Page 28 of Not Mine to Keep

“Gabriel. This is Gabriel’s doing,” Enzo said, putting two and two together. “Why? How?” He turned to Maria, whispered something in her ear, and she left. He didn’t want her hearing more, and I didn’t blame him. He was always doing his best to keep his wife safely away from the darkness of our world.

“Armani found out last year that his lifelong mistress, Christie Anderson, has a daughter and that he’s the father. She’ll be thirty next month, and originally, he gave her until thirty-five to marry and produce an heir,” I revealed. “But he found out his lifespan isn’t what he hoped it’d be, and he’s lost his patience. He’s forcing her to marrythisweek.”

“And this involves you how?” Enzo was still the only one not in the know. Well, aside from Constantine. And I had to assume Izzy hadn’t told him anything, or he’d already have taken our other jet to fly straight to me.

“Because the man he’s going to force her to marry is Rocco Barone.” I let the words sink in the way I had for Hudson yesterday. Gave Enzo time to digest the news. “I’m going to convince Armani that I should marry his daughter instead. Make it worth his while. That’ll piss Rocco off, put a target on my head, and he’ll come for me. We’ll save her and get Rocco, and with any luck, his father. This is our chance to finish the only job we’ve evernotcompleted.”

Enzo closed his eyes, his breathing picking up, more curses falling from his lips.

“We need the help of The League to make this work, though,” I shared. “Promise a truce between The League and Armani’s organization if he allows me to marry his daughter.” I went over the rest of the plan next. Explaining how Callie would hand over the reins to Gabriel once her father died (prematurely at my hand while blaming some unlucky bastard-criminal for his murder) and then ... I’d be free of the marriage.

“Constantine should know,” Enzo said in a determined tone, opening his eyes. “Butonce he does, he won’t let you do this, will he?”

“Right.” Guilt weighed me down about keeping secrets from Constantine, but it was for his own good. “Which is why he can’t know until I’m already married. And I need you to convince Dad of that. Can you do that for me?” I hated asking for Enzo’s help when he’d only found out last month his wife was pregnant with twins, but what choice did I have?

“I’ll fly to New York tonight. This conversation needs to happen in person,” Enzo agreed. “And then we should join you in Italy. We can’t let you go into Armani’s home without backup.”

“We have to make this work.”Failure’s not an option.

“For Constantine. To get Rocco.” Enzo nodded.

“And to save this girl’s life,” Izzy added. “From what Hudson told me, she’s an innocent. Not like her dad. So protecting her is also part of the job.”

Izzy balanced out the darkness in us. When we’d created our new security firm, we’d been reluctant for her to join. She went frommanaging billion-dollar brands to managing us during covert missions. But she’d been right to join. Having her in our ears on comms, as well as being our voice of reason from time to time so we didn’t go over the edge, was, well, nice.

I held the front of my throat, pinching at the skin there, thoughts drifting to Little Miss Tennessee Whiskey. “Keeping her safe is the main job, yes.”

“You ... like her, don’t you?” Why was Izzy asking me that? Hell,whisperingthat in a state of shock.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I barely know her, and this is me we’re talking about.”

“Mmm-hmm.” Izzy lifted her brows a few times, clearly trying to fuck with me. “Wait until Mom finds out her forever bachelor son is getting married and plans to divorce by—”

“August,” I blurted. “That’s how long Callie will give me.” Plus, she had to go back to teaching in the fall, so the timeline made the most sense. “I only need to survive three months of marriage. Hell, it’s not even a full three months.” I gulped a bit too hard. “I can do this. I can give up my freedom for the summer.”

An unexpected soft chuckle left my sister’s lips. “Or maybe, just maybe, you’ll fall in love with your wife.”

CHAPTER NINE

Alessandro

In the Air

“Will you tell me about your family?” Callie’s southern voice was softer than normal, like she was asking for a truce between the little back-and-forth war.

I stared at her sitting across from me, knowing I needed to pour water, not gasoline, onto the fire between us to make the rest of the flight comfortable. But my damn mouth seemed to enjoy getting me in the same kind of trouble hers did, because I sarcastically remarked, “I thought you already did research on me.”

Unbuckling and squirming a bit as if her ass hurt from the sting of my palm that’d only swatted her in my head, she brought her knee to her chest like a shield.No, sweetheart, that won’t save you from me.OnlyIcould save her from me, which was why I needed to keep my distance somehow.

“Can’t really know a person, likereallyknow them, from a simple online search.” Since she’d come back at my vinegar with sugar, I opted to not be a dick in response.

“How about we trade biographies, then? I should know a little more about you if we’re going to sell the marriage idea to your old man.”

Her nose wrinkled in repugnance. “First, you should know I call him The Asshole.” She used air quotes to describe dear old Dad, which was another cute thing for her to do that was fucking with me.

But I didn’t fall for cute. Well, to be fair, I didn’t fall at all.

“Noted.” My attention guiltily fell to my palm, knowing I’d never set a hand on this woman, not even if she begged. Not even a slap on that ass of hers. Okay, fuck,maybeif she begged. “And secondly?” I cleared my throat, trying to pull my head from the gutter, where hers had been earlier in her bedroom. Well, I was enough of an arrogant asshole to assume she’d imagined my cock in her mouth as a way to shut her up when I’d nearly said as much. The blush on her cheeks had told me she’d wanted that to happen, too.

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