew what the hell he was doing. “Listen, Jamie, the deal will happen at a spot of my choosing with plenty of backup. It will go smoothly. Then the situation will be handled, and there will be no blowback on Kathleen.” He paused. “You know this is the best option.”
“And if that doesn’t work? Why can’t we just get Alex to meet you and take the statue to whoever hired her to steal it? I’m sure they will be pleased to get it, and the problem is solved.”
“Except the thief that’s here will be left out in the cold, which, in my experience, makes them pissed off and very motivated.
No, I’d rather not go down that path. Let me handle this.
I have spent years living and working on the dark side of things.
I can have this taken care of quickly and quietly with no more risk to Kathleen.
” Which, Enzo realized suddenly, was very important to him.
“Fine. But if anything goes wrong… Any small deviation, and we go to Plan C and use Alex.”
“Fine.” Enzo’s gut twisted as he agreed. He hated the idea of this situation being out of his control. He wanted to make sure Kathleen was safe, and the best way to do that was to handle it himself.
“It’s a hell of a risk.” Drake’s voice had gone quiet, tight. “I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You’re not asking me,” Enzo said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
“I’m volunteering. Jamie, your sister’s been through enough.
So have you. Neither of you needs this. I can return the statue to whoever wants it.
And even if I get caught, I’ve got a much better shot at getting out of this clean than Kathleen ever would. ”
There was silence on the other end for a long beat.
“Okay,” Drake said finally, his voice low but resigned. “What can I do to help?”
“At the moment? Nothing. I’ll let you know if that changes.” Enzo’s voice was clipped, controlled. “I don’t want any more security. I don’t want to draw attention to any of this. As far as anyone’s concerned, it never happened.”
“Fine,” Drake said, though frustration seemed to simmer under the surface. “But if you need anything, you reach out.”
“I will.”