Page 14 of The Eagle's Vault

“Are we going to take the job? Think we can do it? No trace?” Isaac seemed more intent on hanging onto my every move than inspecting the vault. A stark contrast to his sister. It hit me then—Isaac was pretending. He was trying to keep up, hiding behind borrowed knowledge.

“I need to check with Scarlett.” Ripping my gaze away from the giggling women and the limp key, I pulled out my phone. “If Jayce and I are running things, we’ll be going for quick and easy methods. But if the team’s onboard, we’ll pull out the stops.”

Edoardo’s shoulders fell, a broad smile crossing his face. “Perfetto. Tell her I’m asking for no stops. Make it triple your price if you can do it without any trace and before we open Friday.”

It was Saturday morning. That gave me one week. Now he was toying with my ego.

Fine.

If Scar said no, I’d call Evelyn. She’d okay the job for Edoardo. Scar wouldn’t talk to me for a year, though. Maybe I should just ask nicely.

Chapter 6

Leigh

Sundayevening,IsaacandI made our way along a small pedestrian street by our hotel. It was clogged with people and we had to weave our way between them, dodging the occasional restaurant tables spilling onto the sidewalk. The whole way, he droned on about Edoardo’s vault, his all-day client meetings, and technical details he barely understood. I nodded in the right places, knowing my role.

I tuned in and out of his monologue. Cassaforte Caetani’s chain keys were all I could think about. A simple and yet complex design—they had Declan written all over them. Annoying. But they consumed every spare moment of thought since we visited Edoardo’s company yesterday morning.

“Hey, you listening?” Isaac nudged me, a playful grin tugging at his mouth. “Once I’m done with these meetings, we should take a tour of the catacombs. If you’re up for it?”

If I’m up for it?I swallowed a biting retort, settling for a sigh. All this fuss because we were in Rome and not Boston? Ridiculous. If I collapsed, someone in a city this size would call an ambulance.

“I think I can handle it,” I muttered, fighting against the urge to roll my eyes.

His chuckle grated. “You say that now, Leigh. But Dad’s right. If something happens, any delay could be… you know.”

I bit my tongue, mentally drafting a resume for every locksmith in New York City.Let’s see you try to dictate my life then.

Rounding a corner, strands of twinkling lights draped over a restaurant canopy welcomed us. It was the kind of restaurant I wanted to go to, but not with Isaac.

I wanted a man. One who looked at me with lust in his eyes and intentions on his mind. It was my primary plan for this trip—after I finished Edoardo’s safe repair—a grand adventure and a great Roman love affair.

It would be a way to slam the door shut on my past with Finn and launch into a new life. A new Leigh. It hadn’t even been a full week since we’d broken up. This trip had finally given me the courage to do it.

When Isaac was originally scheduled to come for the meetings, I’d confessed I wanted to go—Finn said no. Then Edoardo called and they needed me—and Finn insisted he join us. He’d said it was so he could see Rome, but I knew the truth. He wanted to keep an eye on me. When he’d brought it up and I paused, he’d raised his hand as though he was going to hit me.

He didn’t. But I got out that night.

Isaac’s lecture snapped me back. “Brain aneurysms can be—”

“Enough.” I folded my arms to hide the clenching fists. “It’s been twenty years.”

“But it increases your risk for the rest of your life.”

“I know.” I held up my arm, showing him the medical ID bracelet I’d worn every day since I’d woken after the car accident. Wasn’t staying in a hotel room by myself more of a risk than strolling through the streets? Of course, that wasn’t really the issue. They were all scared if I did anything other than read and work, that another one would magically appear. “Just promise me we can see everything I want to see before we have to leave?”

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “I promise, bug.”

Warmth spread through me at the old nickname. I had to appreciate the things Ididhave and not focus on what I didn’t. I needed patience.

As we got closer to the restaurant, my heart skipped a beat. Declan and Jayce sat at one of the outdoor tables with four others.

“Did you know they’d be here?” I asked.

“I didn’t.” Isaac’s eyes lit up. “Think that’s the rest of their team Declan was talking about?”

“Probably.” My stomach tightened when Declan’s eyes found mine. With a mock salute, he acknowledged me, the quirk of his lips stirring something deep in my core. I swallowed hard, heat spreading up my cheeks and down into my belly.

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