25. Emilio
I groan as I roll out of bed when the alarm goes off. I feel like I’ve only slept for a couple of hours, and really, it probably wasn’t much more than that. Being in our bed without my Master… It’s an itch I can’t scratch. I refuse to let the maids change the sheets, wanting to draw his scent to me each night. Yet, each inhale is like a knife to my heart.
Shuffling to the bathroom, I turn the shower on, blasting the hot water. By the time I step in, I’m at least a little more awake. When the water hits my back, I let out a yelp and scramble out of the shower.
Fuck . I didn’t think about the fact my back was shredded, thanks to Hollis. I turn the water to a cooler temperature, praying I can at least get through a short shower. Fucker didn’t hold back. Then again, it was exactly what I needed to make the chaos in my head slow down.
I’m not embarrassed by my needs, and Master taught me to get them fulfilled if he wasn’t available. But fuck if I don’t know how the Amatos are taking it right now. I’m assuming, if Hollis gave the okay, the rest of them will accept it, but not all of their faces showed joy—or acceptance. That’s a problem for another day, and hopefully it’s Hollis’s, not mine.
Stepping back into the shower, I manage to grit my teeth and get cleaned up. I notice the water runs pink occasionally, and I hope to fuck I didn’t pull any stitches. At least Dr. Ranlen will be here this morning. Chances are, she won’t hold back her opinion any more than the Amato doctor did.
Once I’m dressed and ready, I head down to my Master’s office. I have no desire to go to the dining room. I know our family meals are important, but I don’t have it in me today to pretend there’s any normality in our lives right now. I barely sit down before Antonio and Dr. Ranlen come into the office. I knew I should have fucking closed the door.
“You wanted to see us?” Antonio asks as he stops in front of the desk.
I wave for them to sit and take a deep breath. I face Antonio first. “Benjamin is undergoing training with the Amatos, so right now, he’s unavailable. I need a Second. I want you to take that position until Benjamin is back.”
Antonio leans back in the chair, his jaw dropping. He goes to speak several times, but nothing comes out. I’m not surprised. We didn’t exactly have the easiest start to our relationship.
Clearing his throat, he finally manages to say, “I’m very…surprised, but yes. It’s an honor.”
I don’t show my relief, but I was worried he’d question my decision and I’d be forced to start the day by doling out more punishments. I didn’t realize how fucking exhausting that must be for Il Padrone at times.
With that covered, I address Dr. Ranlen. “I know you're busy with your position at the hospital, but I need you here. We don’t know what’s going to happen. It’s one, for your safety, and two, in case we have any medical needs.”
With an arched brow, Dr. Ranlen retorts, “From what I hear, you already have needs.”
I look up at the ceiling, cursing whichever Boy snitched on me. Shaking my head, I focus on her again. “Well, you know me…always having fun. Does that mean you’ll move back?”
“I suppose. But I expect you to keep me updated. And you’d better start going to family meals. I’m told you’ve been ignoring those as well. You need to keep your mental health in check—and not just by whatever else it is that you’re doing. Come see me after your meeting. I want to check out what happened.”
Without waiting for a dismissal, she stands and strolls out of the room, her heels clicking as she goes. I assume she’s headed to the clinic she has set up here.
“I have no idea how she can walk in those,” I comment lightly, before turning to more serious matters. I gesture for Antonio to speak, as I’m hoping he has some insight already.
“She has a point.” At my silent command for more, he clears his throat nervously. “You need to go back to the family dinners. Not only because it’s a way to pass information along, but also to reinforce our bond. We all need it. It doesn’t help if we become disconnected from each other.”
Sighing, I nod in agreement. “I know, you’re right. I just…haven’t had much of an appetite. But if anything, being around everyone will be good. We never know what may come up while talking.
