Page 37 of Not Mine to Keep

“I’d like to see you try,” Alessandro snapped out. When Marcello started our way, Gabriel blocked his path.

“Marcello will leave when you do,” Armani announced, and when Marcello began hissing something in Italian, Armani turned his attention toward him, motioning to the other guards, who’d previously been shadowy protectors hanging back quietly in the room.

“You can’t be serious.” Marcello looked around Gabriel, meeting my eyes. “They’re the ones trying to deceive you. You shouldn’t trust them. Any of them.” He switched to Italian, then turned and left, taking most of the negative, bad energy with him.

Once Marcello was gone from sight, two guards following him out at Armani’s directive, Alessandro remarked, “You’re making the right decision.”

“I guess we’ll soon find out.” Armani gave me one quick look, then gestured for Alessandro to get going.

Alessandro kept hold of my hand, and we walked through the maze of halls to get outside. Gabriel hung back behind us like a safety net, and only once we were by one of the parked Escalades did Alessandro let go of my hand. “I hate to leave you.”

“You don’t have a choice. My aunt’s life is on the line now.”

“I programmed my number in your phone.” Alessandro frowned. “Check in with me, okay?”

“When did you do that?” I arched a brow, trying to remember a point where he’d had access to my phone.

“On the plane when you were in the bedroom, tossing and turning.”

I thought about asking him how he also knew I hadn’t slept a wink but instead went with, “And how’d you know my password?”

“Your birthday.” He shook his head. “You should change it. Too obvious.” He looked over at Gabriel, who was near the front of the house, then faced me again.

“This isn’t how I thought things would go in there, but it, um, went okay, right? He’s giving you a chance. Trusting Gabriel over that asshole Marcello,” I admitted, trying to refocus. “But you still have to kill for me, and I feel sick about that.”

“Lesser of two evils,” he reminded me. “No choice. Let’s just hope he continues to believe a deal with The League is better than one with the Barone family.”

Clutching the blanket to my chest, grateful for it given the chills whipping up my spine, I murmured, “I guess I’ll be asking Gabriel to clue me in on this mystery group while you’re gone.”

“Maybe stay in your bedroom as much as possible? I’ll be back tomorrow night after it’s done.”

After it’s done?How was he talking about killing a man at his wife’s birthday party so casually? But it was to save me. Save Tia.So yeah, lesser of two evils.“I should be the one telling you to be safe.”

“You don’t need to worry about me.” He reached out as if to run his fingers through my hair and offer me reassurances, but then hesitatedand lowered his arm to his side. “If for some reason something happens to me, my family will come for you. They’ll protect you if I can’t.”

I lost hold of the blanket at his words, and he snatched it as fast as he’d done with the towel yesterday in my bedroom. “Wait, what?”

He wrapped it back around my body, drawing himself close in the process. “Don’t worry; if you have to marry Hudson or Constantine instead of me, they’ll take good care of you.”

But the way his brows slanted and his eyes narrowed told me that idea pained him to even say.

“Don’t,” I cried out.

With the blanket covering me again, he asked with a confused look, “Don’t what?”

I squeezed my eyes closed. “Die on me.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Alessandro

Rome, Italy

“Why the hell haven’t you messaged yet?” Irritated, I about launched my phone out the open balcony door inside my hotel room. It was the tenth time I’d felt some strange and uncomfortable pit of disappointment in my stomach when looking at my phone and seeing no text from her.

Had I not been clear enough that I wanted to hear from her? Like every hour on the fucking hour?

Could I call her? Text her? Sure. But I’d never had to follow up with a woman before and wasn’t in the mood to start. Hell, the only women I checked in on happened to share my blood.

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