10. Chapter Ten
Chapter ten
Peter
After taking a hot shower and stretching out in the queen-sized bed, I stared at the ceiling and let my thoughts wander.
Who would need protection so secretive that the majority of the Agostis can’t know about it?
Is it someone I know?
How did Lynette get connected to someone in Colorado?
The questions kept coming, but one thought kept popping up.
Someone was in so much danger that they needed the power and secrecy of a mafia family to keep them safe. The fact something so terrible had happened they needed to be in hiding broke my heart. It would kill me if my parents or sister ever landed in a situation like that.
Violet.
I grabbed my phone.
Peter:
Violet:
I let out a sigh, both annoyed and loving the fact my sister was busting me.
Peter:
Violet:
I stared at the screen for a long time before answering.
Peter:
Peter:
Violet:
A smile appeared on my face at her mention of our foam dart gun family tradition.
Peter:
Violet:
Violet:
I chuckled. My sister didn’t miss anything.
Peter:
Violet:
My grin widened.
Peter:
My sister and I chatted a little longer before she had to head out. I felt better having talked to her. It was the reset and touchpoint I needed.
Not unlike Lianne and Lukas, or Jess and Ryan.
A soft chuckle came out at a realization that siblings, biological and chosen, were what kept most of us going.
I looked around the room again, not sure how to pass the time.
It wasn’t that I didn’t have hobbies, but it felt odd not being on duty while inside the Agosti house.
I’d never been here and not been working.
I decided to run downstairs to the kitchen where the team usually ate and grab something to eat.
The kitchen and lounge areas were empty, allowing me to eat a sandwich and some chips before heading back to my temporary room.
Letting out a sigh, I got comfortable on the bed, pulled up a streaming service on my phone, and selected the next episode of the car restoration show Quinn and I had watched the other night.
Toward the end of the second episode, a text message popped up.
Lianne:
My eyes went wide at the text. What happened now?
Moments later, there was a knock on my door. Curious about my visitor, I turned on the lamp next to my bed before getting up. Lukas was one of the last people I’d expected to see, especially looking as uneasy as he did. “Everything okay?”
He glanced down the hall in the direction of Ryan’s room. “Yes, and no. Can I come in?”
“Of course.” I opened the door the rest of the way and gestured to the chair next to the bed. I sat on the edge of the mattress and faced him. “What happened?”
Lukas let out a deep sigh as he lowered himself into the chair. “Well, Ellen not only got through to Ryan, but she also got him back in bed and to sleep.”
“That sounds like a good thing.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”
“But?” The hesitant tone in his voice told me there was so much more going on than what he was saying.
“Ellen laid into me… Read me the riot act like I was some bratty, spoiled little kid. If she hadn’t been physically and protectively wrapped around Ryan, I’m not entirely sure she wouldn’t have tried taking a swing at me.”
My eyes went wide. “What? Are we talking about the same Ellen here? All I’ve heard is that she’s the quiet, caring, and helpful type, not the angry or violent type.”
Lukas rubbed his hand over his face and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Same. She threatened to pull in my mom and sister if I didn’t let Ryan sleep.”
I let out a low whistle. “She wasn’t pulling punches there.”
He shook his head. “Nope. I wish that had been the end of our conversation.”
“Do I want to know what else happened?”
“Ellen called me out on being a shit best friend and brother.” I opened my mouth to respond, but Lukas waved me off.
“Don’t. She’s not entirely wrong.” He paused for a moment, clenching his hands into fists and then relaxing them again.
“I’m not sure what’s worse, her verbally dressing me down, or the fact Ryan didn’t say anything or try to stop her. ”
Now I shook my head and leaned forward. “Hold on a second. He was awake the entire time and let her go off like that?”
Lukas let out a tense laugh. “He gave every impression he was sleeping, but I know damn well that Ryan was awake and listening the entire time. He is one of the lightest sleepers I know.”
That tracked with what I knew as well. “So, now what?”
He stared up at the ceiling. “I have to see if I can fix any of this.”
“Lukas, if anyone is able to, I know it’s you.”
“Who knows what it’s going to take, though?
The list of my transgressions wasn’t exactly short.
” We sat in silence for a moment before Lukas suddenly stood up.
“Thanks for listening. I’ll let you enjoy the rest of your night without my shadow marring it.
” He immediately turned and walked out of my room.
I’d never seen the man so discouraged before.
If I was being honest with myself, I would have felt like shit if my best friend’s girlfriend laid into me while he laid there in silence, too. That would suck. I stared at the wall in front of me for a whole new reason now.
How many more kicks is that man going to take?
Quinn walked into the kitchen the next morning while I was drinking my mug of coffee, and the exhaustion all over her face worried me.
“Did Lukas talk to you last night before coming upstairs?”
There it is. “Yeah. I’m assuming he filled you in on what happened?”
She let out a sigh as she sank into the chair.
“Yeah. I was just in the living room talking to Lianne about it. She was both surprised and not by Ellen’s comments.
Between you and me, a whole new level of guilt is consuming that man.
I don’t think he realized just how much his sister and best friend had taken on in his absence.
And then to see Ryan laid up because he got really hurt, have Ellen lay into him, and have Lianne almost too busy helping their mother hold down the fort to hang out with him?
Not the homecoming I think he was anticipating. ”
Lianne too busy for her brother? It was then I realized I hadn't seen the youngest Agosti since we arrived. I studied Quinn’s face for a few moments, taking in the tension in her jaw and across her forehead.
“What was he expecting? He knew it was going to be chaos with the fallout from everything that happened with Ryan. Not to mention the changes that had to happen with Lynette and Lianne taking over the family business.”
She shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure, but I think he was expecting a warmer welcome. And probably not being called out for dropping the ball in regard to being there for his sister and best friend.”
I nodded. “Not sure if either one of us can help with that.”
Quinn looked out the kitchen window and shook her head.
“I’m trying to be as neutral and supportive as possible, but it’s getting harder.
I see both sides of this, and while Ellen wasn’t wrong in any of her points, it’s not helpful right now if I add to it.
Lukas is grieving and hurting, too. They all are.
I’m going to keep giving him all the love and support I can until he is less fragile.
I’ll still give it then, but I’ll be able to add in some tough love, too. ”
“That’s fair. Speaking of Lukas, where is he?”
“Up in bed. He tossed and turned for a long time last night until I forced him to be the little spoon and let me hold him. It was super late before he finally fell asleep.”
I reached over and gave her shoulder what I hoped was a comforting squeeze. “Did you get any sleep?”
She leaned on the table, resting her head on her hands. “I got some. Not enough. I’m going to take coffee upstairs, and if Lukas is still sleeping, I might crawl back into bed.”
“Honestly, I think you should, regardless if he’s awake or not. You need little spoon time, too.”
Quinn let out a weak chuckle. “No arguments from me about that.” She pushed away from the table and headed toward the coffeemaker, refilling her mug, and pouring a second one for Lukas. Before leaving, she glanced over her shoulder. “You’ll get me if either of us are needed, right?”
I nodded. “Absolutely.”
As she disappeared up the staircase, I caught motion in the corner of my eye as Ellen and Gage walked across the foyer. Gage almost immediately left again, and I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on now.
Before I could fixate on it for too long, Ben walked into the kitchen through the same archway Quinn had recently walked out of.
“Hey, Peter. Your night go okay?”
I nodded. “Nothing too out of the ordinary on my end.”
He glanced at the open archway leading from the kitchen to the foyer. “Did you hear about Ellen’s monologue?”
“I did.”
The man let out a deep sigh and shifted his focus to me. “Thoughts on her commentary?”