Page 56

Chapter 56

Constantine

Dublin, Ireland

“Does your brother have a thing for Gwen?” I whispered into Juliette’s ear.

Juliette followed my gaze to Gwen sitting beside Easton on the couch opposite us, cracking up at something he said.

At the moment, it was just the four of us in Sean and Emilia’s living room. The oversized stone fireplace cast a glow across the space, illuminating the deep-blue furnishings and dark wood paneling, which gave the space an old-world charm. Floor-to-ceiling windows framed the view of the sprawling countryside estate, where mist rolled over the gardens.

“I don’t know. Maybe?” Juliette responded, her tone laced with amusement. Keeping her voice down so they wouldn’t overhear, she added, “Not that he’ll ever act on it with Wyatt as her father and Gwen being over twelve years younger than him.”

“Hmm, I don’t know.”

I might not have been the best judge of who should date, but I did know what a man looked like when he wanted a woman. I’d missed the signs in the beginning with Hudson, but that was . . . well, different. And I hadn’t needed more than two days around Easton and Gwen to realize something was brewing between them.

“I guess we’ll have to wait and find out.” Juliette patted my arm twice, then snuggled against me, shutting her eyes and drawing her knees up, using my chest as a pillow.

We were all beat. Maybe a nap wasn’t the worst idea in the world.

God, I was getting old. I supposed Gwen and Easton’s banter could serve as our white noise. I rested my head back, closing my eyes to steal a few minutes before the room filled again.

Upstairs, Colin and Lennon were playing pool with my sister and Hudson while Emilia and Sean tried to get their baby down for a nap. The faint sound of footsteps and the occasional clink of billiard balls reminded me the house was still full.

It was only our second night staying there, and we hadn’t seen Sebastian, Carter, or Wyatt since we’d arrived in Ireland. The three of them had been off tying up loose ends, and while I was grateful for their help, guilt gnawed at me for not being out there with them.

But according to nurse’s orders —a.k.a. the woman curled up next to me—I was not allowed to “go running around town and help take down bad guys” yet. (Her words, most definitely not mine.)

Her hovering over me like a newborn, making sure I was still breathing, had made it a hell of a lot harder to secretly plan for her birthday. We’d be spending it in Scotland, not that she knew yet.

Still, I was feeling much better. Ten times better than I had on Monday after drowning. There was no need for her to keep coddling me.

Or for my pain-in-the-ass brother to suddenly morph from chef to nurse overnight. Enzo had been all over me ever since I’d died , driving me insane. I had to kick him out of the house—out of the damn country, in fact—to get him out of my hair.

I’d reminded him he had another brother to bother. One who’d just had a kid. I told him to get back to the States and help Alessandro learn to swaddle a baby and change diapers. Maybe teach him not to handle his kid like a live grenade about to detonate, echoing Callie’s words over FaceTime yesterday about my brother.

Fortunately, Alessandro had made it home in the nick of time. Thank God. Quite literally, too. Alessandro made it to the hospital ten minutes before Callie delivered. They’d welcomed a healthy son, Elijah, to the family.

They’d chosen a biblical name in honor of the miracle that had happened in Italy. A nice gesture. Although, our mother was still holding out hope one of us would name our kid after Dad one day. Doubtful that’d be happening.

Speaking of kids. I had two to worry about for the next sixty days. Pending some legal paperwork we had to file and get approved back in New York, Juliette and I were about to become Lennon’s legal guardians. We’d made the decision after taking Lennon to visit her mom. The three of them had doubled down, pleading with us to do it. Between Colin’s puppy-dog eyes, Lennon’s pouts, and her mother’s prayer hands, it’d been impossible to say no.

Besides, where would Lennon go now? Her brother would soon be behind bars with their father here in Dublin, and with any luck, her uncle, too. So, she needed someone to look after her.

That someone was now us. We’d be supervising her until Lennon’s mother was out of rehab and moved to the States—a move I was going to personally help her with.

It’d be a long sixty days of trying to keep the two teens from sneaking into one another’s bedrooms at night. I’d have to wire their doors with some type of alarm system to keep them in check. Of course, knowing Colin, he’d find a way to bypass it.

“Are we overstaying our welcome here?” Juliette asked, disrupting my mental planning. “They do have a newborn.”

I opened my eyes, dropping my chin to look down at her. “We probably are. So, I have an idea.” I smiled. “After we take Lennon to visit her father tomorrow, why don’t we head to Scotland on Friday and spend your birthday there this weekend?”

“I suppose since Colin and Lennon don’t start their new school until Monday, we’re in no rush . . .”

I had my father call in a favor to get both of them in at my old school. That last-minute favor had required quite a substantial donation, but he did what had to be done to make it happen, and I appreciated it.

Her eyes lit up, and she sat taller at the news. “But wow. Scotland. Really?”

I glanced at her brother and Gwen before focusing back on her. She had no idea I’d already conspired with both Easton and Gwen, and Hudson and Izzy to plan her birthday weekend. I was about to test my acting abilities to pull this off as a “last-minute” idea.

