Page 20 of Lines Drawn
Gone. All of it. The material items can be replaced, but the memories will eventually fade, and the sentimental value will wash away with time.
Roman ending up hurt is the final nail in the coffin of my failure to protect him.
Everything I am as a Boss, and a father, has slipped through my fingers, turned to ash in the wind…
Ignacio leads me to a training room/gym area, and I’m not surprised this is where he feels most comfortable. For a moment, we stand in silence. He fidgets under the weight of my stare, looking everywhere except at me. If he thinks I’ll be the first to break the silence though, he has a lot to learn. Roman didn’t get his impatience from me.
“I love your son, Cristian,” he finally says, looking at me head on, his dark eyes filled with intent. “I didn’t mean to fall for him, but it happened, and here we are.”
“Yes, here you are,” I muse. “Tell me, if you didn’t mean to fall in love with him, whatwereyou doing with Roman then?”
He grimaces. “You know how the Martellis do things.”
I nod slowly. “I do. But I want to hear it, in your own words.”
He scowls. “I won’t disrespect Roman by discussing his sex life with you.”
I laugh a little. “I know what Hollis and Tennant get up to. Who do you think helped Hollis kidnap Ten the first time? Andyes, it was Hollis who made the first move. Tennant and I don’t hide things from each other, so I’ve known all along what Roman gets up to with his lovers. You though? You’re an anomaly. I don’t know you at all. Only what I’ve heard, and all rumors have a hint of truth to them, don’t they? At least, the best and long-lasting ones do.”
“It was never just sex between us, and that’s all I’ll say. I never expected to fall for him as I have, but from the moment I touched him, it wasn’t just sex.”
Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I study him. He’s attractive in a dangerous way, if you’re into that. Not as pretty as Tennant, but he has the same air of “Danger. Back off” about him that Ten does. With dark hair and eyes, and his body a work of art with his many tattoos and muscles, I can see why Roman fell head over heels.
“What are you saying exactly, Chaos?” I ask quietly.
He squares his shoulders and looks at me head on, his feet shifting a little so he can either fight me off, or run away if I decide to go after him.Smart.Not that it’ll save him. I grew up with Tennant, after all. I only survived this long because I know how to ensure I’m the last one standing.
“I’m saying I love your son, whether you like it or not.”
I raise a brow. “If that’s how you plan on pleading your case so I can give you my blessing…”
He swallows and tries to adjust his body so he seems more approachable, but it doesn’t quite work. “Roman isn’t the type who needs permission to do anything.”
I incline my head. “You’re right. He doesn’t. That doesn’t mean it’s not in your best interests to get on my good side. He is more than just my son, more than just someone who happens to be part of another Family. He is my heir. He was acting Boss when I was gone. What does that say about you, that you cannot do right by him and ask for his hand?”
“I find it hard to believe Tennant and Hollis asked for the right to be with him.”
“They fucked up and slept with him before coming to me, and Tennant has a scar to show off because of that. But, it was never them I was upset with. Knowing Ten as I do, I know most of that falls on Roman’s shoulders. This is different. He’s not just my heir, he was Boss when you touched him.”
Ignacio seems to deflate, and the loyalty and respect for authority that Il Padrone has instilled into all of his Boys comes out. “You’re right. I touched him when I shouldn’t have. I won’t apologize because I am not sorry, but touching him as I did wasn’t planned.Nothingthat’s happened was planned. I don’t regret it though.”
Taking a few steps toward him, I can’t help but smile at the way he tenses. “You already broke one heart, how can I trust you with my son’s?”
“What happened between Benjamin and I will never happen with Roman. For one, it is not the same thing. Benjamin and I…we broke each other. We let our relationship crumble because we were unwilling to trust each other and talk. I will never do that to Roman. He’s different.”
“Why? He just got hurt—badly. You’re telling me you won’t hurt or try to smother him as you did to Benjamin once he’s healed? You won’t try to temper the fight in him?” I grin at the surprise that crosses his face, the way he slightly shifts his stance at his uncomfortableness. “Yes, I know what occurred between the two of you. No secrets between Ten and I, remember? He is…not a fan of yours. I’m not sure how I feel about his relationship with Benjamin yet, but I know the story as he told it to me.”
Ignacio scowls again. His eyes are like dark flames of pain. “We both fucked up, and we own that. But what I have with Roman is different on so many levels.”
“How can I trust you?”
He spreads his arms. “Punish me. I’ve already taken one, I can take another, and another, as many as you and Il Padrone need for me to prove I mean what I say.”
I hum and move in, so we’re in touching distance. It’s a dangerous place to be with a man like Chaos, but I’m not worried. For one, we both know Il Padrone won’t be happy should he touch me, and for another… My family will probably draw straws on who gets to kill him.
“I’m not Il Padrone. I don’t do things the way he does,” I say quietly.
“I don’t know what you want from me, then. I love your son, and I respect that you’re his father and love him, and only want him safe, but as far as I know, he makes his own choices.”
