Page 19 of Lines Drawn
Hollis comes back into the medical suite with finger marks on his chin and kiss-swollen lips. Great. Just…fucking great. Tennant and I already need to have a conversation about Allesandro and I, and him and Benjamin. Adding whatever Hollis ends up doing with Il Padrone…Maybe being kidnapped wasn’t so bad.
Jude stops Hollis and lifts his chin, studying the rapidly forming bruises. “I’m fine,” Hollis says.
Jude doesn’t seem to believe him as he presses their lips together in a rather claiming kiss. One that has Roman whining from the bed. “Don’t tease me,” he says.
Jude pulls away from Hollis and makes his way to Roman’s side, though he rounds the foot of the bed to take the chair next to me, rather than sit beside Ignacio. “You’re in no position tobe making demands, Giocattolo,” Jude signs. “You’re in so much shit.”
Roman scowls. “It wasn’t my fault.”
“No, but that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook.”
Hollis sits at the foot of Roman’s bed, setting his hand on Roman’s good leg. “So much trouble, Giocattolo.”
Roman sighs and looks to Ignacio with big, innocent green eyes. “You’ll dote on me, won’t you?”
The sweet smile Il Padrone’s Chaos gives my son is…slightly disturbing. Not because I don’t think Roman deserves sweetness, but it's who is giving it to him.
An uncomfortable, protective feeling settles over me as I watch Ignacio stare at my son with so much love in his eyes, as if he’ll give the boy the world. “Of course, Little One. Whatever you want, it’s yours.”
Roman grins and tries to shift on the bed, but his broken ribs have him grimacing in pain. Ignacio fusses over him, making sure he’s settled.
I try hard to shove the feelings swirling in me to the side, but seeing him so devoted to Roman? Knowing he already failed one man he supposedly loved? Someone he was set to marry? I want Roman to have everything he could ever want, and Ignacio…it’s hard to believe he’s it. Doesn’t matter if Hollis and Ten have given him their stamp of approval.
“I need to go check on Carter, and see how things are going.” I look to Jude as I ask, “Have you had any problems on your end?”
He shakes his head. “Everyone has checked in, and has had good reports. We’ve had to delay the resupply because of all the moving around and shifting, but maybe it’s better if the feds are still keeping a close eye on us. Hopefully, Tennant and Lio will return with updates.”
“We can hope.” Looking back to Roman, I reach out and smooth his dark hair away from his face. “I’ll be back later, okay?”
“I’m an adult, I don’t need my dad to hold my hand through everything.” He tries to scowl, but I can see the lie in his eyes. As much as he says otherwise, we both feel better with me close by.
For the longest time, it was Roman and I against the world. Even with Tennant and his nanny stepping in when I couldn’t; Roman was all I had, and vice versa.
Seeing him hurt will never sit well with me. I don’t care how old he is. I will never be okay with being so powerless. Especially when it comes to the people he loves—orthinkshe loves.
“Go check on Dad. I’ll be fine.”
Leaning over, I press a kiss to his forehead. “Ti voglio bene, Figlio Mio.”
“I love you, too.”
One last kiss and I stand, reluctant to leave him, but the Family needs me now more than ever.
Outside the medical suite, I take a moment to catch my breath, switching my thinking from worried father to cold and calculating Boss. Before I can track my husband down, however, the door to the medical suite opens and Ignacio steps out.
He makes sure the door is firmly shut behind him before saying, “May I talk to you?”
I want to say no, that I have better things to do than dealing with him, but…this is just as important as anything else on my plate. Maybe moreso because it has to do with my son.
“Very well.”
“Not here.”
Curious, I allow him to lead me through the house, trying to take in as much as I can. Aside from the one meeting, this isn’t somewhere I ever thought I’d have the pleasure of visiting, and it is…disconcerting.
So much of the mansion reminds me of my childhood home, and how cold and unloved it became after my uncle took over. I worked hard to make it a place where Roman would feel loved growing up, and I hope that’s what I was able to give him. Now, it all seems for nothing.
Burned to the ground by our unseen enemy… The place I brought my son home to when he was born, where I asked Carter to marry me—for the second time… Where my son found his own happiness.
