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“Good,” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady despite the tension between us. I needed to trust my brothers, but there were cracks in our bond—cracks I’d caused. Cracks caused by time and distance. Cracks I couldn’t ignore and needed to fix.
“Alright, let’s wrap this up for now,” Cristo suggested, then yawned.
Was he sensing the underlying unease in the room?
“We’ll gather more intel and reconvene later.”
I gave a curt nod. “Try to catch a few hours of sleep. We’ll meet again at”—I looked down at my watch—“0700 sharp.”
I turned toward the monitors but looked back up when neither Cristo nor Alessio moved. “What?”
Cristo frowned. “You sure you shouldn’t try to catch some sleep? You look like hell. Maybe you should go, and we’ll stay here.”
“Jet lag,” I lied. “Can’t sleep anyway. No point in all of us staying up. I’m going to catch up on zees later.”
Alessandro’s shoulders hunched, a flicker of guilt in his eyes. “Gabe, I’m sorr—”
I held up a hand, cutting him off. “Not now. Let’s talk later and focus on finding the bastards who are behind this. And making sure Fausto doesn’t take the power.”
Alessandro nodded, and they both left the command center.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that there might be a traitor in our midst, someone else who wanted me dead.
My thoughts raced, trying to piece together the puzzle and protect not only myself but also my beautiful captive lying in my bed.
I focused on the monitors. It was an additional risk keeping her close to me, but I couldn’t deny the desire that burned within me.
The desire to own her. The desire to have her.
“Family first,” I muttered under my breath—the one thing my father had repeated again and again.
My resolve hardened.
No matter the cost, I’d protect those I cared about—even if it meant confronting Uncle Fausto and all the enemies lurking in the shadows alone.
My brothers might drive me insane, but I’d be damned if I let anyone else hurt them.
Once I was alone, I dialed Peaches, a hacker I’d worked with when I was part of Raptor Security. He answered on the second ring.
“Gabriele Falcone, as I live and breathe,” Peaches teased. “I’ve been wondering what the hell happened to you. One day you’re here. The next, you’re gone without a word.”
“Family business,” I replied tersely. “Sadly, it’s more like a life sentence.”
“Ouch,” Peaches sympathized. “So, what can I do for you?”
“Can you hack into someone’s home network?” I asked. “I need everything you can get me on my Uncle Fausto Falcone. Security System, surveillance videos. Blueprints. I need to know what he knows, and find me the footage from earlier this evening—there might’ve been an attempt on my life.”
“Fausto Falcone?”
“Yes.” I could hear Peaches work his keyboard in the background.
Peaches whistled. “Nice family you have there. Never pegged you as coming from such an illustrious background.”
I sighed. Peaches was one of the good guys, as were all the guys from SOG and Raptor Security. Former military. Strong moral code. Values beyond reproach. But every now and then, even the good guys needed someone to do the dirty work, someone who could blend into the gray areas, someone who was born into that world—and that’s where I came in. Morally gray, bordering on pitch black. “Never thought I would go back to my roots.”
Peaches chuckled. “Got the address. Give me 24 hours, and I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks, Peaches,” I said gratefully, my heart beating dully at the thought of finally getting a step ahead of Fausto and finding out the truth about my pretty little captive’s claim. “I owe you one.”
