Leo (Vigilance #3) - Silvia Violet Page 0,56

I would think that was just bullshit, but with X… The man did whatever he put his mind to.

“What will our roles be?” I asked.

“I’ll add Niall to the guest list since he blends in better than the rest of you.”

I huffed. “I can blend anywhere.”

“You used to be able to. Are you sure you can now?”

My hand tightened on my phone. “Are you insinuating I’ve lost my edge?”

“No, I’m insinuating you’ve grown a beard and gotten a lot more tattoos. You’re rather distinctive.”

Fine. That was all true.

Giorgio rolled his eyes. “We all know Niall blends in best with the rich and boring crowd.”

Niall glared at him.

“But he still looks like a fucking fed,” I said under my breath.

“That’s enough.” X’s tone told us he was done with our banter.

“Leo and Giorgio, you will be on security detail and stationed at the two entrances to the ballroom.”

Giorgio grinned. “I still love that your house has a fucking ballroom.”

“It would be nice if we could all take this seriously.”

“What if he tries to expose you during the event?” I asked.

X let out a long breath and brushed a hand over his hair. He looked tired, which was unusual. He rarely let his worry show.

Giorgio smiled. “If he causes a scene, I’ll escort him out and make sure he’s never seen again.”

He sounded as eager to end Swain as I was. “I’ll gladly help.”

Niall shook his head, and X glared at Giorgio. “You really think it would look good if he died right after leaving my house.”

None of us responded, but I knew we were all thinking the same thing. We would do whatever needed to be done to keep X safe. X was willing to die for any of us. When we were all still with our respective agencies, and our joint mission had gone to shit, it was X’s leadership that had gotten us out alive. We needed him, and more importantly, the city—hell the whole country—needed him.

X sighed. “I’m as done with this as you are. I want it finished, but I know what happens when we rush things.”

“Everything goes to hell,” Niall said.

I glanced at Giorgio, and he nodded. “We could pull it off if we needed to.”

“I know you could,” X acknowledged. “But there would be questions no one wants to answer and a hell of a lot of scrutiny. I don’t want to put my family through that.”

I nodded. “Fair enough. We’ve got three days until the event, right? What’s the plan?”

“We get him to the party, watch him, and head off any major incidents. Hopefully, we find out how much he knows about me and what his next plans are.”

Giorgio nodded. “Then we hunt him down and put an end to him and anyone who’s helping him protect himself.”

“That’s a lot of people,” Niall said. “Swain’s influence runs far and deep.”

“I’m sure many of his agency contacts are being blackmailed or threatened,” X said. “They’re not loyal to him. They’re just afraid. They’ll be relieved he’s gone, and there won’t be any further problems from them.

That assessment rang true to me. “Sounds good. “Will you approach him? Do you plan to wear a wire?”

“Yes, to both. I want you listening, and I have every intention of meeting him face-to-face. It would be odd if I didn’t since I’m the host and he insinuated himself into my party.

“And if he acts like he knows, if he implies anything about you—”

“I’ll play the woolly-headed philanthropist like I always do.”

“How does anyone believe that bullshit?” Giorgio asked.

X smiled and rubbed his chin. “It’s amazing what a smooth face and a pair of glasses can do.”

I’d played a lot of roles in the CIA, but no one would have assigned me to be an academic with no common sense. I’d seen X pull off the role flawlessly many times, though.

Niall frowned. “What if Swain has proof of your role in Vigilance? What if he brings it?”

“It’s not his style,” X said. “Swain doesn’t want to be directly connected to scandals. He has his minions release info to the media. I’ve had Emilio keeping close tabs on anyone checking into me. If Swain knows, I doubt it’s more than a suspicion.”

“Do you think he intends to threaten you?” I asked.

“Yes.”

Giorgio scowled. “No matter how sure you are of what he might or might not do, I want you in body armor. Swain’s appearance at the bookstore yesterday proves he’s getting desperate and willing to take more risks.”

X grimaced. “It will