Page 75 of Stealing His Christmas Present

“And you want me to go alone to that club with you? What if you’re setting up a trap for me? What if it’s me who you’re lying to?”

“If I wanted you dead, I would’ve killed you right now and here. Why wait? Honor and code be damned. I’ll be in the club with you. Your men will kill me if I make a move against you. You can tell anyone you want about our plan. Anyone you trust. They’ll know it if I betray you, and they’ll hunt me down.”

He smacked his lips together. “It’s a crazy plan, but it just might work. Everyone believes you’re after money and power like pretty much everyone around here. What are you going to tell Giacomo? That I’m the biggest threat and that you’ll blame my death on Benjamin?”

“Something like that. He’ll believe it. You’re the heir to the Casadei empire. If anything happened to you, your family would be devastated and distracted.”

“All right. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we have a deal.” He reached into his jacket and pulled out a torn piece of paper. “Here.”

“What is that?” I stared at the number scribbled on the note.

“Claudia’s number.”

“I can’t call her.”

“Why not?”

“I can’t tell her what’s going on, and you can’t tell her either. She’ll worry too much, even more if she knows what we’re up to. There are spies everywhere too. And if something happens—”

“So you do love her.” Lorenzo chuckled.

I did.

I loved her.

I loved her more than anything in the world, and I’d do anything for her.

Maybe, if I survived all this, and when it was all over, I’d get to tell her that.

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