Page 7 of Lines Drawn
I step into the shower, groaning as the hot water hits me. I want to ask Keegan to come in, but I know he won’t. Not until he’s fully checked me over and I’m clean.
I melt against the heat, and it takes several rounds of soaping before I feel fully washed. Sighing, I turn off the shower and step out. Keegan is waiting for me with a towel, and he gently dries me off, studying every inch of me. I’m so tired that my cock barely stirs when he focuses on that area.
“It’s going to be a mess having everyone living here,” Keegan states grimly.
Snorting, I lean into his arms. “Fucking understatement. I don’t understand half of the shit that’s going on with everyone’s relationships. I’m glad it’s just you and me. After Lio told me the punishments they faced…fuck. Combustible isn’t even enough of a word. I’m fairly certain Tennant may kill someone. Lio doesn’t seem as worried about it, though.”
“Do I want to know?”
I quickly give him an overview, and he whistles at it. “Damn. I thought Lio had learned to be sadistic from Il Padrone, but his punishments were mild in comparison.”
I shake my head as I slip into the clean boxers Keegan brought me. “Nah. That really wasn’t a bad punishment. Il Padrone has done way worse, including to Lio. They got off lucky.”
Keegan stops me, his hand pressing against my chest before he raises my chin to look at him. “You realize he essentially raped Benjamin and Ignacio, right?”
Blinking, I frown at him. “No. Benjamin was given the choice. He could have just gone through with the physical strikes. Granted, I think what Il Padrone offered was a fuckingboon. I mean, it’s a solid way for those two to reconnect. They’re damn lucky on that—if it worked.”
Keegan’s lips press into a thin line as he runs his fingers through his hair. “I will never understand how you guys treat sex. I accept the whole Martelli way, foryou. Not him. But fuck, that was some bullshit. Of course, Benjamin wouldn’t want to hurt Ignacio any more than he already did.”
“Then Benjamin fucked up more than he thought. Choosing sex over some physical strikes? Fuck, that’s going to tear Ignacio up more than anything. And someone is going to have to put him back together if Benjamin decides all he wants is Tennant. If he was trying to be nice, then he’s dumber than I thought. And after what happened? I’m certainly not impressed.”
Keegan growls and tugs me toward the bed. I follow along willingly, like I always do with him. I wish there were words to explain Il Padrone. I moan as I crawl into bed, every inch of me hurting. Taking a deep breath, I hold it before slowly releasing it.
“Did you need a pain pill?”
“No. I… Look. Il Padrone, he’s in charge of us. He’s the Master, and hell, he’s the father figure most of us never had. I know that sounds fucked up considering what we do. Is he tough? Yes. But he’s also fair. And he often gives mercy, like he did in this case.
“Benjamin should have been killed. Or at the very least, thrown into the black room. And sure, we can say that the room doesn’t exist right now, but Il Padrone could have created one again, and left Benjamin in there for days. He deserved it. Instead, he broke him down quickly and ruthlessly, but in a way that’ll allow him to rebuild.
“He let him have the connection with Ignacio, and he could have refused that—he could have insisted that Benjamin only go through with physical strikes.”
“And yet you’re telling me that what Benjamin chose was worse?”
“Yeah. In many ways. For Ignacio, at least. Il Padrone made his point. And he did it really fucking well. Lio’s been punished, and now he’ll bounce right back, because it’s forgiven. Benjamin may take a little longer, but he’ll come out of this with a hell of a lot better appreciation for the opportunities he’s been given. And Ignacio…”
“Ignacio is fucked.”
I roll over and lay my head on Keegan’s chest. There’s really not much I can say on that one. He wraps his arms around me and I relax further. “Yeah. He is. But he’ll be able to pull himself out of it. Hopefully. It’ll depend on Benjamin.”
“So what you’re saying is that we’d better hope Benjamin accepts Ignacio again, or we’re going to have a loose cannon in Chaos? More than usual?”
“And if he does accept Ignacio, we’ll have that in Tennant.”
There's no sound between us for a while, aside from our breathing. I love these times when I’m in Keegan’s arms. I’m thankful Il Padrone saved me, because otherwise, I wouldn’t have this. I know Keegan doesn’t understand Il Padrone, but I wish he’d try.
“Alright, well, fuck. I guess we wait for the explosion, and depending on where it’s coming from, either help or take cover.” Yawning, I nod against Keegan’s skin and murmur my agreement. “Get some sleep, Tease. I’ll be here. Always.”
I wish I had the words to tell him what he means to me, but my body is already dragging itself down, and my mind follows blindly. The need for sleep is overwhelming. But, yeah…there’s going to be explosions. God help us all…
Tired doesn’t even begin to cover how I feel. The past few months have been…rough for everyone. And now, there’s one more thing to deal with. Those fuckers hurt someone I love, but not only that, they made it so I have limited resources in order to track them down. That, more than anything, is grating. Rendering me helpless in a way I haven’t felt since I was locked in a bare room until I was too broken down to fight back. Or…at least, only left with one option.
As I hold Roman’s hand in mine, all I can think about is what happened the last time I felt so fucking helpless. The scars on my wrist seem to throb and ache, as if they were once again badly patched up by fucking Gerald Bradley.
A hand on my shoulder has me jerking in my seat, and without thinking, I pull my knife. The hiss of pain brings meback to my senses, and I watch as blood blooms on Jude’s sleeve from where I cut him.
Looking up into pale green irises that are highlighted by the dark circles under his eyes, I find concern bleeding through his usually controlled expression. “Sorry,” I sign.
He looks down at his arm and then shrugs before replying, “Someone can patch me up. No worries, Hol. How about you go to bed? Il Padrone said they set aside rooms for us.”
