Page 48

Chapter 48

Juliette

“I know you plan to talk to your attorney about hiding the fact his son hit your granddaughter, but do me a favor, and let me have a word with him first.” Constantine’s voice was low and measured as he spoke with Giuseppe. “I have a few things to say to him myself.”

That was all the more reason to change schools, knowing Giuseppe’s granddaughter and his lawyer’s son went there as well.

No wonder Zach’s dad was so anxious to keep what happened from getting out to the public, especially to the police.

Full circle. No. Scratch that. Our lives were all starting to feel more interconnected than one loop. It was more like we were at the intersection point of an infinity symbol.

Everything had lined up in such a perfect way that this had to be God’s doing, and that gave me hope. Gave me confidence everything would truly be okay.

I blinked my way up Constantine’s long denim-clad legs, over his black T-shirt, and on up to his stern expression as he switched to Italian while talking to Giuseppe, now leaving me in the dark.

I glanced around the living room, checking for everyone else’s reaction since most were presumably fluent in Italian.

Alessandro and Enzo were near Constantine, their reactions impartial as they listened. Both were still armed, weapons holstered at their sides. Like Constantine, they carried themselves with power and authority. All of them radiated warrior vibes.

When Constantine silenced the speakerphone, ending the call and handing the phone back to his father, I couldn’t help myself. I struck my palms together twice, an awkward clap breaking the silence. “So, what’d he say?”

Constantine exchanged a quick look with Hudson, who stood beside his wife. When their eyes met, the slight drop in his shoulders sent unease skittering through me.

I doubted Hudson knew Italian, which meant he was probably as clueless as Colin and me about the conversation that had just taken place. And since Izzy was born here, unlike her brothers, how much did she understand?

Constantine’s gleaming eyes moved to me, giving me his focus as if it were only the two of us in the room. “Giuseppe knew more than he let on when we spoke earlier.”

“And?” I prompted, my anxiety speaking for me as it had the annoying habit of doing.

“He told me the real reason he agreed to allow Tommaso to go to that meeting with Jamie and Daniel at the rave.” His gaze cut briefly to his parents who were sitting next to Colin on the sofa. “A crime syndicate in Naples called in a debt to be paid. They didn’t tell Giuseppe why they needed his help, but they named-drop The League. Giuseppe was told his debt to them would be paid if he took the meeting with the Irish and helped them out however they needed.”

“By holding me hostage,” Colin said under his breath.

“Wait, Naples ?” Izzy’s eyes went wide. “You don’t mean?—”

“No, not them .” With a dismissive hand wave, Constantine shut down whatever Izzy was about to ask.

Well, that answered my question about her fluency in Italian. It was clearly not at the same level as the rest of her family.

I couldn’t help but notice the strange look passing between Constantine and his father as Salvatore stroked his beard, seemingly unnerved by something.

Well, I supposed there were a lot of somethings to be upset about. At this point, too many to count.

“Tommaso never heard Jamie and Daniel’s offer since I showed up at the rave for Colin. Giuseppe let the mafiosi in Naples know the deal was null-and-void due to my involvement.” Constantine impressively kept his tone matter of fact as I’d heard him do so many times now this weekend.

“You don’t believe Giuseppe, do you?” Enzo bit out. “If you’re suggesting Emilia’s the one who?—”

Izzy cut off her brother. “She’s not technically in charge in Italy anymore, remember? She gave up her spot, even her home there. Yeah, she’s stepped back in once or twice since she recused herself from the role, but she’s currently back in Ireland with her husband and baby, not in charge in Italy.” She blinked rapidly. “But, oh wait . . . shit. No, it can’t be. Can it?”

Izzy pulled out her phone and went to town typing.

I read the room, realizing everyone was patiently waiting for her to explain instead of asking her to translate her thoughts out loud.

This must have been the norm for her—for all of them.

“Hold on, Sebastian’s calling me,” Constantine announced before she could share her aha moment with the rest of us.

He held out the phone and placed the call on speakerphone. Hopefully, unlike Giuseppe, Sebastian would be speaking in English.

“Hey, you all there?” an Irish-sounding man asked—presumably this Sebastian guy—and Constantine confirmed we were. “There’s a League meeting here in Dublin for European leaders on Tuesday, so I flew in this evening. I’m not currently at The Sapphire, but I’ve been in touch with Sean and Emilia about what’s going on. Easton and Carter, as well. I can’t imagine anyone inside my organization trying to get their hands on that device. No one would be stupid enough to betray me.”

“Wait, did you say there’s a League leadership meeting?” Izzy strode closer to Constantine. “That can’t be a coincidence. The timing of this . . . that’s why he waited until this weekend to try and abduct Colin.”

What are you talking about? I looked around, and Colin twisted to the side on the couch to scan the room, too. I felt like we were two lost sheep in a room of border collies, and they needed to guide us on where to go.

