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“How’d your agent extricate herself?” I ask, trying to comprehend this situation.
“She left when they unlocked the door—there’s a lock on the inside—for someone to come get the dead woman’s body.”
I feel like I’m going to be sick again.
“It’s pretty fucked, I know. Sorry if it’s making you…” He waves his hand.
“So why do you need to know what we think?”
“I was doing a favor for Fatima. She said if you guys move forward, it’d be a big break for her. So I thought I could give her a chance to collaborate with us.”
Oh, okay, so he’s wooing my employee. I can barely resist rolling my eyes. “That’s not how this works.”
He jiggles his phone in his pocket, looking down at the floor before meeting my eyes.
“Is that the only video?”
“No. She’s got one from the truck, too, where all the women and a kid or two were tied up and stacked. There’s a lot with Aren and his guys, but Luca is the one who moves them into a van. He and his brother, sometimes his associate Alessandro. Everyone has guns. I mean, it’s clearly a swap off. And Soren Galante used to help Aren with investments in foreign markets. So we know they have some ties to one another.”
“Used to?”
“He stopped last year.”
I nod. “Well, I’d like to see the other videos. Then I’ll let you know if any collaboration—even informal—seems logical for our office.”31LucaThat Thursday, after work, she doesn’t go to her house, and she doesn’t take her car from its spot in the garage. When I can’t get her on the phone after two hours, I call her dad.
“Have you talked to Elise?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I’m looking for her. Where is she?”
“I’m not sure she’d like you to know.” He sounds strangely guarded. Panic rises in me.
“Why not? Did something happen?”
“She’s…angry, I believe. Upset.”
“About what?”
“She believes you’re purchasing women and children. Trafficking them. Which I hope is not true. I don’t think it is.”
I squeeze the phone till my hand hurts. “You know it isn’t.”
“I can’t verify that.”
“You could have told her that I wasn’t.”
“It’s not my place,” he says sharply. “You shouldn’t be speaking with her at all, Luca. You could never keep her safe.”
I drag air in through my nose and blow it slowly out my mouth, so I don’t fucking scream at my future father-in-law. “I’m doing everything I can to keep her safe. Aren’s got a hard-on for her, and he makes threats all the goddamn time.”
“Why do you interact with him at all?”
“You already know. I know Roberto tells you this shit.”
“Roberto told you that all of this was risky. As I remember.”
“Roberto’s living on a yacht and spending all his money in casinos. Your brother isn’t here. I am.”
“He says you’re spending all the money and waded into more risky waters so you can engage in this…pet project of yours.”
“You’re a father. I can’t believe you’d have a damn thing to say about something like this.”
“It’s a business, Luca. The Arnoldi family enterprises…nothing but a business, and this isn’t business. What you’re doing here is charity. Doing it with—”
“With what we’re paying you, you’d do well to remember charity can be a good thing.”
I hang up the phone before I realize that I need to call him back. Find out where the fuck Elise is.
He answers on the first ring, which gives me perverse satisfaction.
“Where is she?”
He says, “I’m keeping her confidence.”
“No you aren’t. I stayed away from her for years, but she’s in this now as much as I am. I’m not gonna hurt her, and you fucking know that. Tell me where she is so I can make her understand. I bet she’s mad at you, too, by association. I can fix that. I can fix this. But I’m not requesting her location.”
He sighs, and then he gives me an auspicious address.* * *I spend the morning, after the chat with Elise’s father, talking to the FBI, letting them know what I found out from Soren: that one of their agents—some supposed bad-ass spy/infiltrator type—has been fucking Aren. We have a long, productive discussion, and I feel like I won this round, at least. They’re not recognizing my “pet project” officially, but who gives a shit? They won’t be gunning for me either. Not right now.
I don’t know how Elise knows about any of this, but that doesn’t matter right now. I’ll find out when I see her. Turns out she’s at her old friend Dani’s place in SoHo.
Once I’m in the area, I park in the cab lane beside a flower stand. No matter what the status of things is between us, I’m bringing roses for la mia rosa. I buy two dozen, get to my car, and turn back for another dozen—a yellow bouquet for the baby.
The sky is darkening when I pull back into traffic. There’s someone tailing me who won’t turn their fucking brights off. Fucker rides my ass all the whole way to SoHo, even changing lanes when I do, which I regard as kind of weird. Good thing Elise isn’t with me.
