Page 85 of Not Mine to Keep

Enzo:Ohhh. So, the opposite of a fight. Why’d you sleep in my old room then?

Me:Because it shouldn’t have happened. It was a mistake. But sharing a room with her after that—couldn’t do it.

Enzo:Because you’d want her again, and that scares you?

Me:I’m not answering that.

Enzo:You just did.

Enzo:You’re racking up quite the therapy bill with me, brother. Drinks for life on you.

Enzo:But in all seriousness, are you needing someone to tell you that what happened is okay? I get she’s part of the job, but who’s to say something can’t come of your relationship afterward?

Me:I’m killing her father the night she turns 30. She’s messed up about that, too. She slipped last week and showed her cards about how she really feels. She tries to act tough, but she’s all angel.

Except when she mouthed off to get a rise out of me. And when she was turned on and gave in to her desires. But I kept that to myself.

Me:I convinced her it’s okay to kill him, but I still know what that will do to her.

Enzo:So, basically what you’re saying is, you’re afraid SHE’S going to walk away from YOU. And you don’t want to get hurt.

Enzo:And before you say you can’t change—she’s already changed you. Well, more like she’s bringing you back to life.

The knock at my bathroom door stopped me from giving him myHell noresponse.

“You throwing up or something? You good?” Izzy. Of course she’d worry. Now that she worked at our family business, too, she played the role of Mom there. For everyone, in fact. Not just within our family.

“Be right out.”

Me:I have to go. Thanks for the mindfuck chat.

Enzo:Anytime. Later.

I pocketed my phone and went into my office to seebothConstantine and Izzy waiting for me. It was only shocking that my old man hadn’t joined them in their quest to ensure I was still working with a full deck and hadn’t completely lost it.

“What?” I barked out, misplacing my anger as I loosened my tie and dropped down behind my desk.

Izzy took a seat on the couch. She crossed her legs, and her one black heel dangled from her foot. The nervous little look she shot me had me even more on edge.

Constantine perched his hip on my desk, resting his forearm on his leg as he looked at me. “Hudson texted me during the meeting. I was about to excuse the three of us had you not made a run for it first.”

“So he told you?” I’d figured everyone in our office last night had heard, including half the Upper East Side, because Calliope’s moans had been less than quiet, but I’d never thought Hudson would call an emergency meeting over me having sex with my wife.

“Told me what?” Constantine’s brows shot up as he waited for me to continue.

“That I’m going to Nashville today,” I said on the fly.

Izzy secured her heel and stood. “Why?”

“First, tell me what Hudson said.” Clearly, his call hadn’t been about my sex life or my trip.

“It’s about Gabriel,” Izzy said softly.

I couldn’t handle much else today, and I was torn whether I wanted to stand or keep my ass seated in preparation for the bad news I felt coming my way. “Go on,” I rasped, my heart beating faster.

“He possibly found something,” Constantine said while standing, and he slipped his hand into his pocket. I was waiting for the “I told you so” look from him, but he didn’t give it to me. “Hudson discovered an anomaly in some CCTV footage from three weeks ago in Rome while retracing Gabriel’s movements over the last few months.”

“Someone hid the fact Gabriel was in Rome. Went so far as looping footage at the terminal the day of his arrival, and the next day when he departed,” Izzy added. “Hudson wanted to get to the bottom of it before he shared it with us.”

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