Page 33 of Not Mine to Keep

Ignoring me, he asked Gabriel, “How long do I have?”

Gabriel began, “Armani will go over the details, and you’ll still need to try and win him over in other ways, but Joseph Esposito’s wife turns forty tomorrow night, and they’re having a party in her honor. He wants Joseph and his right-hand man killed there.”

Keeping hold of his arm, I rasped, “You can’t be considering this. I won’t let you do it.” My body, mind, and my everything was wide awake now. The foggy haze of shock had also been lifted.

Alessandro looked me dead in the eye, and in a deep voice, he hit me with, “Scylla and Charybdis.”

I hung my head, letting go of my grip on his arm.The lesser of two evils.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Calliope

“I don’t need an outfit change. I don’t care if you think I’m a hot mess.” I waved off Frankie’s attempt to direct me up the stairs to change into something “more suitable”—his words—to meet with Armani.

A protective arm swooped behind my back as Alessandro stood on defense in the fancy foyer that could pass for the location of the stairway scene fromTitanic. “I’m not letting her out of my sight. She remains in what she’s wearing.”

“She’s safe here, I can assure you.” Gabriel jerked a thumb toward Leo. “He’ll escort her.”

“One of the guards back in Nashville betrayed Armani.” Alessandro’s hand curved around my side beneath the jean jacket. “I’m sure there’re more traitors beneath his own roof.”

“I’d give my life for Mr. DiMaggio,” Frankie hissed, and maybe I believed that. But would he for me? Doubtful.

When more men joined us in the foyer, the message was clear. If I didn’t willingly go, Alessandro would wind up playing bowling with the men in his attempt to knock them all down. And then Armani would kick him out, and I’d be on my own.

“I’ll go,” I said, turning to face him, but his hand stayed on my body, tracing the line of my waist with my movement. “It’s fine.”

“My wife’s upstairs in your room. She’ll help you out. Rosa went shopping for you,” Gabriel shared.

“I’ve got this,” I reassured Alessandro. Beneath the beyond-five-o’clock shadow of facial hair the man was now sexily sporting, his jaw visibly locked at the idea I’d be out of his sight.

“We’ll wait in my office for her to change before we meet Armani.” Gabriel cut over to our side, waiting for Alessandro to back down.

Judging by the hard look in his eyes, he wasn’t ready to budge.

“I’ll be okay.” I gave him a determined nod, hoping he’d believe me—and that it’d also be true.

“Fine.” He pulled his hand back, and I stepped away in search of Leo to lead the way. I forced myself not to glance back at Alessandro, afraid any more eye contact between us would have him chasing up the stairs after me.

Once in the bedroom Armani had designated as mine nearly a year ago, Leo closed the door, thankfully not joining me, and my attention went straight to the crescent-shaped window over the bed that had a view of the sea in the distance.

“Callie.” Rosa entered the room from the closet, carrying a black dress draped over her arm. “I’d say it’s good to see you, but ...”

I nodded in agreement, unsure if we were supposed to hug. She was close in age to me and had always been kind in the past, but she was married to Armani’s consigliere, and I couldn’t understand why a woman like her, a former teacher herself, would marry into the mafia. “Hi.” I finally managed to speak.

She set the dress on the red velvet sofa by the closet and crossed the room but didn’t attempt to gather me in her arms.

“This is crazy,” I whispered. “Marriage.”

Rosa swept a hand through her black hair. “Finché c’è vita c’è speranza.” She translated her words a moment later. “As long as there is life, there is hope.”

“Hope,” I said under my breath, feeling the need to cling to that word as much as possible, given my situation.

“Alessandro will keep you safe. Gabriel trusts him.” She toyed with the gold bracelets on her wrists, waiting for me to respond.

Was I supposed to say I trusted her husband? Finding Gabriel hard to hate was one thing, but trusting him just because of that was a stretch.

“You can’t marry Rocco.” She let go of her bracelets.

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