“We’ll need a new headquarters. We can’t exactly run an entire operation from across the pond. I’ll need unfettered access tothe Winters’ Manor in Wales. The less staff, the better.” Peridot eyes roam over our surroundings. “I’ll need to talk to my father. See if he knows anything.”
“Do you think that’s such a good idea?”
She rubs at her temples. “I don’t know anything, love. We’re going in blind. Everything I do from here on out is going to feel like a really bad movie written by very high college students with D-list actors trying to make a comeback.”
Aleksi laughs. “Hey, the acting might be terrible, but some of those movies are terribly good.”
I peer over at my girl, hating all the worry and tension in and around her eyes. “The good thing is we have one of the best actresses available.”
Her gaze snaps to mine. “Who?”
“You, babe. You had the whole world fooled that you were perfect for three years. Other than us, you still have the entire world fooled.”
Aleksi nods and brings his big-ass hand to his face, rubbing across the stubble along his jaw. “So then we plan as we see fit. Lots of improv on your end.”
“All the world’s a stage.” Sabrina sighs.
“It’s showtime, baby.” I grin and don’t miss the smirk forming on her face.
When I get downstairs, there’s a lot of suits and ties sitting around the large kitchen table, and in the middle, Aristide Giordano. I greet them all with firm handshakes and lean down to kiss Il Capo dei Capi on each cheek as a sign of respect. Which means a lot of this conversation is about to take place in Italian. I was practicing my Italian with both Maks and Bri before this all went to hell, so I'm hoping I can understand and my brain hasn't exactly found a way to forget it all in such a short amount of time.
Men in tactical gear are either sitting or standing patiently around the large space, but they're otherwise ready to go at the drop of a hat. Aleksi has a pretty fuckin’ badass home. It’s almost like a fortress; even the fence around his sizable yard is about ten feet tall. I take my usual spot against the wall, keeping an eye on everyone. I’m a sconce on the wall once again, but this time with purpose.
Niko stands up and greets me. “I’ll translate for you.”
I dip my chin while keeping my eyes on Sabrina. “Iappreciate that.”
Tildy comes down next, and she’s introduced to everyone again even though she met them all at Sabrina and Maks’ wedding not even six months ago. Goddamn. Six fucking months. That’s all it took for it to go to shit just when things were finally getting good. Better than good. They were fucking perfect. Once Tildy takes a seat, my eyes trail up the steps when I hear a set of heelsclick-clackingto see my girl looking deadly in sleek, black pants that flare at the ankle, a tight white shirt that falls off her shoulders, minimal makeup but eyes lined sharp, and her hair pulled back in a high ponytail. I haven’t seen that ponytail since she was interning at Winters & Co.
“Gentlemen,” she practically purrs as she gets to her father-in-law, kissing him on each cheek as well, taking his hand in hers and grasping it firmly with both of her hands——that pink diamond practically sparkling on command. She says something, and the men each move down the chairs to make room so she can sit by Aristide as she speaks gently to him.
Niko gets closer to me, keeping his voice in a hushed tone, but it’s so silent you can practically hear a pin drop.
“My husband, your son, has been taken.”
The old G’s face turns red, eyes go wide, and he tries to move his hand from hers, but she grips it tighter. “Cosa stai dicendo?”What are you saying?
Sabrina sinks to her knees and puts her head on his hand, bowing to him as a sign of respect. “It was my fault. The Syndicate—”
Aristide’s brows furrow together in deeper confusion. “Il Sindicato?”
Sabrina nods. “The Bones Chapter in the UK took him. I don’t know why, but I’m getting him back. We’ve constructed a plan. We’re getting them to us so I can get to him.”
“You?” he asks in disbelief.
“Me.” She says it defiantly. “He ismyhusband.Ilove him. He ismine,andIwill retrieve him.” She peers up at him, tears shining in her tired eyes, and something crosses over Aristide's face. “I know you have your men. I know they’ll help me. But they’re…men. The Bones Chapter isn’t about a show of muscles. It’s about psychological warfare. The hunt.”
“You want to use yourself as bait.”
“Yes.”
“Perché, Duchessa?”Why, Duchess?
She chokes on a sob at the nickname, and her shoulders slump forward. She stays quiet for a moment, sniffling, trembling, trying to compose herself, and it takes everything in me not to drop and help her back up. “Because you gave him to me, to have and to hold. To love and to cherish and to protect and to fight for. I vowed and promised forever, and I will not let forever end. It ends onmyterms. Not theirs. And even then,” sheglances at me and then back at the old G. “Even in the bowels of hell will he be my husband.” She rises to her full height, but she does not let go of his hand. “With or without your blessing, I am going to find your son. And then I am going to love him until the day I die and beyond. Andthatis both a threat and a promise.”
Aristide’s dark gaze follows her, wonder and pride in his eyes, and he swiftly nods once. “Tell me of your plans.”
Sabrina laughs, grabbing a napkin to wipe at her nose. “If I’m honest, they’re quite shit. This is quite possibly theworstextraction plan ever.”
