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I sighed, ready to paint him the picture I knew he was waiting for. “We were all in the conference room…”
“I’m not going to the jungle,” Cazzo argued. “I don’t care who this Rafe guy is. He mysteriously calls us out of the blue, claiming to have an attachment to Cash, but won’t reveal what it is? I don’t buy it for one minute.”
“Look, I know this is a shit job,” Cap sighed, hanging his head as he leaned his fingertips on the table. “Cash has really pulled through for us over the years. Rafe made it pretty damn clear that this job could go nowhere near him, that it would somehow put his wife in danger.”
“Eva?” Florrie asked. “Isn’t she the one that practices with the crazy one with throwing knives?”
“Whatever their relationship is, the job is legit,” Cap continued. “We’re looking to recover a stolen gem. It’s said to be worth more than your life.”
“Why can’t Cash be involved in that?” I asked.
“I don’t know the reason, but Rafe was pretty insistent. Either way, I checked into the missing stone. Other than the value of the gem, I’m not sure why he needs it recovered so desperately but he’s willing to pay handsomely for it.”
“Ooh,” I held up my hand. “I vote that my team goes. We’re the best team for the job.”
“Bullshit,” Lola argued. “If a gemstone is missing, you need a woman to go down to validate it’s real. I think Knight and I should go down.”
“Now, Lola,” Knight sighed. “I’ve already told you that I’m through with that stuff. I promised Kate.”
“Kate is tired of your ass. She needs you to go.”
Knight sighed, placing his hands on his hips. “You’re right. I have to do it for her. She wouldn’t want me to leave my team in the clutches of whatever the jungle might throw at them. This is a sacrifice I must make.”
“No, it is I that should go down there,” Chance announced. “I’ve been in this position before. I have seen the seedy underbelly of this world, and I won’t expose any of you to it. Well, besides the rest of my team,” he clarified.
“Alright, enough of that shit,” Rocco cut me off.
“Hey, I was in the middle of telling an amazing story, and you just barged into my scene.”
“Yeah,” he snorted. “It was a scene, alright. And a terrible one at that.”
“Then what really happened?” Cap asked. “And don’t give me any more bullshit stories. I want the truth this time.”
I thought my story was pretty damn good, but since no one was interested in my flair for the dramatic, I waved for Rocco to continue. It wouldn’t be nearly as dramatic and cinematic as my version, but he could probably be trusted to get the job done.
20
ROCCO
“Fine,” I said, stepping forward. “I’ll tell it since this dipshit obviously can’t handle it.”
I glared at Sinner one last time before shoving him away from the seat and planting my ass down so Cap could see me. I steepled my fingers in front of me as I considered how best to say this.
“Look, Cap. We’ve all been there. Relationships are hard.”
“What does this have to do with the job?”
I blew out a breath and leaned back, staring up at the night sky. “So much, Cap. It was both the beginning and the end for us…”
I pressed my hand to Brook’s belly as I kissed her on the lips. In only seven short months, we’d have a baby Rocco on the way. “Baby, I love you so much.”
“I love you, too, Rocco. Be careful, and remember what I told you about your job.”
I nodded. “Kick some ass and make sure I’m home for dinner.”
She smiled up at me with those gorgeous eyes that nearly had me tossing aside the brown paper lunch bag she packed for me, scooping her up into my arms, and calling off work for the day. “I almost forgot. I signed your revised copy of the Relationship Rulebook. I really liked that addition about giving you twenty minutes when you get home from work before we speak. I think it will be wonderful for us.”
“I’m glad you agree.”