Page 34 of Consequences
Luca shakily touches his throat and inclines his head deeply.“Il Padrone.”
“Then who is in charge?” I tap my fingers on the desk and glare into the computer screen, wishing I could strangle him through it.
“You are. I apologize, Padrone.”
His subdued manner doesn’t sway me, not when he could have fucked everything up. “Very well. Then I trust we will not have this discussion again. Be thankful I’m not requiring you to apologize to the Amatos.”
“Yes, Padrone.”He hesitates briefly, rolling his shoulders before taking a deep breath.“I do think it may be better if I return, at least short term. I can help you find out who did this. If you speak to Sergio?—”
“No.” With cold finality, I wave him off. “I will not risk the situation here, nor will I damage relations with my cousin at this point. Not if you’re going to fail.”
Luca sucks in a breath, flushing at my statement.“I will not fail, Padrone.”
“Prove it.” I exit the call at that, unable to continue having a conversation with him. I’ve given him more advantages than most, and yet he dares argue? Shaking my head, I stand up and exit the office.
“Thank you,” I carefully sign and say to Jude. He blinks before acknowledging it. I don’t stay to have any further conversation. That situation is better discussed with Antonio directly.
No, I think it’s time to have a discussion with Cristian about where we go from here—including getting us far away from the Amatos. Although, from the sounds of it, we’ll be stuck here for a few more days. I’m sure Emilio is looking forward to having a PT session with Tennant…
I don’t know what happened between them, only that there’s almost visible hostility, and even Benjamin is cautious. I need to find out more about the situation before I can deal with it.
Fuck. I’m glad to no longer be kidnapped, but damn if that isn’t feeling more like a vacation than anything—even with Cristian’s horrible taste in music.
Ishould have guessed that my Baby Mouse is fucking sadistic when it comes to his work. I just never expected him to match fucking Jayden in the sadistic type of torture they claim is physical therapy.
I do feel for Emilio, as he has the rougher end of the stick, being more injured than I am. Doesn't mean I'm off the hook, though I'm sure some of it is simply because Jayden knows I'm plotting his demise.
They leave us cooling down on the mats, while they both retreat to a corner of the physical therapy room Jayden took over a few years ago.
“Sit there and behave,” Jayden says. “We'll take you back to bed in a minute.” Then he ducks his head and begins going over notes with Benjamin.
If I thought I could get off the floor without assistance, I would already be gone. I'm not too proud to crawl as it is… At the moment though, I am too fucking worn out to do anything more than flip the bastard off when he turns his back.
The silence between Emilio and I is…tense. Not something I ever expected, considering how much we have in common. Not as much as he does with Roman, but enough that I’ve always looked forward to our interactions. Now though…
“How many times have you imagined killing me?” I ask quietly.
I feel him glance at me, but I keep my attention on our torturers—mainly Benjamin. I enjoy the way his scrubs complement his skin, and how his hands move as he explains something to Jayden. His dark hair is neatly combed, and my hands itch to mess it up.
“More than you probably think,” he admits. “I need him safe, Ten, and yet I keep failing him. So yeah, you and Ignacio have starred in a few of my murder fantasies.”
In any other situation, I’d ask who starred in hisnon-murder fantasies, but this is something I have to do, not only for my Topolino, but for Roman and Hollis as well, since they both love the tiny psychopath in different ways.
“He is probably the safest person in this house,” I tell him. “Between you and me, no one is going to hurt him ever again.”
“Youalready have!” he says with a growl, loud enough that Benjamin and Jayden spare us looks.
I wave Benjamin’s concern off, and give him a smile that I hope conveys everything is okay. He doesn’t look like he believes me, but Jayden diverts his attention again.
“I did,” I finally acknowledge. “I hurt him, could have killed him, but I was not at my best in that situation. That is no excuse, but it is the truth. I didn’t kill him, though. Whatever baser instinct that lives inside me, whatever it is that allows meto blend in and function as a normal member of society, it saved him.”
Emilio sucks in a harsh breath, but before he can make another outburst, I continue.
“I almost killed Hollis once. The scar is still very noticeable, though it’s starting to fade a bit, blending in with his skin. He was closer to death than Benjamin ever was, and yet he still stays. You’ve been with Hollis enough times now to know he wouldn’t be with me if he thought I was any danger to him or Roman or Jude. He is the possessive one here, the one that needs to be in control, and he hates when someone marks what’s his.”
Glancing at the bruises that are still very obvious on Emilio’s face, I tell him, “You’ve now had firsthand knowledge of how he feels when someone touches what’s his. He once killed a college student for thinking he had the right to feel Roman up. So, if Hollis, someone so possessive and controlling, can not only forgive me for what I did to him, but trust me to never do it again, or to hurt our other lovers, why can’t you? Benjamin made his choice when he stayed. If you refuse to trust me now, you can at least trust him.”
He scoffs. “I trusted him before and the asshole he chose broke his heart. And then when I trusted him again, thinking he could handle himself, he goes and almost leaves me. I have to protect him, since he’s proven to be shit at doing it himself.”
