Not Mine to Keep (The Costa Family)

“Still nothing from The League about Alessandro?” Gabriel asked as he entered the Costas’ front living room, where Izzy and I had been waiting for him. All it felt like I’d been doing since we’d lost contact with Alessandro fourteen hours ago was wait. Now there we were, waiting for the reason we were in this mess to arrive and for Armani to try and whisk me away.

“Unfortunately nothing new,” Izzy told him.

I admired her and how she managed to package her emotions up inside and hide them so neatly when necessary. Or maybe that was a survival mechanism, because before Alessandro took down my walls, I’d been that girl, too. I had known how to conceal my thoughts and feelings behind well-placed smiles and perfectly timed laughs.

“How’s my aunt? She doing okay?” On my feet, I joined Izzy in the face-off she was in with Gabriel.

She blamed him for bringing Armani into their lives, but I knew she wouldn’t say it out loud because my marriage was the by-product of his decision, and she was happy about that part.

“She wanted to come here, as you predicted, but she’s at your place in the city with two of Javier’s men.” He checked his gold watch. “Armani and Marcello will be here within fifteen minutes, so we need to figure out next steps.”

“You’re kidding me, right? You didn’t think of next steps on your flight from Oslo?” Izzy fixed her arms across her chest, whereas mine remained like useless rubbery limbs dangling at my sides. “Your intelligence buddies didn’t come up with a plan to keep DiMaggio off our backs?” The bite to her tone was like a gravitational pull, drawing my gaze her way.

“They were a little tied up taking down the Russian who’d been trying to start a war.” He matched her posture and her guarded stance. “You know, the same one who dropped a missile on your brother.”

“So they found the man responsible?” That’d be one less thing to worry about, if so, but until Alessandro was safe, nothing else truly mattered.

Gabriel gave me his eyes for a split second and nodded before returning to the staring contest my sister-in-law was having with him.

“AISE wants to try and turn Armani instead of killing him,” Gabriel revealed. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, though.”

I agreed with him on that. “He’s dying. He’ll never betray his organization.”

“We need to find a way to kill him,” Gabriel said, like a declaration of war. “Since we can’t blame Rocco for his death, we have to pin it on Marcello.”

“How would we do that?” Izzy asked.

My rag-doll arms decided to become rigid in that moment and lock across my chest. Now we were all in defensive positions, like we were enemies instead of on the same side.

“Calliope, is how. We bait Marcello into going after her, and I think Armani will try and save her.” Gabriel acted as though the “her” in question wasn’t in the room, dammit, but I was right freaking there. “If we do this right, Armani gets killed in the cross fire.”

“You’re kidding, right? My brother would put his hands around your throat for even suggesting something like that if he were here.” Izzy unfolded her arms, set her palms on his chest, and pushed, but he didn’t budge.

“But he’s not here.” Gabriel’s words were both the silver bullet and the stake to the heart that’d turn me to dust.

I whirled away from them both, panic mode setting in as I dove my hands through my tangled hair.

“This plan can work, I know it,” Gabriel went on, despite my borderline meltdown on the way. “Armani will sacrifice himself to save his bloodline.”

I bent forward and dropped my hands to my thighs, trying to remember how to breathe properly so I didn’t faint.

“And if Marcello winds up killing Calliope?” Izzy cut over to me and began rubbing her palm in small circles on my back.

“Hidden armor beneath a hoodie. It’ll hurt if she’s shot, but she won’t die,” Gabriel said casually, and I had a feeling this wasn’t him talking. These were his marching orders from Italian Intelligence. “The choice is yours, Calliope.”

Forcing myself to stand upright, my hand went to the column of my throat, unsure if I could get a yes to come out.

“What’s it going to be?” The kindness in his eyes remained despite what he was asking of me. “Are you helping us take out your father, or not?”

“I know, and I’m sorry.” I raced my hand along the spines of the books in the library, stopping at the sight of The Odyssey there as I talked on the phone to my aunt.

The story of Scylla and Charybdis popped back into my head, and I cringed and closed my eyes.

“Keeping everything a secret was the lesser of two evils.” That was a phrase I wanted to erase from memory. “I thought so, at least. But because of me, you were placed in harm’s way.”

“You think I care about myself?” Aunt Tia said in an exasperated tone. “I could have helped you.”

“You mean have your friends from Kentucky take us away, and we’d have to hide forever? Not what either of us wanted.” I opened my eyes, backing away from the wall of books. “You’re only fifty-five, by the way. You have your whole life ahead of you, too. Maybe everything happens for a reason, though. I can only say that now since you’re okay and, well, because I know in my heart Alessandro will be, too.” He has to be.

“They’ll get him back. But right now, you need to focus on what’s coming with Armani.”

