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.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Giuseppe Dalla Santa wants to talk to you,” their handler said. He was on speaker phone as they were all back at the Airbnb. They’d gone round and round for the last couple of hours trying to decide the best course of action.
“Who the hell is Giuseppe Dalla Santa?” his sister demanded.
“He’s the guy who knows everything and everyone in the area. Nothing happens without him knowing about it.”
His sister was standing in front of the kitchen sink, hands on her hips, chewing her bottom lip. It was what he considered her thinking pose. “Why does he want to talk to us?”
“Because he wants to broker a deal.” Exasperation dripped off every word the handler bit out.
“A deal,” he said, as he glanced at his two younger siblings. “What kind of deal?”
