Page 98 of The Worst Pucking Deal

“So what changed?”

“What’s this about, Lucia?”

Unable to stay quiet, I say, “Fabian is blackmailing Lucia.”

“Sawyer?”

“Yeah, hi Jo, it’s me. Look, I know we have no right to ask you anything. But we think Fabian is trying to ruin the Sabertooths from the inside.”

Jo swears under her breath. “I knew something was off about him.” There’s a pause where all we can hear is her heels click-clacking against the floor. “I can’t tell you much. Only that the second he found out the two of you were dating, he asked Tom how he could be sure it would last and not damage the reputation of the team.”

I look over at Remus just as he looks up from his phone. He indicates with his hand to keep Jo talking. At least that’s what I think he means. Giving him a nod of confirmation, I say, “Go on, Jo.”

“Tom showed Fabian the contract you two signed, and that’s when Fabian agreed to Tom’s terms and retracted his own. All he asked for was a copy of the deal for his own records.”

Lucia takes a shuddering breath. “And do you know if Tom gave him that?”

“He did,” Jo confirms. “I’m sorry, Lucia, but I can’t really say more than that.”

Even though Jo can’t see her, my sweet bunny nods. “Thank you, Jo. And I’m sorry, I know I have no right to ask.”

Looking over at Remus again, he gives me a thumbs up and points at something on his phone. Reaching him, I angle the device so I can look down at it. It takes me a second to understand what I’m seeing.

“Motherfucker,” I growl when it clicks into place.

It’s Fabian moving through the Saint Paul International Airport. He’s clearly in a rush, and every now and then he looks around like he’s expecting to be followed. Considering what I now know about my bunny’s family, I can’t really blame him for that.

“Shouldn’t we go?” I whisper to Remus. “Catch him or something?”

Shaking his head, Remus explains. “He’s already in the air. There’s no stopping him.”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuuuuck.

Remus locks his phone and puts it back in his pocket, then he walks over to the door and opens it. Although I hear him saying something to the bodyguards, I can’t make out the words. So I refocus my attention back on my wife and the call she’s still on.

Jo lowers her voice. “There’s something up with that guy, isn’t there? I’ve caught him asking around about you, and now you call and Sawyer says Fabian’s blackmailing you… do you really think he’s trying to ruin the Sabertooths?”

“Hopefully it’s nothing,” I interject. Since we can’t risk Jo alerting Tom, I do my best to sound like it isn’t a big deal. “Thanks Jo.”

“Oh, the meeting tomorrow? Yep, I have that under control. Talk to you later.” Jo ends the call, and I know it’s because someone else is around. Or at least I assume that’s the reason for her subject change.

“He knows,” my sweet bunny breathes. “He’s going to use it against me. It’s proof, and I… we have nothing to dispute it.”

“Hey,” I rasp. Placing my hands on her hips I pull her flush against me. “We’ll come up with something. Since he’s already on a flight—”

I’m interrupted by Remus. “We have to go. Now. The Senate has summoned all of us, and we have twelve hours to appear in front of them.”

“Even you?” Lucia gasps, fear making her eyes wide.

“Even me,” Remus growls angrily.

Sawyer

As we touch down in Rome early next morning after a surprisingly short flight on Remus’ private jet—just seven hours, a blink of an eye in the grand scheme of things—I’m struck once again by the sheer scale of Remus’ influence. Leading a Mafia empire that few even know exists, he commands a level of secrecy and power that is both intimidating and awe-inspiring.

During the flight, Remus and Lucia took the time to educate me on the intricacies of dealing with the Senate and navigating the customs of the Russo family. Remus delved into details about the Senate that even Lucia seemed unfamiliar with, unsurprising given what she told me about them, emphasizing the importance of our upcoming meeting. And with the requirement to appear before the Senate dressed in togas, Remus sent my bunny to the back to get changed.

When she argued she didn’t want to leave me, he scoffed and promised not to harm me. It wasn’t until he was sure Lucia was out of ear shot, he told me the exact details of our meeting with the Senate. Before Lucia came back, he made me promise I wouldn’t tell my wife. It was the easiest promise I’ve ever made because all that matters is getting her out of all of this.

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