“I know.” Not that she knew exactly what was coming—that I’d be placing myself in danger in the hope that Marcello snapped and Armani chose to protect me. But my husband’s life was on the line because of me, so I’d do what was necessary to protect his family now. It was my turn to step up.

Before she could summon whatever it was she’d planned to say next, I spied my father-in-law in the doorway. I quickly wrapped up the call and tried not to show my nerves when I choked out an I love you before hanging up.

“You know,” my father-in-law began once I’d set aside my phone, “this was my daughter’s bedroom. My wife converted it to a library since Bianca loved to read and write.”

I wanted to offer my condolences a hundred times over for his loss, and to promise he wouldn’t lose another child, but when he closed and locked the door, my lips sealed together, trapping the words behind them.

“I’d never let my daughter do what you offered to do.” The deep frown lines were only a hint at the true pain beneath the surface. “And my son would never forgive me for it.”

“What are you saying?” I whispered, struggling to turn up the volume while talking.

“Gabriel’s been mafioso too long. He may work for AISE now, but he’s not one of us. If he was, he’d never suggest you place yourself in danger. Or for you to help kill your own father.”

He reached behind his back, and at the sight of a 9mm, my nerves bested me and corrupted my ability to think clearly.

Danger gleamed wickedly in his hand, a sharp contrast to his calming tone as he said, “Your father would win if you helped take his life. That light of yours is bright. It’ll be extinguished if you personally help kill Armani. And it’d destroy my son to see that happen.” Erasing the space between us, he rested a hand on my shoulder. “We’ll get my son back, but I will not tell him I let you risk your life to murder your father.”

“What choice do we have?” I was choking back a sob, though, because he was right. Risk taking a bullet to keep Alessandro and his family from danger? Yes. But I didn’t have it in me to help kill someone, especially not someone who shared my blood, even if I hated the man. “You can’t kill him. I know Constantine said—”

“No one is dying today.” His hand slipped free from my shoulder, and he quietly reached into his pocket for his phone. “Well, hopefully not.”

“How, then?”

Facing the wall of books, he asked me in a somber tone, “Did my son tell you what happened after his sister died?”

I swallowed. “Yes.”

He kept his eyes on the bookshelves. “I did everything in my power to save my sons so they didn’t wind up behind bars or dead. Although I know your father doesn’t know you well, I do believe Gabriel’s right in that he’ll do what it takes to protect you, not just for the sake of his bloodline.”

“Because it’s what you’d do?”

“It’s what any father who gives a damn would do.” His shoulders dropped as if the weight were too much to bear. “I’ve been working on a plan. I was waiting to get confirmation it was a go, so Gabriel was unaware I’d set the wheels in motion before his arrival here.”

“What, um, wheels?”

He faced me, and I knew he was every bit as emotional as I was, but like Izzy, he hid it well. “I called in a favor to the CIA director, urging him to call in a favor to AISE.” He checked the time on his phone. “An FBI SWAT team will arrest your father and his men when they get here.”

My body shuddered. “Wait. How’s that an option now, and it wasn’t before?”

“I need you to trust me, okay?” His eyes narrowed as he waited for confirmation, so I nodded. “We don’t need to risk your life for Armani to sacrifice his, but he can still think he’s saving you.”

Attempting to chase away my chills, I rubbed my arms.

“You’ll be arrested today, too.” He let his words sink in before continuing. “And then AISE will offer him a deal. Your freedom and immunity in exchange for him to talk. He knows he’s dying. He’ll accept the offer to keep you out of jail in the hope that you can run the organization in his absence.”

“Oh.” The chills journeyed from my arms straight down my torso to my legs.

He swiped at his phone screen, opening an app. “You’re going to hear and see a lot out there in a minute. Just go with it. I don’t have time to explain it now, but it’s all part of the plan, I promise.” He shared the screen with me, revealing exterior security footage of the property.

Two unmarked vehicles were driving toward the front of the house. As the first one neared, I recognized Frankie behind the wheel, which meant Armani was most likely inside with him.

“My wife and Izzy are waiting in a secure location inside the home. Unfortunately, I do need to keep you upstairs for Armani to witness our arrests as well.”

“To make it less suspicious that we’re framing him?”

He nodded, then motioned toward the door with his gun. “But I’m keeping you back here until the Feds have Armani and Marcello pinned down and unarmed. I don’t want to risk you getting caught in the cross fire if they return fire. I don’t think they will, but I’d rather not take chances.”

Yeah, same.

“Next, the Feds will come for us as planned and walk us out cuffed, too.” He lifted his free hand, an apology in his eyes as he added, “I’m so sorry to do that to you, but it’ll keep you safe.”

I looked back at the app, seeing Frankie opening the door for Armani. “Why are you being arrested, too?”

