Page 103 of Not Mine to Keep

His concerned brows had me reassuring him. “That’s what happens when you’ve both made love and been properly fucked, I suppose.”

Clocking my chills, because the man didn’t miss a thing, he covered me, then groaned at his phone ringing. Must’ve still been in his pants pocket on the floor.

“Who’d call you at seven in the morning on a Saturday? Maybe you should answer,” I said when it appeared he had no plans to budge from our comfortable place.

“They can wait. I’m not ready to get up.”

“Just get off?” I teased.

“So fucking naughty.” He grabbed hold of me beneath the covers and tangled us up in a warm embrace. “And I’m here for it.” He kissed me, our tongues battling, and I knew where this would go.

But three more calls had me on edge, and him, too, because he stopped kissing me. “Give me a second. And don’t move. I want morning sex with my wife.”

Morning sex with my wife. Music to my ears.The view of my muscular, handsome husband walking naked to grab his phone was more than a pleasant way to start the day.

I not so shamelessly stared at those rock-hard glutes as he bent over to retrieve his phone and began touching myself. Yup, already soaking wet.

When he faced me with his phone now ringing from a fourth call, the worried look in his eyes killed the happy feelings swelling inside me. “It’s Hudson,” he remarked before bringing the phone to his ear.

I sat, back to the headboard, holding the comforter tight at the uneasiness crossing his face while he listened to whatever Hudson told him.

“I’ll be right there,” was all he said before ending the call.

“What’s wrong?”

He cupped his jaw, pointing his eyes toward the ceiling.

My nerves got the best of me and had me crying out, “What is it?”

“Hudson’s man watching your aunt didn’t check in at zero six hundred our time like he normally does every day. Hudson reached out to Gabriel—he couldn’t get ahold of their guy watching her, either.”

“What are you saying?” But I already knew what he was suggesting. Someone got the drop on my overprotective and cautious aunt. We’d corresponded via email two days ago, and she’d been fine and even bought my lies that everything was fine on my end as well.

“Hudson checked the footage from the cruise ship. She never reboarded from the port at the stop in Copenhagen yesterday, and neither did his guy or Armani’s.” He slowly dropped his eyes to meet mine. “He thinks Rocco sent his men to take her. I’m not sure how they found her, but he’s running facial recognition on every one of Rocco’s known associates at the local airport in Denmark.”

I pushed away the covers and stood, too stunned to truly process what he was telling me.

“I’ve been distracted. Hudson and The League suspected something was off because the Barones have beentooquiet about us.” He chucked his phone on the bed and tore his hands through his hair. “I’m so sorry. It’s my fault she was taken. I should’ve predicted this. Rocco is alwaysthree steps ahead of us somehow. He even knew Constantine was coming for his father four years ago and ...shit.”

“What is it?” I reached for his arm.

“He must have someone on the inside.” His scowl intensified, as if putting something together in his mind. “Of course he would. War is a disgustingly profitable business and—”

“What? Inside of where?”

“Gabriel was in Rome last month, and someone with advanced cyber skills hid the fact he was there.” Without further explaining, he eased free from my grip and grabbed his phone, making a call. “We need to talk on a secure line,” he rushed out a moment later. “And yeah, I know you have one.”

“Is that Gabriel?” I asked, terror still holding my normal voice hostage.

He nodded, barely waiting for the full ring on his cell to answer. “Who do you work for? What government agency? Because someone you’re working with is dirty. They just set us up, and they’re probably also looking to cash in on a new conflict in the Middle East.”

My hands trembled on my lap as Alessandro tore down the road in his Lamborghini. Javier and the others were doing their best to keep up with his pace, following behind us. If we didn’t get pulled over, it’d be a miracle.

He reached for my hand and gave it a quick squeeze before reaching for the gear-shift thing (or whatever it was called) to have us flying off an exit for Oyster Bay in Long Island—apparently, his parents’ other home in New York.

He’d called for his family to be assembled there like they were part of the Justice League, and he’d barely spoken two words to me since he’d ended his call with Gabriel in the bedroom.

“I don’t want to distract you while you’re driving this fast, but, um, if it’s safe to talk ...?” I peeked at him, catching his eyes before he focused back on the exit we were taking.

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