Chapter 3
Waiting is never easy. The restless need for blood and retribution lives just under the surface, and if it wasn’t for my lovers needing me, I wouldn’t be here.
Carter and I…we may have never seen eye-to-eye, especially after Cristian let him live, but I don’t deny he’s been an amazing father to Roman, and an efficient leader.
If someone like War can get behind him, then I don’t have any doubts about him and his place on the Council.
Not when he’s spent years at Cris’s side, learning everything he could.
Being a Boss may never have been in Carter’s plans, but for as soft and gentle as he is, he’s still his father’s son; ruthlessness is in his blood.
“Fuck,” Hollis hisses, forcing everyone’s eyes on him.
“What’s wrong, Tesoro?” I ask, shifting the little Boss in my arms as I turn to face my lover.
“Luca’s finished with his…task.”
Emilio tries to burrow himself deeper into me, even as his body tenses at Hollis’s words.
“And?”
Hollis looks up from his phone. “You need to go pick up Cristian,” he signs rather than voices.
I frown but loosen my grip on Lio. The boy whimpers, but I lift his face to mine and kiss him softly. “Whatever happens, it’ll be okay, Mostrotto. Stay here with Hollis and Benjamin. Roman needs you, and I need you to be safe. Okay?”
Lio takes a breath and he straightens up, the mask of Boss coming over his features as he switches from pliant Boy to Council member. Hollis reaches out, though his focus is still on his phone.
I pass Lio to him, enjoying the way the Boy instantly complies, curling into my lover like he belongs there—which he does.
Benjamin comes over to stand with his friend, and I pull him to me, kissing him firmly. “Be careful,” he says quietly.
“Always, Topolino. You and Hol are in charge, yes?”
Benjamin looks to his friend, before flicking his gaze to Roman, who has a wounded, despondent look on his face. “I’ll take care of them.”
“I know you will.” I kiss him again, soaking up the feel of him because, if this goes the way I’m thinking, it’ll be a while before I can again.
Releasing Benjamin so he can cuddle Lio along with Hollis, I crouch in front of Roman. He stares at me with wide, pain-filled eyes. “You’re okay, Little Prince. Go sit with Ignacio if you need a break, he’ll take care of you.”
Roman shakes his head. “I can’t leave him…”
“I know.” Reaching out, I cup his pale cheek. “Carter will be fine. He’s stubborn, and he loves you and Cole too much to leave you.”
Roman swallows. “Do…do you think Dad is…”
“I don’t know. Hollis and Leandro should have the video of whatever happened, but I don’t want you or Lio to watch without me, okay?”
“I’m not a fucking child, Ten.”
I smile at the fire in his eyes and the defiance in his voice. “No, you’re not, but I’d rather it be a group viewing. Indulge me.”
He huffs and shifts in his chair, wincing as he does so. Hollis told me how Roman panicked over Carter, which is the whole reason I didn’t want him listening in. I didn’t want him to cause himself more harm, but the boy is nothing if not stubborn.
“You need to get checked out, make sure you didn’t reinjure yourself.”
“I’m fine.” I stare at him until he huffs. “I’ll get an x-ray once we learn about Carter, fair?”
“If you hurt yourself again, I will tie you to your bed.”
Roman rolls his eyes, but he deflates a little, knowing I’m not kidding.
We need him healthy, not confined to his bed or a wheelchair because he keeps setting his progress back.
The cast on his leg should be coming off soon, but he’ll still need to be assessed by the physical therapists before he’s cleared to walk on it.
His wrist is another story, one we’ll cross when the time comes.
Though if he keeps preventing his ribs from properly healing, it won’t matter if his hand is never the same—I’ll kill him for being a dumbass.
“Good. Let Hollis and Jude take care of you, Benjamin too.” I lean in and kiss him.
He tries to pull me in closer, but I gently take his hands in mine, holding them for a moment as he blinks his wide, worried eyes at me.
“What are you going to do?”
“What needs doing. Worry about Carter and yourself for now, okay? I’ll take care of this.”
Roman’s face falls for a moment before he takes a fortifying breath and nods. “I’ll behave.”
I laugh a little because I don’t believe that at all. I kiss him one last time before releasing his hands and standing.
Jude is standing with Antonio and the twins, and I shake my head at him. Of all the people who could have ended up with those three…Jude wasn’t the first on my list. But the way they stare at the agnellino…the devotion to him is something he needs.
“Don’t worry,” he signs. “Roman won’t be alone.”
“I’m not worried.”
Jude raises an eyebrow at me, but doesn’t call me out on my bullshit.