“Because for the sake of appearances, when you married my son, we became in league with the DiMaggios. Armani can’t have any doubts who was behind his arrest. He can’t think it was our doing.”

I reached for his forearm. “I don’t want you having to do this.”

“You’re my son’s wife. That makes you family. And we stick together, got it?” He peered at me, a sad look in his eyes. “But don’t worry, my family will be cleared of any wrongdoing.”

Tears gathered in my eyes, and I let him go to try and get rid of them.

“It’s time,” he said.

I looked at the security app as multiple vehicles made their approach, a blur of red and blue flashing lights, converging on Armani’s parked SUVs.

Uncertain what Armani would do, I waited with a hand over my mouth. “He’s not resisting arrest.” At that realization, relief swelled in my chest, and my palm slipped back to my side.

I thought Marcello would be a question mark and fight back, but I could read the command on Armani’s lips to back off.

“Was that too easy?” I whispered.

“This isn’t their first time being arrested. He’s used to this,” he shared calmly. “But it’ll be his first time not being released, like normal.” At the sound of steps in the hallway growing closer, he quietly pocketed his phone and unlocked the door. Two men in uniform, along with a man in a suit, were there waiting for us.

The suit gave my father-in-law a subtle nod as he accepted his 9mm. “Cuff them,” he ordered the uniformed officers.

Here we go. Never in a million years had I envisioned a moment like this in my life, that I’d be handcuffed.

My heart thundered in my chest as we were walked to the front of the house. The moment the door swung open and Armani saw me, he attempted to stand from where he’d been kneeling by the SWAT vehicle.

“Let her go,” Armani snarled, and two SWAT team members swooped in and shoved him back down. “She’s innocent.” I wasn’t sure if he genuinely gave a damn about me, but it didn’t matter. He wasn’t a good guy, and I’d never forget that.

The man in the suit removed what looked like a thumb drive from his pocket as we neared where Armani, Marcello, and now Gabriel were on their knees on the driveway. Leo and Frankie, along with two of Armani’s other men, were cuffed as well.

“Take them all in for questioning. See if the Costas are working with this asshole or not,” the Suit said, directing us closer to the squad cars and swarm of officers. “But you,” he went on, eyes on Armani, “are going to prison for the rest of your life once you’re back in Italy.” He waved the thumb drive near Armani’s face, then looked over at Marcello as if sending Armani a message, letting him know who betrayed him.

“It wasn’t me. He’s lying,” Marcello hissed, eyes going wide with alarm.

We stopped walking, but the uniformed officer kept hold of me at his side as we watched the scene unfold, and I had to remind myself this was all part of the plan.

“Marcello is right in a way. He didn’t give AISE the evidence on this drive,” the Suit said. “But your right-hand man has been feeding intel to the Barone family for years, and he was plotting to have your daughter marry into that family. He had a backdoor deal with them to run your company once Rocco married your daughter. But things went sideways, didn’t they?” He shook his head. “Rocco sold you out, Marcello. A last-ditch effort to try and save himself after his father was killed.”

That was definitely a lie. Aside from the one video Rocco sent, no one had heard from him since. As long as Armani believed it, though, that was all that mattered.

“Because of your deal with Rocco, you wound up betraying yourself and your boss.” The Suit pocketed the thumb drive. “Take them away. All of them.”

“You lying son of a bitch.” Marcello attempted to stand, then his eyes shot to me. “This is your fault. You fucking bitch. You were supposed to die in the park that day, then none of this would’ve happened.”

Armani twisted around, struggling with the uniforms holding him back, peering at the traitor. “You’re dead, you hear me. You’re dead. You won’t survive a day behind bars,” he barked out to Marcello.

A rush of adrenaline shot through me as I watched the two try to go at each other only to be pulled farther apart.

“I’ll get you out of this,” were Armani’s last words to me before he was nudged inside a different vehicle than Marcello.

I gave him a little nod as if I truly gave a shit about what he’d said, then he nodded back and disappeared behind the door.

Once I was inside the back of a different SUV alongside my father-in-law, the Suit joined us in the front seat, then twisted around to look at us. “We’ll get you uncuffed the second you’re out of your father’s sight at the office. I’m sorry about the cuffs.”

“What was really on that thumb drive?” my father-in-law asked him.

The Suit smirked. “The first ten chapters of a book I’ve been writing.” He faced forward as I spied Gabriel being pushed inside another SUV.

“Are you sure this will all work out?” I closed my eyes, my mind racing. I did my best to keep myself together, knowing this wasn’t truly over yet, not until Alessandro was safe and Rocco was behind bars or dead.

But this piece of my life—this disaster—was it finally over?

The Suit looked at me again. “Let’s just say you’re lucky to have a family like the Costas in your corner.”

“And we’ll get your husband back,” my father-in-law said in a low voice. “I’m not losing another child, that much I can promise you.”