“Maybe your brother and Gwen could join us, too? You know, to ensure our son doesn’t wander into Lennon’s room in the middle of the night. Izzy and Hudson can tag along, too, but getting them to separate bedrooms for even one night would be mission impossible.”

She chuckled. “Oh, does that mean you’ll be sleeping next to me?”

If all goes well, maybe. I kept that to myself.

“Although, you did turn down my offer to sleep next to me last night, so I won’t get my hopes up.” She pouted.

I brought my mouth to her ear. “You know I can’t sleep in a bed next to you and not lose my effing mind.” Colin’s new version of the F-word was growing on me.

“Are you two whispering about us?” Gwen asked, laughing.

“Juliette’s birthday is Saturday. I was thinking of taking her to Scotland for it. Do you need to head back to Switzerland, or can you hang around and join us?” My acting skills sucked, but I managed to pull that off with a straight face.

“I can take a few days off, sure.” Gwen looked to Easton, playing along. “If Carter or anyone needs me, I’m always just a hack or two away.”

Easton abruptly moved away from her on the couch, his eyes darting briefly above my head, and I looked behind me to see why.

Ah, Wyatt’s back.

“All set?” I stood as Carter and Sebastian followed Wyatt in, setting my hand at the base of my spine. Standing quickly had set off the nerves in my back to fire up again. Nothing like getting shot, even in a plated vest, to aggravate your back. Better than it landing in my flesh, though.

Wyatt wasted no time third-wheeling himself between Easton and Gwen on the couch. That man was even more overprotective than me.

But hell, we had a lot in common. Wyatt hadn’t known he had a daughter until she was even older than Colin was now. Like me, he knew what it was like to miss out on his child’s life, to be robbed of all that time. I didn’t wish that even on my worst enemies. Well, okay, maybe on one or two of them.

“Aurora has been handled. League-style, of course.” Sebastian coughed into a closed fist, and I didn’t want to ask what that even meant. Not in front of Juliette, at least. “It was agreed at our League meeting last night that Carmello will be stepping down. Emilia will handle things in Italy until she can find a suitable replacement.”

“And the Rizzos?” I asked as Juliette stood beside me now, gently moving my hand aside to massage my back.

“We covered our arses with Italian Intelligence. We also managed to smoke out an insider the Rizzos had with AISE and take him down as well.” Sebastian casually fixed his tie beneath his suit jacket. “Not that he’d have anyone to report to with every last member of the Rizzo crime family dying on Monday.”

My father had already apologized to me for not ending the Rizzos years ago, but he didn’t owe me one. I knew he’d only been doing his best to protect my mother.

Giuseppe, on the other hand, was nervous about lying to us about the Rizzos.

My father had said he’d already sent two rooms’ worth of apology fruit baskets and flowers. My dad told him I’d forgive him as long as he held true to his word in letting me speak to Zach Bauer’s dad.

Not even dying made me forget about the piece of shit who’d made the woman I loved get on her knees and grovel after his son hit a girl. Nah, fuck that.

“I think it’s safe to say all loose ends have been tied.” Carter stepped forward. “I’ve already requested my team at Falcon Falls to pick up Dylan Kelly in the Caymans and clean up the rest of Jamie’s operation in New York. By the time you get home, it’ll be handled.”

Shit, I could get used to having this kind of help, even if it came from Carter. “Thank you. And, uh, thank you for having my six out there on Monday.”

“Glad you didn’t die. Well, glad you came back, I should say.” Carter checked his watch. “I need to catch a flight home now that business is done here.” He peered at Gwen and Easton. “You sticking around?”

“You’re all more than welcome to stay in Dublin as long as you’d like,” Sebastian offered. I’d only need to take him up on that offer until Friday, but I appreciated it.

“We’re going to stick around. Right, Easton?” Gwen asked him, prompting an impressive side-eye from Wyatt.

Wyatt stood. “I have to get back to my team in the States.” He faced Easton. “Do me a favor and keep my daughter out of trouble while you’re here. She has a habit of stepping right into it wherever she goes.”

Gwen laughed and rose, tugging her father’s arm. “And you somehow always manage to be there just when I need you to save the day.”

“Yeah, well, I won’t always be around. I guess one day you’ll need to find someone else to watch your six when I’m, well, you know . . .”

“Are you getting emotional on me in front of everyone, really?” She smirked and pulled Wyatt in for a hug.

“On that note, I’ll be going.” Carter strode across the room and surprised me by offering his hand. “Something tells me I’ll be seeing you again.”

Same. I returned his firm grip with one of my own, then thanked him again before he said his goodbyes to Juliette and the others and left as swiftly as he’d arrived.

After Wyatt departed, Sebastian opened his palms. “How about dinner over at my place tonight? My wife would love to have you all.” He rested a hand on Easton’s shoulder and leaned closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially as he requested, “Just do me a favor and maybe don’t mention how many people I killed back in Italy, okay?”