Page 91 of Corrado

Just how he liked it.

“Better get on the road,” Andino told Corrado. “I’ll be in touch.”

The man didn’t even wait for him to agree, or say goodbye, before he hung up the phone. That might have pissed Corrado off any other time, but he was now focused on the fact that Alessio was looking his way with a question in his eyes.

Because, of course.

“What’s going on?” Alessio asked.

Corrado stuffed his hands in his pockets, keeping a tight hold on the phone at the same time to hide it away, too. “Something I have to do—last minute, it just came up.”

“A job?”

It wasn’t unusual for Dare to send Corrado or Alessio on a job without telling the other one. He left that to them to figure out between them, and whether or not the details were something they could or should share.

“Something like that,” Corrado replied, “but more like a favor. Outside of The League’s business. Nothing serious, but I need to head out.”

“For how long?”

Yeah, damn.

He didn’t want to lie.

He also didn’t want Alessio asking too many questions.

“Could be a while,” he replied, but then quickly added, “I can’t really talk about it a lot.”

It was the shadows that darkened Alessio’s expression that told Corrado he didn’t like that answer, and was more than willing to ask more.

“I have to look after someone for a while, keep them out of sight, and whatever else,” Corrado explained, hoping it would be enough for Alessio, “but they don’t want too many people in the loop about it. It’s just a favor … it won’t cause trouble.”

“Yeah, all right.” Alessio cleared his throat, and looked up at Corrado, his blue eyes stormy again. That’s where his emotions always showed, even when the rest of him was blank. “Where are you going, then?”

“Back to Toronto, I think.”

“And it’s going to take a while?”

“Seems so.”

“Didn’t Marcus say, when he called, that they wanted to have a birthday party for you, Chris, and him?”

Yeah.

“It’d be better if you stayed here, especially if I’m still taking care of … this issue,” Corrado murmured.

“Is that it, or is it something else?”

“What?”

Alessio shook his head, his jaw tightening as he turned to look out the window again. “Nothing, man.”

“You’re not good at deflecting, Les.”

“Maybe not, but I also don’t hide things people already know, Corrado.”

Ah.

Okay.