“I’m making a bet,” Cristian says, smiling as Gia flings herself at my brother screaming yes repeatedly while peppering his face with kisses. “Before the year is out, we’ll be attending a double Accardi wedding.” He bobs his head, still smiling. “Yeah, I can see it now.” His smile expands. “And yes.”
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, I’ll be your best man.” He waggles his brows and tugs on my arm, pulling me toward the soon-to-be bride and groom. “Time to offer our congratulations.”
Chapter Nineteen
Caleb
“Was it sore?” Gia asks, pointedly staring at my groin.
“Is this the way it’s going to be from now on?” I ask, glaring at my brother as we duck behind the wall of the apartment building the girls live in. “You blabbing my private business to your girl every time I confide something in you?”
“Fiancée.” Gia thrusts her hand in my face, and her glistening engagement ring almost blinds me. Joshua bought her the biggest diamond even though he knows Gia would have been equally as thrilled with a much smaller ring. The ring I chose for Lili is more subtle but no less stunning.
“I know,” I drawl, squinting as the door to the building opens. “You never stop shoving that thing in everyone’s faces.”
“It’s just so pretty,” she purrs. Her arms go around my brother’s neck, and I roll my eyes. Here we go again. They have been all over one another since they got engaged. “I’m the luckiest girl alive. I love you, Joshua. So, so much.” Predictably, his lips claim hers, and I heave a sigh as the three girls who emerge from the building aren’t the three girls we’re here for.
Panting and moaning ensues as they devour one another, and I’ve had enough. Slapping the back of Joshua’s head, I hiss, “Quit that shit. All the slobbering makes me want to puke.”
“Jealous much, Caleb?” Gia preens while draping herself all over my brother, sporting full lips that are now swollen and glossy.
I flip her the bird.
“Did you really do it for Lili?” she asks, all hint of humor gone from her expression in a nanosecond.
“Yes,” I say through gritted teeth, sending a fresh glare my brother’s way. We need to have a conversation about privacy. Not that I really mind. Gia is already like a sister to me, and we bicker and bitch like real siblings. It’s hard not to like her. She’s spunky, smart, and brave, and she makes my brother so incredibly happy. She’s got a fan for life in me for that reason alone.
“She doesn’t even know though, does she?”
I shake my head as the door opens again, illuminating the lone man exiting the building.
“Why did you get a vasectomy in the first place?” she inquires, genuine curiosity splaying across her face.
“I’m not fully sure,” I admit. “I thought it was because I never wanted kids, but now I realize that isn’t entirely true.”
“You didn’t want to risk having kids with anyone else,” Gia says, proving her observation and analytical skills are not lacking.
“I didn’t consciously decide that, but yes, that’s what it boils down to.”
“And now that you’ve finally taken your head from your ass and realized Lili is the one for you, you want to have kids with her,” she adds.
“You could be a therapist if this new role doesn’t work out for you,” I tease, glancing at the time on my watch and wonderingif we should call it a night. It’s Thursday, and the PI I hired via Ben’s security firm to shadow Gwyneth and her friends said they have a regular Thursday night club date, but maybe we picked the one Thursday they have decided to stay home.
“I like my promotion, and I’ve got zero desire to listen to other people’s problems.”
“I like it too,” J agrees. “I won’t worry now you’re largely office based.”
Gia decided she didn’t want any more field roles after the shit that went down last year. But she’s a shrewd informant, so Massimo promoted her to team manager, overseeing the intel-gathering division. She will work closely with Philip, Don Mazzone’s IT guy, and together the two teams plan to improve the intelligence available to support our work. Presently, she’s working with Joshua reviewing all our bio dad’s files to identify what old man Greco was looking for.
The door swings open, revealing three women who are unfortunately familiar to me. Finally. It feels like I’ve been plotting to take these bitches down forever. “Showtime.” Rubbing my hands with glee, I summon patience as we wait for the women to walk by our hiding spot.
When they appear, we spring into action grabbing one each and jabbing them in the neck with the diphenhydramine sleeping aid. They go down quickly and quietly with the element of surprise, and Vittus opens the side door of the van, allowing us to toss them inside.
“The others should be here shortly,” I tell Vittus and Giulio ninety minutes later when the unconscious girls are each secured to chairs in one of the interrogation cells of the bunker.We dropped Gia and Joshua off at Elisa’s place on the way. I want Lili here to witness this, but I’m unsure if she’ll appreciate the gesture or not. I had thought of not including her and telling her after the fact, but I won’t hide this part of myself from her. If we stand any chance of a future together, she needs to understand what it truly means to love a man like me.
That’s a bigifthough. She’s still datingSebastien, she still hasn’t unblocked my cell, and she is now refusing my flower and gift deliveries, so I’m trying to think outside the box.
