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His expression darkens, and I have to admire the fact he doesn’t let his irritation bleed into his tone. Not many people can control themselves so well in front of Tennant, especially if they’re not used to dealing with him. “Understood, sir. Would I be allowed to see him for a while?”

“If our doctor thinks he’s healthy enough for visitors, I’ll allow it.”

Pulling out my rarely used bedside manner, I say, “He’s still weak, I don’t want any unnecessary stress to come to him. So I’ll kick you out without a second thought if you do or say anything to upset him; he needs calm and rest as much as possible.”

Manassero nods. “Yes, I promise, I’m not here to cause him any more pain. We’ve met many times over the years and he’s always been good to me and my family. I just want to make sure he’s okay.”

I call bullshit. There’s something in his tone I can’t place, but I’m not in a position to argue with Tennant’s order since there’s no medical reason to. “Very well, come with me.”

“Thank you, Mr. Mason.” I scoff at his politeness, but give him points for trying to stay on Tennant’s good side.

“Do not make me regret giving you such grace.”

“No, sir. Never.”

Tennant dismisses Manassero and heads for the door.

I lead Manassero upstairs, aware of James trailing behind us.

Rose’s eyes widen when we enter the bedroom, but that’s the only sign of her surprise. “You have a visitor,” I tell De Luca. “I am allowing this as I believe it will do you some good, but I will be monitoring your status, if I feel you are under too much stress, or get too excited, I will be cutting the visit short, understand?”

De Luca glares but he nods his acceptance anyway. Manassero heads straight for De Luca’s side, his posture still straight, but the air of confidence he had downstairs has been replaced with despair. It pours off of him as he reaches for De Luca’s hand.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

De Luca nods. “I am fine. See, still in one piece, old friend.”

Rose and I move to stand near the window where we can still see the monitors De Luca is hooked up to, while staying out of the way. James stands near the door, ready to step in should anything go wrong.

Pulling my scalpel from my sleeve, I begin twirling it between my fingers as I watch De Luca and Manassero. They don’t give anything away outwardly, at least not with their words as Manassero catches De Luca up on what’s been going on with his side of the organization. His words are meaningless, I don’t care to learn about what’s going on in that part of the Family. What I do care about is how, even though they’re no longer touching, Manassero can’t keep his eyes off De Luca. He watches the other man with an affection that one could sum up as a life-long friendship, but I see the depth to his dark eyes.

It figures that De Luca, who spent the past twenty years tearing Carter down for being gay, would have his own secret lover.Fucking hypocrite.I want nothing more than to cross the room and gut both of them. My scalpel is heavy in my hand asI grip it loosely, positioning it between my fingers in such a way that’ll make killing a man easier.

James must read something in my expression because he meets my eyes from across the room and minutely shakes his head. With a quiet sigh, I lean against the wall and spin the scalpel between my fingers once more, bored with this whole ordeal.

“Would you like a chair, sir?” Rose asks, making both De Luca and Manassero look over at us.

Manassero blinks at her before shaking his head. “No, thank you. I need to be getting home, I promised my wife I wouldn’t be out long. Can I come see you again, my friend?”

De Luca nods and then looks to me. “Yes, I would like that very much, if my keeper agrees?” There’s a bite to his words that has me gripping my scalpel tightly, trying to fight the urge to shove it up his ass.

“As long as you continue progressing, and the visits prove to do more good than harm, I don’t see the problem.”

Manassero grips De Luca’s hand again, and lingers far longer than is usual between friends, before letting go. “Then I will see you soon. For now, I’ll let you rest.”

With one last glance at De Luca, Manassero leaves the room. I linger for a moment longer, pretending to watch the monitors before turning to Rose. “That is my cue to leave. Call if you need anything.”

“Yes, sir.”

I meet De Luca’s hateful blue eyes. “I’ll be back in the morning, try not to die before then. Or do, I really don’t care anymore.”

As he sputters obscenities, I step out of the room, meeting James in the hall as he returns from escorting Manassero out.

“Take me home and fuck me into a coma,” I tell him.

He laughs and reaches for my arm, drawing me close and holding me for a long moment. “Whatever you want, Ash,” he whispers.

“We don’t have to do this,” Dima says, as he watches me fiddle with my tie.

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