“I need you to trust me to know what risks I’m willing to take. When I’m with you, I feel like I’m more than just a pretty face, and if I help you bring Alan down, I think I might finally be fully convinced that’s my truth. And maybe we can…”
Giorgio studied me, but I couldn’t read his expression.
“Never mind. I don’t think either one of us is ready for me to say that.”
He brushed the backs of his fingers over my cheek. “No, I don’t think we are.”
I felt his words like jabs to the gut. What had I expected, though? I was the one who’d said we weren’t ready, yet somehow I’d hoped he’d say it anyway or ask me to.
“Talk to your boss. See if he’ll agree to me helping you.”
He sighed. “We need a concrete plan first. Once we have that, I’ll present it to him, but—”
“For now, that’s enough.”
25
Giorgio
Niall and Leo returned, and we hashed out a plan where Niall would escort Lane to the fundraiser as if Lane were his date. We’d make sure Alan saw them, and Lane would be wearing a wire. Hopefully we’d be able to record Alan incriminating himself. Leo would be there as a guest, and Joe and I would be our eyes and ears outside, ready to take any necessary action.
Could I actually let Lane walk in there without me and trust his safety to my teammates? I wasn’t sure I could, but there was almost no chance X was going to agree to any of this. Apparently, I owed Devil an apology for being so hard on him when we’d rescued Joe, not that I intended to give him one.
“Did you nail down a plan?” X asked as soon as he answered the phone.
“We have a couple of options. You’re not going to like the first one, but give me a chance to explain it.”
X mumbled something I thought might have been “Fuck me. This day.”
“Bad day already?”
“Not the best. Let’s get on with this whatever I’m not going to like.”
“Lane wants to help.”
“No.”
Exactly the response I’d expected. “I asked you to listen to the plan.”
“The reason I chose you to watch over him was because I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to him. I need him protected by the best. I need—”
“What about what he needs?” I held my breath, waiting for X to explode. Only a brave person who knew the real X would ever challenge him this way.
He was silent for several seconds, probably thinking of all the ways he could kill me and whether he wanted to do it fast or slow. Finally, he spoke. His voice was cold and flat. “Lane needs protection, and he needs for someone to end the threat Alan presents.”
“Yes, but he also needs his agency back. He needs to know he’s not so naive—”
“Are you blaming him for—”
“No. He’s blaming himself.”
X huffed. “That’s absurd. Alan is a fucking master at manipulation.”
“I know, but Lane is ashamed he got taken in, even though he sensed all along that there was something off.”
“That’s not a reason for him to risk himself.”
“It is for him. You don’t know him.”
Once again, I waited for him to explode, but all he said was, “Ouch.”
“It’s true. He’s fierce and determined and really talented. I don’t want him to lose any of that because of what Alan did to him.”
“Giorgio, how well have you gotten to know my son?” X sounded calm, but I knew that was an act.
“Well enough to know that if we tell him he can’t get involved, he’s not going to listen.”
X huffed. “It’s not like we’re going to leave him unguarded during an operation.”
I wasn’t going to admit that Lane had gotten away from me. That would send X through the roof. “He’s crafty. Probably takes after his father.”
“This is not up for discussion.”
“Listen to the plan before you decide that.” Was I really going to argue for something I didn’t want to do? Yes. Fuck me, I was. That had to mean that I was in love with the damned stubborn man.
“It doesn’t matter what the plan is. He’s not participating.”
“X, just give me a chance to explain. I know you value my opinion and my skills.”
He sighed. “Fine. Explain yourself.”
I told him the plan.
“Sandra will fucking kill me if I agree to this.”
My pulse sped up. He hadn’t said no. “But you’re considering it?”
“Did Lane really come up with this himself?”
“Yes. You’re proud of him, aren’t you?”
He ignored me. “What do Niall and Leo think of the plan?”
“Leo wants to recruit Lane.”
X growled. “Fuck no. Don’t even think about it. I don’t want him to know any more about our operation than he already does.”
“Do you have any ideas for a better plan?”