“Of fucking course not. I ain’t getting tied down anytime soon.” But those words taste bitter as they roll off my tongue. “So where is the actual party if it’s not at the hotel?” I ask, seeing as no one is very forthcoming with the details.
“That’s for us to know and you to find out,” Theo teases.
“Don’t pull that shit with me, Cirillo,” I warn darkly.
“You’re off the clock, man.” I damn near growl at Nico when he joins in.
I fucking knew coming up here was a bad idea.
“If that’s the case, then I think I’ll spend the night alone in my flat.” I push to stand, but, faster than I anticipated, Alex wraps his fingers around my forearm and tugs me back down.
“You’re working tonight. We need all the manpower we can get,” he tells me.
I look around at all of them as they stare at me like I’m a piece that doesn’t quite fit.
“For the record, I think this is a fucking stupid idea given the current circumstances.”
“The boss has signed off on it. He’s confident.”
“Yeah, and I’m pretty sure he didn’t expect the Reapers to storm New Year’s either, but it sure as fuck happened, didn’t it?”
They all remain mute.
“What? What aren’t you telling me?”
Nico and Theo share a look that pisses me the fuck off, because if this were just a month ago, I’d be right in the thick of whatever this plan was. I fucking hate being left out of something that should be my life.
The Family is my life, and I’ve been forced to the outskirts, watching my brothers live my life from the sidelines.
“Fuck. It’s a trap, isn’t it? This whole thing is a setup?” I ask, realisation suddenly hitting me.
The slightest twitch of Theo’s lips is all the answer I need.
“This is a fucking mistake,” I bark, shooting out of my seat before Alex gets a chance to do anything about it this time.
“Everything is in place. Our snakes have dropped the intel to ensure the Italians are going to walk straight into our trap, and we’ve got enough soldiers and backup to take them down.”
“And what if this goes wrong, huh? They’ve proved more than once that we’re not the only ones with snakes behind enemy lines. What if they already know all of this and they’re going to turn up at the actual location and take us all out?” My heart pounds erratically as I think about Calli finding herself in the middle of this shit once again.
“It won’t happen. Damien and Evan have everything in place,” Theo says confidently.
“I trust the boss, Theo, I do. I trust all of you. But those fucking Italians? Not a fucking chance. I’m telling you, this is going to blow up in all our faces. I don’t care how well you think it’s been planned. It’s fucking suicide.”
Theo pushes to his feet, ready to challenge me on this. His eyes hold mine as he stands chest to chest with me.
“What exactly are you saying, soldier? That you’re not with us?”
“Fuck that, Theo. You know I’ve got your backs no matter what. I just don’t think you should be sending your girls into this tonight.”
His jaw tics as he stares at me, but there’s not even a flicker of hesitation in his eyes.
He believes that this is all going to be okay.
So what more can I really say?
I have to trust him. I have to trust the boss and follow the plans, just like I have done a thousand times.
It’s just that this time is different.