In truth, I’m less worried about Roman and Hollis now than I ever have been, and it’s thanks to the Martellis, who somehow have become our perfect matches.
Even if I still want to drive a knife into Ignacio once a day—just for the audacity.
Trusting my lovers will be okay, I leave the medical suite in search of Joel, knowing he’ll kill me if I tried to leave without him. Fucking annoying bodyguard.
Being in the Martelli mansion after weeks away is…strange. Especially with how eerily quiet it is. Though there’s still staff, it feels like a ghost town.
Joel and I don’t have to wait long for Luca to appear.
Gone is the arrogant asshole that we met when Allesandro and Cristian were first kidnapped, in his place is someone who looks like he needs a week of sleep.
His honey blond hair is in disarray, he has dark circles under his eyes, and his clothes are wrinkled.
I raise an eyebrow at his appearance, but he doesn’t raise to my silent bait. “He’s still in the playroom, I haven’t moved him.”
“And Allesandro?”
Something akin to despair crosses his features before he responds. “With Doc, getting cleaned up.”
“What are you going to do with him?”
“Nothing. I’m finished here. He’s Lio and the other Boys’ problem now. Whatever happens…I want no part of it. I’m done, this isn’t my place anymore.”
“You’re right, though you’ll stick around until Lio is able to collect him? I don’t want to leave Doc and Soren without the rest of their family for too long.”
“I’m not staying longer than I need to, but I can give Lio a few days.”
“That’s all we need.” I don’t bother explaining that we need to make sure Carter is stable before any more life and death decisions can be made.
Breathing room, that’s what the Council needs. Just a few moments of breathing room.
“I’ll check in with Doc before we leave.” Looking to Joel, he doesn’t hesitate to step up.
“Take me to Cristian?”
Luca nods in response to him, and the two of them set off, while I head to the medical suite.
Lucky for me, I find Doc and Soren stepping out of a room. Soren closes the door firmly when they see me, and the three of us move to stand a few feet away from the room to lessen the chance of being overheard.
“What’s the damage?”
Doc shrugs and stuffs his hands in his pockets. “He’ll live—sadly. Got some bruises and a few cuts that I treated. Worst is the fissure in his ass, but it doesn’t need stitches, so it’ll just be uncomfortable for him for a while.”
“You sound disappointed,” I say lightly.
Doc’s amber eyes darken with his anger. “It’s the least the fucker deserves. He and Cristian…” He shakes his head.
Soren pulls Doc to him, the younger, smaller man encasing his Boy in his arms. It’s fascinating, the way Doc melts into his Daddy, and is similar to the way Emilio was clinging to me…
“I’ll take care of Cristian,” I tell him mildly. “He won’t get off unscathed after everything he’s done.”
“Good. You know where to find me if you need assistance…”
I laugh. “You need sleep more than you need to create more fuckery, but I could use one of your sedatives.”
Doc pulls his hand out of his pocket and hands over a capped syringe. At my raised brow, he shrugs again. “Can’t be too prepared. That’ll give you a few hours.”
“Thanks. Call someone to relieve you, and get some rest, both of you. You’ve done enough.”
Soren tightens his grip on Doc. “We will. Thanks, Ten.”
I shake my head. “Don’t thank me. Just…be prepared. Dr. Ranlen may call you in, so rest while you can.”
Doc frowns. “What’s going on?”
“Carter, the dumbass, got himself shot, but Dr. Ranlen is handling it.”
“Fuck!”
I set a hand on Doc’s arm when he tries to escape his Daddy’s hold. “She has it under control. You know she’s capable, and so are your people. There’s nothing you need to do now, except get some sleep. You can take over afterwards.”
“That’s not exactly reassuring…”
“Too bad. You’ll be useless if you don’t take care of yourself, both of you. You’ve done enough for now, Ashby. Rest.”
He deflates. “It’s been a long time since you’ve called me that…”
I give him a bland smile. “Yes, well, I still hate the name. Behave, or Cristian won’t be the only one I’m locking up…”
Doc huffs. “Yes, fine, whatever. Go take care of that, we’ll be fine.”
“I know you will be. Thank you for everything. For…doing what I couldn’t.”
“Don’t thank me, you fucking asshole. I care about Cris as much as you do. Which means, I didn’t have a choice. But, I’ve done my job, now go do yours.”
“Yes, Sir,” I say sarcastically.
Giving them both an assessing look, and trusting Soren to take care of his Boy, I leave them to it. Knowing Doc is right. He did his job, and now? It’s time for me to do mine.
Fucking Cristian.
Good thing I have more tools in my arsenal than he did when he was forced to save me… Let’s hope it’s enough.