Page 48 of Lines Drawn
I internally scoff at his declaration. Regardless of how he wants to act, I’m still the Head of this Family. He is not the Boss. It appears he still needs to be taught a lesson.
“Antonio, I want a breakdown of how you weren’t aware it was Luca being held.” I glare at my Boy, who immediately drops his head, before turning toward Emilio. He stares at me in utter disgust, and I quirk one eyebrow, my voice going dangerously quiet. “I expect you to be waiting in my bed, Emilio. Or what happened earlier? I'll make that look easy. Don't push me on this. I'd hate to add to your punishments."
His jaw clenches tight, and I can almost hear his teeth grinding, but he gives me a sharp nod before turning and heading out. Thank fuck, that’s one problem down—for now. Swinging my attention toward Antonio, I cross my arms and stare at him.
“There was no way for me to know it was Luca, Il Padrone,” Antonio says warily, his shoulders slumped in defeat.
Jude steps up next to him and glares at me. “Unless you expected him to put himself in danger during his initial information gathering, there’s no way he could have known, and you know it, so you can leave him alone.”
I wave him away, and he tenses. I’m prepared for him to attack, but Antonio reaches over and clasps Jude’s wrist as he shakes his head in warning. Growling, I run my fingers through my hair before responding. “Fine. Get some rest. We’ll debrief in the morning. That goes for everyone else as well.”
“You don’t need anyone to wait with you?” Marcus asks, somewhat awkwardly based on how he won’t look at me.
“No. I’ll wait for an update and then head to bed. Tomorrow, we’ll debrief and start making plans. I expect everyone to fall in line, so that we can take care of this threat.”
Marcus raises his hand in acknowledgment before he walks away. Jude wraps his arm around Antonio as they follow. I still need to decide what I’m going to do there. Originally, I wasn’t too upset, but Jude seems to think he has more rights to Antonio than I do. That is not going to happen—ever.
It doesn’t take long for almost everyone to disappear, until surprisingly, Carter is the only one in the hallway with me. He studies me, but doesn’t say a word. I’m not sure what he’s looking for, but if he wants to lay his marital problems at my feet, he’s wasting his time. I’m not responsible for his fuck up.
His lips twitch before he turns and walks away without a word. Shaking my head, I sigh and lean against the wall, settling in to wait for an update. I consider messaging Cristian, instead of waiting alone, but I know he needs his rest.
Thankfully, Dr. Ranlen walks out shortly. “He’s going to be fine. We’ll be watching him as he has some internal bleeding, but with the clotting medicine and a blood transfusion, he should be fine. He’s got a couple of cracked ribs, a fractured toe, plus hairline fractures on two fingers. His biggest problem is that he’s malnourished and dehydrated.
“We’ve got him resting comfortably, and hooked up on fluids. There’s nothing you can do tonight. I’ll probably keep him under for another day before we even attempt to taper him off.”
“What the fuck was he even doing here?” I smack the wall beside me. Part of me wants to call Sergio, but I fucking can’t. Not without knowing what Luca may have told him. I can’t blow his cover, even if I’m pissed that Luca made it back to my territory and was captured without me knowing.
“I don’t have an answer for you. But you look like shit. Go get some sleep.” Without waiting for a response, she enters the medical suites again, the door closing firmly behind her.
For a moment, I consider following her. She can be brusque, but she’s never been that dismissive toward me. Fuck it. She’s right that I do need sleep. And most importantly, I need to know if my Boy followed my directive. I had agreed to let him leave when I talked to my uncle, but fuck that. I won’t let him walk away—and I sure as fuck won’t let him run.
By the time I make it to my room, I’m ready to crawl into bed. It’s been hard enough dealing with everyone today. Emilio and Carter deciding to be idiots was not on my to-do list. Now, I have my uncle on my ass, and I need to figure out how to salvage Luca’s position with Sergio.
There’s a reason I keep saying Emilio isn’t ready. It’s because of shit like this. And yet, he wants to try and be a fucking Boss? I shake my head at the ridiculousness as I strip out of my clothes and take a quick shower. Drying off, I don’t bother with more clothes. I’m ready to wrap myself around Emilio and find my comfort in his body. I slide between the covers and reach for him, smiling in the dark when I connect with his body.
“Good Boy.”
He doesn’t respond, but I know he’s awake. He’s too tense. I consider pushing it, but fuck if I can’t find the energy to give a shit right now. All he’s doing with this pouting is adding to his list of punishments. Scoffing, I drag him closer to me and wrap myself around him. He may not want me here, but he doesn’t get a choice. I put that ring on him and he’s mine now. Always and forever. Whether he wants to accept it or not…
Marcus is waiting for me when I stumble out of the medical wing. I fall into my friend’s arms, both of us trembling, and I’m not sure who is holding up who right now.
“Let’s get some sleep,” he mutters.
I nod, letting out a shaky breath as I follow him upstairs to the suite he shares with Keegan. I hate feeling as if I’m taking advantage of their friendship, but I’m thankful they’ve been there for me the last few days.
I don’t know what I would have done without their understanding, and allowing me to bunk in their room. With Roman hurt, and his lovers taking turns staying with him round the clock, there’s not really anywhere else I could go. I suppose I could have asked Lio for my own room, or taken a risk withmy life and gone to Leandro, but…knowing I have allies, friends, means more than I have words for.
Keegan is waiting for us in the small sitting area of their suite. He looks up with concern filling his gray eyes. “You two okay?”
Marcus looks at me, and I open my mouth to reassure my friends, but… I break instead.
The sob that escapes my throat is loud in my ears and I panic, worried I’m going to wake Cole.
Keegan crosses the distance between us and pulls me into his arms. “Shh. You’re okay. I have you.”
He leads me to the couch and we sit heavily on it as I bury my face in his chest and cry. Marcus sits on the other side and wraps his arms around me, and the two of them hold me as I let out days’ worth of hurt.
When the onslaught is over, and I’ve soaked Keegan’s shirt, I pull back. “I’m sorry,” I manage to say between heaving breaths. Wiping my eyes on my sleeve, I try to take a deep breath, hoping to calm myself.
