“Mrs. Kaul, I’m afraid you don’t understand.” Guttano began to move some items around on his desk in agitation, not looking directly at her, but glancing at the translator and Wen’s two bodyguards, anywhere except straight at her. “It’s not that I’m trying to antagonize you or your husband. If it were entirely up to me, I’d be inclined to negotiate with you. But it’s not the money that’s the issue. Danny Sinjo made an agreement with Diamond Light before this other film was greenlit. He can’t leave Streets of Blood to go work for the Kekonese, on a project funded by a Green Bone clan. That would . . . look very bad. It would be unacceptable, embarrassing to certain stakeholders of the studio.”
Wen was nearly fed up with the man’s evasiveness. She let a little of the friendliness slide out of her voice and a strong hint of disappointment creep in. “I was under the impression that you were the final authority on these matters, Pas Guttano. If I was misinformed, if there’s someone else in Diamond Light I should be speaking to, please let me know, and I’ll have this discussion with them instead.”
Guttano pushed his chair back as if to create space between them. “As I’ve said, the money isn’t the main issue. The friendship of the No Peak clan might be valuable in your home country, but it would make enemies in Shotar.” Instead of looking at Wen, he looked at the translator and spoke a phrase in Shotarian.
The young woman hesitated. Wen was surprised. Up until this moment, the translation had been fast and flawless. Wen said, “What did he say?”
The translator said, nervously, “My apologies, Mrs. Kaul, I’m not sure how to translate the meaning into Kekonese. In Shotarian, the words are, ‘Marry the devil, get the devil’s mother.’ It means . . . It’s a saying that’s used to describe an agreement or relationship that you can’t escape from.”
Wen sat with this information. “You’re saying he’s already married the devil.”
“I think that is what he is trying to say, yes.”
Wen finally understood Guttano’s obstinance. She’d heard that the enormously profitable Shotarian film industry was rife with organized crime involvement. Barukan gangs controlled several labor unions, bankrolled films, and demanded to be consulted on the glorified portrayal of Keko-Shotarian gangsters in pop culture, even going so far as to dictate casting choices. Guttano and Diamond Light Motion Pictures must have ties to people they were unwilling to antagonize.
She couldn’t get around this obstacle with money or charm, not if one of the barukan gangs had a hold on Diamond Light. She would have to go to Shae, think about what could be done.
Wen smoothed her skirt and stood up, keeping her face neutral despite how crestfallen she was. “I’m disappointed that we couldn’t come to an understanding,” she said to Guttano. “Now I’ll have to return to Janloon and disappoint my husband as well. That’s not something I want to do. He’s not a man who’s accustomed to being told no, so I don’t know how he’ll react.”
Wen knew exactly how Hilo would react. He would shrug and say it was too bad, but that it didn’t really matter—Cinema Shore had already handsomely returned the investment she had convinced him and Shae to put into it, and the movie business was just a little piece of No Peak’s vast portfolio of tributaries. He would console her by wrapping his arms around her and saying, that was business, not everything went your way, but had she at least had a nice time in Leyolo City?
The Pillar would not send Fists to Shotar to force Guttano to comply, to kill him, or destroy Diamond Light, especially not if such a drastic reaction jeopardized the Weather Man’s expansion plans. Any good Green Bone leader knew the power of violence and used it without hesitation when called for, but it was a potent tool, not to be flung about carelessly over something like a movie star’s contract.
Guttano, however, did not know this. Shotarians stereotyped the Kekonese as vicious and lawless, and jade, some of them believed, was a corrupting substance that drained a portion of a person’s soul every time they used it. Wen saw fear flicker behind the studio executive’s tinted glasses. All he knew about Kaul Hiloshudon was his reputation as a man with a great deal of jade and a greater capacity for bloodshed. That was something Wen could use to her advantage.
Genially, she said, “Think about it some more. I’ll be here in Leyolo City for a couple more days. You can reach me at the Oasis Sulliya resort if you decide you gave your answer too hastily.”