He exhaled sharply, stepped to the side of the desk, and lowered his hands to the polished wood. The tension in his arms was visible, muscles tightening, ridges more pronounced than I thought possible. Something else was coming. I felt it as clearly as that “FAFO” still lingering in the air.

“You should also know that my mother’s father was the head of a crime family in Italy.” He glanced at me without lifting his head. “Based on the shock on your face, Carter never told Easton that.”

I swallowed hard, barely able to mouth, “No.”

He shook his head, staring at the desk. “Do you know the man Carter co-owns The Sapphire Hotel with?”

“Only by name. Sebastian Renaud. Easton said the less I know, the better.”

“He’s right.” The words were under his breath but heavy.

I gripped the arms of the chair, bracing for the impact of what was coming next. “I have a feeling you’re about to tell me you know him.”

He gave a slight nod but still didn’t look at me. “Sebastian is part of an organization known as The League. Their purpose is to balance out the bad with the good.”

I frowned. “Like a ‘scales of justice’ thing?” My voice was steadier than my insides.

“That’s what it used to be. Sebastian and some of the others in charge now take a different approach. They aren’t looking for balance anymore.” His eyes flicked to mine, searching, gauging my reaction. “They’re looking to eliminate evil.”

No wonder he’s aligned with Carter.

“My father worked for them while in Italy. He rescued my mother from her family’s enemies, a rival crime group in Naples. My parents were secretly dating.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “Are you telling me Colin’s grandparents are a modern-day version of Romeo and Juliet?”

“Something like that.” He shook his head, his gaze dropping back to the desk as if the wood held some secret code to get him through this conversation. “He left that life behind. She said goodbye to her family when they moved to the States. But her cousin eventually made his way to New York to establish the Sicilian mafia division here.” He glanced at me again, and all I could do was gulp in response, a weak attempt at reassurance. “They’re no longer in power here or a threat,” he added, sensing my unease.

An important side note. “So, the mafia Colin almost stole from . . . they’re not tied to your mother’s side?” My words felt as tangled up as my thoughts. “Who are they?”