Page 44 of Not Mine to Keep

Me:You need to stop apologizing. And you’re helping me just fine.

Callie:How?

Me:Because now I’m in the mood to commit murder.

Three Hours Later

Standing by the bar, the drinks courtesy of my new enemy, the Esposito family, I waited for the bartender to pour the whiskey, catching sight of Hudson and Izzy at a booth at my three o’clock. They were focused on the band doing a cover of a U2 song, and Sean’s brother was on the keyboard behind a mic.

Ethan had come through for us, providing a heads-up on how many security guards we’d be up against.

As for Enzo, he’d discreetly smuggled me a knife ten minutes ago while refreshing the food on Level Two of the club. I’d soon be using the blade tucked at my back beneath the suit jacket to cut Esposito’s throat.

Izzy had already hacked into the security system, and she had the cameras available on her smartphone; she’d been relaying information to us over comms since we’d arrived. Everything was going as planned. Zero hiccups. And there was always at least one, and that had me nervous for when it would happen.

I brought my wrist near my mouth to talk over my comm. “This is Four. One, how are we on time?” I wasn’t accustomed to just a number as my call sign, but that’d been the agreed-upon way of referring to ourselves. Constantine also wasn’t used to being second-in-command, but we had to play nice with The League, and Sebastian was “One” tonight.

“This is One. Almost ready for the distraction to take place.”

“Roger that,” I replied before accepting the drink from the bartender. “And Six”—my sister’s number tonight—“you have eyes on you. At your six o’clock. Put down your phone for a second and look like a couple.”

There weren’t many people on the dance floor blocking my path to them, so it was easy to make out Hudson peering my way as if unsure he wanted to follow my directive.

When he didn’t make a move, my sister did it for him. She set a hand to his cheek, then decided to drive me nuts by slanting her lips over his, and the poor guy didn’t have much of a choice now. Thank God it was me in the room with them and not Constantine.

“Not what I meant,” I grumbled over comms at the sight of my baby sister making out with a guy a decade older than her. When Hudson slipped a hand into her hair, further selling a kiss that no longer needed to be sold, I rasped, “Heat is gone. You’re good.” When neither backed off, and I was worried my sister was seconds away from climbing onto his lap, forgetting this was an act, I snapped out, “Six, back off.”

“Fuck,” Hudson said loud enough to be heard over comms after detaching himself from my sister.

“This is Two. Everything okay there?” Constantine cut over the line.

“Everything’s fine,” Izzy remarked, scooting back in the booth, placing a little distance between herself and Hudson now, while snatching her phone from the table.

“Status check.” I nearly forgot my alias that time, still shaken up by that fake kiss that didn’t look all that fake. Nor the near heart attack it almost gave me.

“This is Three,” Sean said. “Distraction is now in effect. We’re clearing a path for you. You can move into position now.”

“Roger that.” I set aside the drink and did my best to casually walk by my sister and Hudson’s table for the spiral staircase off to the side of the stage. Two guards rushed to the fight breaking out in one of the other rooms that Sean and Sebastian had arranged to happen.

“There are a lot of hallway-like tunnels between you and your target location. I’ll guide you to the HVT.” Izzy’s voice popped into my ear as I climbed the steps, and I had to suppress a smile at hearing my sister use military jargon. I wasn’t sure if Esposito qualified as a “high-value target,” like the kind I’d hunted for the government both during and after the army, but I supposed tonight he was our HVT if I wanted to marry Callie.

Want? More likehaveto marry her.

“Take a left when you’re at the top of the stairs,” Izzy directed me. “Then hang a right down the next hall.”

So far, the Espositos hadn’t shown their faces at their own party and had remained in a private room on Level Two that apparently would take me walking through a maze to locate. Thank God for something. Who the hell had designed a club like this, anyway?

“This is One. We’ve got the left side of Level Two clear for your passage.”

“Five, time to make your bathroom trip,” Constantine told Hudson.

I hated leaving Izzy alone, but we needed to quietly take down as many guards as possible before word got to Esposito that he was in danger, and we’d need Hudson’s help to do that.

“This is Five. On the move now,” Hudson confirmed.

I followed Izzy’s first set of directions, keeping myself out of sight from the cameras, then she rattled off the next set of directions.

So far, no sounds of gunfire competing with the band, which I’d take as good news in trying to keep our presence unknown until the very last minute.

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