Page 110 of Not Mine to Keep

“There,” Rocco remarked, lifting his chin to point the direction we had to go—through a narrow and dark passageway.

I quickly knocked my NODs back in place so I could use my night vision to see in the dark, then grabbed hold of my brother with both hands and crouched even lower to fit through the snug entrance.

The fact Rocco hadn’t taken off on his own for his freedom once I was weaponless meant he had plans that involved keeping us alive.

“Ten seconds, why don’t I see you two yet?” Sebastian rasped over comms, not identifying himself.

I didn’t have time to think through what would happen next, or to answer Sebastian and tell him the plan, because the ground rumbled, and the regret I never told Calliope I loved her was the last thing on my mind before everything went dark.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Calliope

Oyster Bay, Long Island

My aunt was safe. Hudson and his team were fine. And the corrupt AISE agent had been arrested.

But nothing from my husband.

Not a word.

Holding my phone while waiting for him to call, I continued to pace the living room alone, unsure where everyone else was, but I knew no one was asleep. It was after midnight here but daylight now in Romania.

“Come on.” I checked my phone again. His last message to me had been three hours ago. Three freaking hours. He’d said he’d be on a plane within two.

When I looked up, catching sight of Izzy and her mother standing at the edge of the room with tears in their eyes and pale faces, my phone slipped from my hand.

“What happened?” I asked as Enzo and his father joined us.

“We finally spoke to The League,” Enzo said, his voice strained, and when he came farther into the room, his bloodshot eyes had me taking two steps back.

“What?” The word rattled free between my clenched teeth, and my hands knotted at my sides.

“Constantine and Alessandro were still inside the compound when a missile took out ... took out the ...” Enzo slammed his hand over his mouth, unable to finish, and I couldn’t connect the dots that were left hanging in the air.

“No.” I whipped my hands up and pushed the words away instead. Jedi’d them right to hell.

When my mother-in-law turned to Izzy and began sobbing, Izzy hugged her, and that officially destroyed me. Cut my legs from under me, and I fell to my knees, then to all fours. Searching for air. For life. For a reason to want to keep breathing.

“We don’t know anything for certain,” Mr. Costa snapped out.

I lifted my chin to see Enzo’s long jeaned legs before me. “What do we know?”

“Sebastian and his people are searching for them, even though it’s still ... Well, the fires aren’t all out yet. Before the missile struck, Alessandro had said he was working on finding a way out, but Sebastian doesn’t think he found one.” Enzo crouched closer to eye level. “He believes whoever hired the Barones to start up a new conflict in the Middle East was alerted to the compound breach, and they had eyes on the place and a contingency plan: take out the compound to destroy the evidence.” I had no clue how he was remaining so steady. So focused on my eyes without crying himself as he got through answering me.

“But maybe he did make it out but couldn’t tell him?” I blinked back tears of denial.

Enzo reached for my shoulder and bowed his head, and his chest broke forward with movement as if he were about to lose it. He brought his other fist over his mouth while closing his eyes. “They were definitely inside. Their teammates had eyes on the property just before the missilestrike. They didn’t make it out. At least not aboveground.” At that, he let go of me and pushed upright.

I forced myself to sit, falling back on my heels. My eyes fell to the rings on my finger. “Alessandro said the Barones were always ahead of ...” Where was I going with this? I looked up at their father, who was still standing like a statue of shock. “The Barones would have an escape plan, wouldn’t they? Somehow The League must not have known about it.” My hand went to my stomach, and now wasn’t the time to throw up, dammit.

“I want to think that,” Enzo said, facing me again while thumbing away tears. He looked over at his mom and sister still crying. “It’s the one time I want to believe they were one step ahead of us ... but why hasn’t anyone reached out?”

“Unless the research I sent them was right? What if ...?” I thought back to my research. “Constan?a is one of their oldest seaports, and, um, during the Romanian War of Independence, to break from the Ottomans, there were elaborate tunnels built all over the city, leading to the sea to help bring troops and supplies.”

Mr. Costa finally budged from his fixed position, coming over to offer his hand. I allowed him to help me rise. I wasn’t sure if Alessandro had filled them in on my research, or just his team back in Romania—but considering how Enzo was looking at me like I’d lost it, I doubted they knew.

“During World War One, the tunnels were used again,” I continued, refusing to believe I was grasping at straws. No, Alessandro and his brother had made it out; there had to be tunnels. No other option was acceptable. “What if the Barones chose that location for a reason?”

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