Page 36 of Not Mine to Keep

I still needed to get the bullet points on The League and who the hell they were, but now I knew Alessandro’s father had a connection to them.

“The League broke their truce with The Alliance, or have you forgotten?” Marcello scowled.

Alessandro seemed content to let the three of them go back and forth without getting involved yet, and considering he had Gabriel fighting his war for him right now, it was probably the smart play.

“The Alliance killed my brother. My nephew.” Armani’s words had Marcello’s attention. “Or have you forgotten?” He paused for a moment. “And it was The Alliance that first violated the pact with The League, prompting war between the two.”

“I’m prepared to speak on The League’s behalf today and offer your organization the same deal they had with The Alliance,” Alessandro finally said, catching me off guard. “If you don’t break the deal, there will be peace. Your people can stop looking over your shoulder and worrying about them coming after you.”

“Why you?” Armani slapped his hands to the table. “Why would you want this?”

“Non c’è luce senza oscurità.” My knees about buckled at Alessandro throwing Armani’s words to me back at him. “There will always be evil in this world. Corruption and crime. With The Alliance gone, someone will attempt to fill their spot. You’re the lesser of two evils.”

Damn that phrase.

“We’d rather it be someone we know at the least has a moral code.” Alessandro let go of me to lift his palms in the air as if offering a truce. “If you force your daughter to marry a monster, then you’re turning your back on your family’s legacy.”

“But whyyou, in particular? I did my research. You’re not the marrying type.” Yeah, it wouldn’t have taken Armani much googling to draw the same conclusion I had Saturday night, based on there always being a different woman on Alessandro’s arm in photos. “Gabriel tells me you owe him your life, but I find it hard to believe a man like you would marry into the mafia to cancel out a debt.”

I peeked at Alessandro, and his jaw was locked tight as he stared back from across the room.

“As for me marrying your daughter”—he turned to find my eyes—“it’d be a business deal, and we all benefit from the arrangement.” His tanned throat moved with a deep swallow before he focused back on Armani. “I don’t need your money or your power. Consider me the sacrificial lamb. I’m being offered as a gesture of good faith. The Leaguewill only make this deal if someone they trust is within your organization, and you’ll know that they’d never break their side of the pact if I’m here as well.”

Sacrificial lamb?My stomach turned, hating I had to be quiet about my own life. But I had to keep my aunt safe.

“But do you want to marry her?” Why did Armani care? It wasn’t like he was asking me the same freaking question. The asshole.

“Yes,” Alessandro bit out, his arm going behind my back again, and it was the first time Armani left the head of the table to approach us. He walked by Gabriel, who still had his gun in his hand as if itching to take out Marcello.

Standing face-to-face with Alessandro, Armani narrowed his eyes. “Then take out the head of the Esposito family, as well as his right-hand man, and I willconsideryou as an option.”

“Consider it done,” Alessandro responded without hesitating.

“Tomorrow night, Esposito’s wife turns forty. He’s throwing her a surprise party. Do it there. Be sure his wife is the one to find her husband’s dead body, too.” Armani took a step back, his gaze sliding over me. “After that, we shall talk. And I’ll need reassurances from Emilia Calibrisi of the Italian League that she’s on board with the deal.”

“What about me? Do I get a say in any of this?” Shit, I’d been doing so good at keeping quiet.

“My guess is Gabriel, who clearly has a soft spot for you, especially since he went to his old friend to marry you instead of the suitor Marcello recommended ... has already told you that your options are limited.” He reached for me as if about to cup my cheek, and I flinched and startled back.

“My aunt Tia, is she okay?”

Armani lowered his hand. “From what my man says who followed her, she’s having the time of her life on her cruise. She’ll stay unaware of your situation if you do as I ask.”

“Wouldn’t hurting her break your moral code?” I doubted I could reason with him, but I had to try.

“In life, there are unfortunate accidents. She just might fall off the ship. Or the brakes might stop working in her car.” He kept his dark eyes locked on me. “Do you understand?”

I forcibly nodded, doing my best not to snap and hit the bastard. But knowing him, he’d like it. He’d say that was the darkness inside me trying to break free.

“You have a plane to catch, Alessandro. A plan to put together,” Armani said casually.

“I’m not leaving her here alone.” Alessandro’s hand left my waist so he could link our palms together. I gulped and looked down at him holding my hand, feeling something akin to comfort from his touch despite where we were.

The hand-holding even caught Armani’s eyes. “She’s safe here. And not safe anywhere near the Espositos in Rome.”

Alessandro kept hold of me, peering at Marcello as he stated, “I won’t leave as long as he shares a roof with her. He has the most to gain from her death, more so than Esposito.”

“I’ll cut your tongue out for that,” Marcello warned.

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