Page 70 of Not Mine to Keep

Reluctantly, I went ahead and told my sister about buying the guitar, which had been a lot more challenging than I’d let on—the man had practically wanted my kidney in return.

“What were you thinking, getting her that guitar?” Izzy stared at me with wide eyes. “Do you want her to fall in love with you?”

“Of course not!”

“Well then, next time you think about some grand gesture, run it by me first.”

“And next time you’re undercover,” I countered, tossing her own words at her, “maybe run the whole making-out-with-our-friend thing by us first.”

“Made out with who?” Constantine rasped, and Izzy startled and looked over to see him filling the doorway.

“No one.” She swung her attention back around, a plea in her big brown eyes to keep my mouth shut. I gave her a quick nod, and she stood.

“Hudson will be here soon,” Constantine said, “and then we can go over the plan we discussed on the flight that you missed out on.”

Right.I’d been on the other jet and hadn’t yet heard their thoughts on how we’d take out both Rocco and Armani before summer’s end. I had my ideas, but I was curious to hear theirs.

“Can we have a second alone?” I asked Izzy, tipping my chin toward Constantine.

She gave me her signature don’t-screw-me-over eyes, not wanting me to mention the kiss, then left the office.

“What was that all about?” Constantine went to the bar cart and poured his preferred brand of Kentucky bourbon.

“Nothing.” I stood and rounded the desk to accept the glass he’d extended. “We haven’t had a minute alone since the club in Rome, and it couldn’t have been easy on you to walk away from Rocco. How are you doing?”

“I’m great.” He perched his hip on the side of my desk and kept his eyes on the bar cart. “You all care more about what he did to me four years ago than I do.” I highly doubted that, but I wasn’t going to argue. “Your restraint in not killing him when you had the chance shows how much you care about Callie.”

“I barely know her.” I finished the drink a little too quickly and grabbed the bottle and added more to my glass. “She’s my assignment, and our opportunity to take out Rocco and his father.”

“You’re married,” he said in disbelief, and yeah, you and me both. “I still can’t believe it. But with any luck, you won’t need to stay marriedall summer. We have a plan to help get that ring off your finger much sooner.”

Thathad my attention.

“If that’s what you want?”

I laughed, and oddly, it felt forced. “Of course that’s what I want.”

He casually sipped his drink, then pushed away from the desk, his gaze shooting to the door. Hudson was in the hall now and talking with Izzy. “Something I should know about them?”

“No. Izzy was just being Izzy.” I’d take a bullet for my sister both literally and metaphorically, so it would seem. “All good.” I caught her eyes and waved them in, giving them the okay it was safe to join us. Not that I really accepted Constantine’s answer about being “great,” given the Rocco situation, but I knew not to press. “So what’s this plan that’ll get me out of the marriage faster?”

Instead of answering, Izzy went to my bar and poured herself wine and Hudson whiskey. Did this plan require liquid courage to be shared? Why were they stalling?Andall looking at me like I was the subject of an investigation. I reached for the knot of my tie, forgetting I’d already removed it on the drive over from the other office an hour ago.

“Do I need to sit for this or something?” I asked, uneasiness burrowing into my stomach.

“How do you feel about using Callie’s thirtieth birthday as the bait to draw Rocco to us?” Izzy pitched the idea. “A joint birthday party for the two of you since you’re forty on the twenty-first, too. Invite Armani and Marcello as a little peace offering to the party as well.”

“And at the party, we frame Rocco for Armani’s death,” Hudson tacked on casually, eyes meeting mine as he spoke. “Andattemptedmurder of Callie.”

Use my wife as bait for a psychopath?I was okay with being bait, but I wanted her to be far away from me when that time came. With The League now watching Rocco’s every movement, I’d fortunately be able to anticipate his arrival and hide her away for safekeeping from the sick bastard.

Constantine joined in on the conversation and said, “The plan was always to kill Armani and Marcello to set Callie free by turning the reins over to Gabriel, correct?”

“This idea kills two birds with one stone,” Izzy said before I could answer. “We make it look like Rocco was pissed Armani betrayed the deal to unite the families and wanted revenge by going after the DiMaggio organization.”

“Then we’ll get retribution for Armani and Marcello’s murders by killing the Barones,” Hudson said casually. “There shouldn’t be any concerns you or Callie were tied to their deaths. Then she’ll pass the power over to Gabriel, you’ll get a divorce, and she can live her life as she did before.”

I went around to my desk, needing to sit. It was a good plan. The idea of blaming Rocco had crossed my mind, especially when Armani had asked whether Rocco would be a problem for me before the wedding. But the time frame ... and placing her in potential danger threw me off. I didn’t want that sick fuck breathing the same air as her.

---