Chapter 33 #2
Shaking my head, I meet the eyes of all three Council members.
“I’m not going to beg for his life. Cristian brought this on himself.
I have a feeling he knows exactly what he did.
I saw him after Roman let him live, after he told Cris that he wanted him to see the consequences of his actions.
He truly does regret the way things went down, but he also knows he can’t change the past. That is something he and I have in common.
So…I don’t know if he can fully be redeemed, not like Allesandro. ”
“Thank you, Ten.” Roman’s voice barely carries to me. He looks at the floor, and Lio releases his hand to wrap an arm around Roman, holding his friend close.
“Cristian didn’t have to let me live,” Carter says softly.
“I can see Allesandro’s side because of that.
Luca was right, under my father’s rule, under normal Amato rules…
I wouldn’t have lived, neither would Marcus nor Luca.
For that…I can see where Allesandro truly loved his Boys.
Cristian spared my life because he loved me, but sometimes love isn’t enough. ”
“I want my Master,” Emilio whispers. “I get that he might not want to be my Master…but we’re supposed to be better than them. We’re supposed to bring a new rule to the Families. But… that doesn’t excuse the way he hurt me, either.”
Roman looks between his friend and his father. “You’ve both been hurt by them. Yes, Cristian broke my trust. I don’t know if he can ever gain that back, but…they physically and mentally hurt the two of you. Can you live with knowing they did that?”
“Sometimes, we hurt the ones we love the most,” Carter says softly.
“It doesn’t make it right. Doesn’t make it okay, but…
I forgave Cristian once, and he did the same to me.
I took him back once…” He looks up at the man at his side.
“I can’t do that again. Not when he shattered everything that made me me.
I…I think I’ve found my happiness, a family of my own, but does he deserve to die for his transgressions?
Or live in the knowledge that I moved on… ”
Keegan swipes his thumb over Carter’s cheek, wiping away his tears.
“I love you, Carter,” Roman tells him. “You’re the parent I always wanted. I…I want you to be happy, and I want Cristian to choke on his regret. Maybe that makes me petty, but I’m okay with that. So…I vote we let him live; I’ll kill him myself if need be.”
“I’ll support you,” Lio says. “But he cannot have you. You’re mine, he can fuck off. You and Carter have each other.”
Carter is silent for a long time, his focus still on Keegan. “Yes,” he says softly. “Whatever Cris turned out to be…he is still a good man. I love him. I will always love him, even though I think I’m finally ready to move on.”
Keegan leans down and presses a kiss to Carter’s head, whispering something that I can’t hear, but has Carter closing his eyes and slumping in his hospital bed. More tears fall down his cheeks.
“My Master…” Lio’s voice breaks the silence that descends the room.
“We wouldn’t be here without him… He hurt me so fucking badly…
But I wouldn’t be your little monster without him.
I wouldn’t know what love is… I don’t know if I can ‘get over’ or ‘move past’ what he did to me.
You don’t hurt the people you love, not like that.
But…I want to try.” He looks at Hollis, and then me. “I’ll…I’ll have you?”
“Yes, Baby Boy,” I assure him. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Okay… Then, yes.”
“Yes.” Carter seconds Lio’s vote. “I have been on the other side of such forgiveness. I wouldn’t be here without it, so give him a chance.”
Roman frowns, pain on his face along with distrust. I know the little shit well enough that he’s probably imagining stabbing Allesandro rather than saving him, but I also know he loves Lio too much to deny him this chance.
“I will fucking kill him with my bare hands if he touches you again,” Roman says softly.
Emilio smiles a little. “You’ll have to get in line. Pretty sure my Owner and Daddy will want to get there first.” Lio takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “I’ll fucking take him out myself, if I need to.”
“Together,” Roman tells him. “If he makes it through…whatever the fuck he’s going through, I’ll be right by your side to help put him together again. And we’ll take him out together, if need be.”
“Thank you…” There’s barely any sound to Lio’s words.
Roman shakes his head. “Don’t thank me. Not for this.”
They collapse into each other’s arms, and I stride across the room, sweeping them both into mine.
“It’ll be okay,” I tell the three of them. “You’re not alone in this. We will get through this, and we’ll support you. None of you are alone, and neither are they.”
Carter nods and cries hard enough that he winces, but Keegan is there to take care of him, as Hollis moves around the room to join me in holding our Boys.
The Council may have chosen to spare the old Bosses, but that doesn’t make it any easier than if they decided to put them down… Fuck, it might even be the harder of the two choices.
But, it’s done now, and whatever happens next, they won’t be alone in it.