Page 107 of Thin Lines (Donati Bloodlines 2)

Calisto didn’t have a choice but to agree.

Affonso brought Emma along, seeing as how she likedthe club. She sat beside Affonso in the VIP section, turning her pretty cheekeach time another man arrived with a thick envelope to pass over to their boss.

Their dues.

She had to know what her husband was doing with eachquiet word to her, every sweep of his fingers to her face, and his quickkisses.

Affonso was showing off his wife.

Their one-year anniversary had jumped on Calisto’sback before he even knew it was there. For every “happy anniversary, boss” thatwas handed over to Affonso, Calisto found it increasingly more difficult tokeep control of his inner emotions.

It shouldn’t have been this hard.

He knew what he was getting into.

He understood what he had done with Emma.

It still killed him.

February was the month of love for most people—hislove wasn’t allowed to be shared.

How twisted was that?

“You’re awfully quiet over there.”

Calisto came back down to reality at Affonso’sstatement. He passed his uncle a look, hoping his turmoil wasn’t as clear tosee as he felt like it was. “Thinking.”

Emma bit her lower lip, her gaze roving over him likeshe was searching for something. Calisto knew it would be as simple as holdinghis hand out to her, something to calm her worries about him, but he couldn’teven give her that.

Jesus.

He couldn’t give her much at all.

“Well, stop thinking,” Affonso said. “We’re in themiddle of business, Cal.”

At those words, yet another Capo showed up with hismen to pay his dues to the boss. Calisto stood from his seat, and crossed theVIP section with a hand held out, waiting for the envelope. The Capo handed itover with a smile and nod. The man was permitted inside the VIP section toparty his night away. Calisto went off into a corner to count the money, andmake sure what needed to be inside was all there.

He still caught himself looking over his shoulder,staring at the green-eyed crazy that had become his life.

Emma was watching him, too.

Oddly, Calisto still didn’t regret it.

“Are you seeing this, boss?”

Calisto leaned into the table and put his hands on theedge, watching the monitors closely. “Yeah, I see it.”

Twenty minutes after the last man had arrived to paythe dues to his boss, Calisto had gotten a call from the man watching thesecurity cameras upstairs in the office. Something had caught his eye, and hefigured Calisto should come up and see if he thought there might be a problembrewing.

There definitely was a problem.

Two men had entered the club without issue. Dressed indark-wash jeans, blazers, and white T-shirts, they didn’t look out of place onthe main floor with the rest of the patrons. What caught the eye of the manwatching the cameras was the fact that neither of the two men made an effort tograb a drink at the bar, socialize with anyone, dance, or anything else of thatnature.

It was a club.

That’s what people did.

People who didn’t do that were suspicious.