Page 42 of Not Mine to Keep

I shoved my hands into my pockets, trying to remain grounded. Calm. “After Gabriel took out a sniper seconds away from killing me on our mission to get the Barones four years ago, he helped find out where Rocco was keeping Constantine. If it wasn’t for him, Dad never would’ve been able to negotiate your release with Claudio Barone.”Rocco would’ve finished you. And I’d be without two siblings.

“Why’d he do that?” Izzy whispered. “Gabriel chose the dark side. How’d he get involved in your mission for Uncle Sam? Why help?”

“I’m sure he had his own motives, as he does now.” Not that he’d revealed them back then when I’d pressed. Enzo steadied his eyes on me, as if worried I was misplacing my trust and faith in a criminal.Maybe I am?“Lesser of two evils in this case after Armani dies.”The theme of this fucking mission.And it was starting to feel like the theme of my life.

“If we’re going through with the plan tomorrow, and this insanity that you plotted behind my back to marry Armani’s daughter,” Constantine began, heading for the bar, “then no more secrets. Are we clear?” He filled three glasses with Macallan and turned toward us.

“Crystal,” I remarked in a low tone while accepting what felt like a peace offering from him, and I tossed back the whisky like it was a shot.

“You’re sure Rocco Barone is really in the mix?” Enzo stood, took the tumbler, and swirled the liquid around. “What if Gabriel’s using him as bait to draw you into his plan, knowing you couldn’t resist the chance to get to Rocco?”

“I guess we’ll soon find out if I’m a horrible judge of character or not,” I said under my breath, then refilled my glass. Two fingers of whisky instead of the one Constantine had poured.

“Yeah, well, I’d like to work on more than just gut instinct and the ‘we’ll find out’ approach.” Constantine set his eyes on Hudson. “After this op ends tomorrow, do a deep dive into Gabriel’s background. I want to know everything he’s been up to in the last four years since he supposedly saved our lives.”

Hudson nodded, then focused my way with an apologetic shrug. Maybe Constantine was right, though. I’d been worried my brotherwouldn’t be able to think clearly with Rocco in the mix, and I was the one thrown off instead.

“You’re seriously going to marry this woman?” Constantine asked me.

The idea of marriage had my throat constricting. Body growing tense. “I don’t have a choice.”

“There’s always a choice,” Constantine said, his tone less vinegar this time. “Say the word, and we find another way to protect her. And if Rocco’s really in the picture, we’ll get to him, too.” My confident and rock-steady big brother was showing his true self right now. There was a reason he was often in charge of our ops: aside from being the eldest—along with having the most experience in war, apart from Hudson—it was his ability to remain objective.

I should’ve trusted him from the beginning with the truth about the call from Gabriel. Maybe it was me who’d lose my cool if in the same room with Rocco.

“No.” My shoulders collapsed. “Calliope’s mine.” I blinked at the realization of what I’d said instead of what I’dmeantto say. “My responsibility.” I cleared my throat and faced the room. “That’s what I meant.”

Izzy exchanged a look with the ever-quiet Hudson for whatever reason before finding my eyes, a slight smirk touching her lips. “Sure you did.” Then, damn her, she winked.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Alessandro

“I’m not a fan of bringing my brother in on this, but I’d like to have someone else on the inside before the party starts.” Sean McGregor looked up from the laptop where the architectural blueprints for tonight’s venue were displayed. We’d be going into an underground club with too many tunnels for our liking. “You won’t have a chance to meet Ethan before we head out, though.”

“Do you not trust me?” Enzo rounded the table in the living room to face off with the Irishman.

The blond stared right back at my brother without batting a fucking eyelash. Guess he could hold his own or else Emilia Calibrisi wouldn’t have married him.

“I’ll be there as part of the catering staff,” Enzo added, as if Sean had forgotten the alias he’d provided my chef brother.

Sean smirked, letting my brother know he didn’t intimidate him with those dark eyes and the marks of death tattooed all over his arms. “If we didn’t trust you, we wouldn’t be in this bloody room with you now.” He angled his head to his “teammate,” if that’s what they called each other. He was probably the only man who could ever give Enzo pause.

There were “dark vibes,” and then there was Sebastian Renaud. The man was the walking epitome of “don’t fuck with me, or else.” I couldn’t help but admire that, though.

Sebastian looked around the living room at all of us and casually scratched his bearded jawline. “Sean’s brother’s not League, but Ethan’s agreed to help, and you should be thankful for any help we’re offering.” His tone was void of emotion. Just laying out the facts.

“And what’s his cover story? Why him?” Of course Izzy wasn’t intimidated by the man. That worried me, actually. It may have also explained her poor choice in men.

“Musician on the side,” Sean said. “Ethan’s already rehearsing with the band playing in the main room of the club tonight.”

Sebastian peered at my sister and explained, “We arranged for one of their band members, along with their backup, to fall ill.”

“I don’t even want to know how you did that.” Izzy waved her hand his way. She really was like my brothers and me—the backbone, right along with being too brave for her own good. (It had gotten us into trouble here and there over the years, like with Rocco Barone.)

“I’m still not a fan of Izzy’s alias.” Especially the fact she had one at all. Normally, she sat a safe distance away from our missions. She was never directly involved.

“You mean her being Hudson’s girlfriend tonight?” Enzo asked. “Or her going into the club at all?”

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