Unfettered (Crimson Bonds #12)

1. Doc

Looking at Javi’s relaxed, sleeping face, a pang goes through my heart, knowing this is the only chance I’ll have to see him so free, so vulnerable.

I see the airs he puts on for others, the ridiculous, sometimes insanity-inducing personality he adopts to prevent people from looking deeper, but I know him.

The boy I went to school with wasn’t so brazen.

Though he was learning how to come into his snark, and was already so good at deflecting and pretending in front of others.

I saw through it, though. I may have been in a world of my own, hiding from my parents, then later trying to piece my life together after my attack and being adopted by the mafia, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t see how hard my odd, yet adorable, friend was trying.

Having this time with my old friend has been amazing, and I’m sad I almost missed the opportunity. Though the current situation we’re in, the reason Javi is in a drug-induced slumber, is the reason I didn’t put him at the top of my list in the first place.

I wanted to spare my old friend the pain he’s currently experiencing.

“Meow.” Her Majesty Queen Floofy jumps onto the hospital bed, and I snatch her up, settling her into my lap so she doesn’t disturb her owner.

“He’s okay. He’ll wake up soon,” I tell the kitten, petting her when she decides my lap isn’t so bad and settles down.

I hated having to drug him, but both he and Daniel were inconsolable, so Dr. Ranlen and I had to step in before something drastic happened.

My heart aches as I look at my friend. His dark hair sweeps across his forehead and I itch to push it back, but I don’t want to disturb him. Plus, that crosses lines I can’t afford to with him.

Daddy said Javi has a crush, and Daniel said the same.

His words floored me so much I almost missed the rest of his tirade, and by then, I was seconds away from pulling the man away from Javi and stabbing him.

Cousin or not, no one gets to put their hands on Javi—that’s part of the reason Sarah is sitting with Daniel as opposed to me.

Hell, Daniel is lucky Jude wasn’t around when he went after Javi. The two of them might not always see eye to eye, but my friend has gotten under Jude’s skin, and I’m sure he considers Javi his, even if that claim is only so he can stab Javi himself later.

The bruises on Javi’s face light a fire in me and make me want to add more to Daniel, but before I can act on the impulse, my friend stirs, letting out a groan as he fights against the sedatives.

His eyes flutter open, those beautiful mismatched irises of his taking a minute to focus, but once they do, a soft smile crosses his lips when he sees me holding his kitten. At least, until he remembers what happened.

He tries to get off the bed, but the restraints securing him to the rails on either side prevent him. “What the fuck?!” he snarls. “Let me go.”

I shake my head. “You know why I can’t do that.”

“He’s going to pay,” Javi growls.

I nod slowly. “Yes, yes he is. Tennant has already taken the last traitors into custody. He’s working on getting something out of them while Leandro does his thing. This won’t go unpunished, Amico Mio. We’re going to burn the fucker alive—maybe literally.”

There’s a madness to Javi’s eyes, and he tugs at the cuffs on his wrists and ankles again. Reaching out, I place my hand over his, ignoring how tightly he’s clenching his fist.

“Please, don’t hurt yourself.”

“You can’t keep me out of the fight. Fuck that. Fuck Ten and Leandro, and all the procedures you have in place. I’m going to teach that bastard a lesson.”

The kitten on my lap claws at me as she reacts to her owner’s ire. I set her on the bed and she jumps on Javi’s chest, purring loudly. He stills, not wanting to disturb her, and I let out a silent breath of relief, glad I had the foresight to grab her before he woke.

“Listen to me, Javi,” I plead, not ashamed of the desperation in my voice. “You need to be rational about this. Ely and her son don’t need an avenging angel. They need a cold, calculating killer.”

He closes his eyes and his entire face screws up in pain before smoothing out.

When he blinks his eyes open again, every ounce of emotion he showed before is gone.

A shiver rolls down my spine at the shift.

It’s as eerie as the switch Leandro flips, and I hate that my friend has to hide behind it, but it’s better this way.

“I know you’re lost right now,” I tell him in a soft voice.

I force his hand open and thread our fingers together.

“I know how much she means to you, but you can’t avenge her by getting yourself killed.

The fucker is slippery. No good will come from underestimating him.

I need you to trust me, Caro Mio. Please.

Let the Council help. Trust them to do the right thing.

We’ll get answers, and then you can go in and get the fucker who touched what’s yours. ”

His fingers tighten around mine to the point of pain, but I don’t let it show on my face, or try to pull away. If this is what he needs from me, I’ll happily give it.

“I don’t need any help,” he spits.

“I know,” I soothe. “But I need you. You came back into my life for a reason, Caro, and I don’t want to lose you.

You’ve become an important part of my family, and losing you would kill me.

What you’re feeling right now? Do you want me to feel it for you?

” Part of me hates what I’m doing, but if he feels for me what Daddy thinks he does, he’ll let me manipulate him.

He gives nothing away, and my heart aches, my stomach churning with fear as I know he could decide I’m not worth it.

After all, we’re just friends, no matter what our feelings for one another might be.

Ely was not only his cousin, but his reason for living.

And the baby… Fuck, we might be who we are, but the rule has always been clear: No innocents. Ever.

“One day,” he says flatly. “They have one day to get answers, and then I’m going after that fucker.”

I let my relief show on my face as I sag in the chair. “One day,” I agree.

With his hand still in mine, I get up from my chair and lean over him, placing a firm kiss to the corner of his mouth. My heart thumps wildly in my chest as, for the briefest of moments, I consider pressing my lips to his.

Everything in me stills at the thought, and I pull back just enough to gently push his hair away from his eyes. “Thank you,” I whisper. “I promise, I’ll join you in getting your revenge. You’re not alone, Caro. You'll never be alone again.”

We stare at each other as I sit down again, neither of us saying anything. Our hold on one another is a promise we can’t make with words.

The Senator has fucked with us for the last time, and I’ll kill him with my bare hands if I have to, if only to save the man who quietly and effortlessly worked his way into my heart.

Fuck, I only hope it’s enough.