“That you, Isabella?” Sebastian asked. “What are you talking about?”

At least I wasn’t alone in the confused department.

“Hey, yeah, it’s me.” Izzy lowered her phone to her side and let go of a deep breath. “Will Emilia’s current replacement in Italy, Carmello, be at that meeting?”

“Carmello will be, yes. He’s back in charge in Italy now that Emilia’s returned to Dublin with her family,” he answered. “But are you suggesting what I think you are?”

“I am,” she confirmed. “I guess Gwen didn’t have a chance to fully bring you up to speed. She’s working on confirming something for us, but now I’m convinced I have the answer.” She quickly glanced at Colin and then eyed the phone. “I believe Carmello had a son from an affair. With an Irish woman, actually. And he kept his son, Daniel O’Brien, a secret. I think Carmello is behind the plan to get his hands on the cyber wallet, originally looking to trade Colin for it.”

Colin stood, his face notably blanched. I cut through the room to reach him, offering him my support as I waited for the theorizing to continue.

“Maybe Carmello’s sick of Emilia handing over power, only for her to keep taking back the reins?” Izzy proposed. “And when Daniel mentioned Colin to him and that his uncle worked at the hotel with you . . . well, you catch my drift.”

I was finally starting to, at least.

Sebastian shot down her theory, rapid-firing details: “Carmello’s getting up there in age. He won’t be in power much longer. But Emilia does trust him. That’s just Emilia being, well, Emilia . Carmello was close friends with her father when her dad was in charge before he passed. She left him in charge for a reason, and he was properly vetted. He has nothing to gain from getting his hands on the cyber wallet. He’s wealthy and doesn’t need the money. Like I said, he’s old and ready to retire. I’m struggling to believe he’d betray us. He’d never be behind trying to restart The Alliance, either. Hell, he was involved in dismantling their organization. And his daughter, Aurora, is positioned to take over for him. He wouldn’t want to jeopardize her place within the organization like that.”

Chills coasted over my skin as I held Colin’s arm like a lifeline. I needed his steady strength as much as he relied on me for mine.

“What if Aurora found out she has a brother, and she’s worried her father will wind up leaving Daniel in charge of everything instead of her since he’s a male heir?” Salvatore spoke up for the first time, interjecting his thoughts. “What if Daniel has been talking to more than his father, but his sister, too?”

Izzy’s gaze volleyed back and forth between the phone in Constantine’s hand and her father. Another “oh shit” tumbled free from her mouth as Hudson came up alongside her, threading their fingers together as a quiet show of support. “Sebastian’s right. No one would betray him within The League. Nor would they ever assume they’d get their hands on the device.” She held her phone out, shaking it. “Create a problem. Provide a solution. Earn the king’s favor.”

Colin tugged free from my hold to place himself at the center of the room and in front of Izzy. “I was just another pawn. They never thought Sebastian would trade the wallet thing for me. They only needed everyone to think some asshole out there was stupid enough to try. Then they’d swoop in as the hero and ‘rescue’ me. Or, at least, ‘find’ where I was being held, so Sebastian could kill them all.”

Izzy’s eyes lit up as she nodded in agreement, then fleshed out his theory with more details. “Aurora set up her half brother to take the fall, and with The League meeting on Tuesday, that gives her cover, a reason for being in Dublin in the first place for the subterfuge to take place. Aurora will officially secure her position within The League when her father retires, not to mention get in Sebastian’s good graces in the process. It’s a total power play.”

“I don’t know. That’s . . .” Sebastian let his words hang for a moment. “Maybe. I suppose power, or maybe the fear of losing power and money, may be a strong motivator.”

“This was probably supposed to be a simple snatch and grab. Have the Sicilian mafia take you,” Izzy said to Colin, “and then have you transferred to Dublin for the trade. Then she’d orchestrate your save and be the hero.”

The side of Colin’s mouth lifted, eyes shooting to his father. “Then Dad showed up and effed up her plans thanks to Daniel’s lies and mistakes.”

“And with Giuseppe refusing to help her, Aurora had to outsource to those mercenaries to get Colin away from us,” Izzy continued. “She’s gone this far. She probably feels trapped. Like she has to see this thing through to get herself out of the mess she created.”

“I don’t know. Why not just kill her brother?” Enzo asked, speaking up for the first time, then he winced as if regretting the idea had ever crossed his mind.

“You mean, Cain and Abel it out?” Colin threw me for a loop with the unexpected Bible reference.

“Wouldn’t that be a hell of a lot easier to eliminate her competition?” Sebastian asked as if on the same page as Enzo.

“Aurora didn’t want to turn her brother into a martyr,” Izzy whispered, lightly shaking her head. “Or get pinned for his death by her father.”

“But what better way to ruin the image a father has of his son,” Colin said solemnly, eyes moving to his dad as his voice broke, “than for his son to turn out to be a disappointment?”