“Speaking of that, I wanted to run something by you. You know we got hit by the LEOs? Well, from what we’re finding out, it’s open season on both us and the Amatos. Meaning, we can’t trust the cops, or hell, any of the legal system that we’re used to bribing. Some of them know too much. Where do you think they’ll hit next?”
“Fuck,” Antonio mutters. “We don’t exactly advertise everywhere we occupy, but there are certain warehouses they could take an educated guess on. Some dealer houses are probably marked. Let’s get a list and start moving things around. Maybe we can convince the dealers to switch areas, if we can provide them with some different locations. We have safe houses that are off everyone’s radar for a reason.”
“Good point. Let’s get the map out. We also need to get ahold of the Cartel. We can’t have weapons and drugs rolling in right now. At least, not at the volume we usually do. I don’t want them picked up either. They’d flip too easily—there’s no reason for them to be loyal to us.”
“What about Sergio?” I bite my lip at Antonio’s reference to Master’s cousin. Considering Luca was supposed to be in his territory, I’m not sure how to approach him. “Do you think Luca explained what happened?”
“Fuck. I hope not, but yeah. That’s the only way he would have been able to leave so easily. I don’t want other Families to know what’s going on—even if they’re related. We have a treaty with the Amatos. While we have one with Sergio based on blood, I can’t exactly count on that. We’d be too easy to pick off, if he decided to.”
“I’ll talk to Luca. Maybe this will convince him to go back. He’d be more useful watching that situation. We’re all hands on deck, but there’s such a thing as too many people.” I nod, understanding completely—especially when most of us are wary of Luca.
Antonio starts pointing to areas on the map, mainly warehouses that are more well known. “These are my guesses. I’d suggest maybe shifting things around.”
“Hmm. We could even do a blind, don’t you think? Leave a couple showing ‘activity’, but with nothing in there. That way, it makes the LEOs look like they're on a vendetta with nothing to back it up.”
“Good idea. I’ll start transferring some things over. One more thing… Do you think they’ll hit the house?”
I sit back, stunned. I’d never considered it. I mean, fuck…why the hell would they risk it? Then again, most of our secrets are here. They could easily access information and our people here at the main house. Fuck .
“I don’t even know where to begin. I know we’d need to get rid of our ‘guest’ room. The black room...but Il Padrone will be pissed if we get rid of it.”
“What about the playroom and the nursery?” Twisting up his face, Antonio can’t even meet my eyes.
“No…I think those can stay,” I say after a moment of hesitation. “Yeah, they might freak some people out, but they can’t do shit about BDSM—even if I'm sure they’ll want to. It’d provide a red herring anyway. It’s the other things I'm worried about…like documents. Fuck, our entire network. I’m not sure if they could get into that.”
“Maybe ask Jenna?” Antonio rubs his chin, staring blankly at the table. Fuck, if there was ever a time for needing Master, it would be right now.
“Yeah, I’ll contact her. I’ll also call Hollis. I think he’s honestly the best person to tell us how to make sure our network is secure enough that the cops wouldn’t find anything.” I close my eyes in defeat. I have a feeling I’m going to need to beg, and that is not my style—at least, not with anyone except Master.
“Who would have thought we’d be working with the Amatos? Trusting them like this. It’s fucking weird.”
“I don’t disagree, but I’m friends with Roman anyway. Right now, it feels a little lopsided though. I don’t want them to be the ones taking point on everything. So, find me something. Anything.”
Chuckling softly, Antonio stands up. “Use that fire. It’s good to see it again. I’ll check in with you at dinner time, after I start rearranging some things. First up is making sure the house gets stripped.”
“Yeah, let the cleaners and maids know. I’ll call Jenna and Hollis after I see Dr. Ranlen.” I wave him out and let my head drop down.
Right now, we’re in defense. I need to start being on the offense. At least leaving some blinds may help us. But, for now, I need to come clean to Sarah and have her check the stitches. I’m not sure what she’ll say about my playtime with Hollis. Fuck knows I needed it, and I certainly wouldn’t pass it up again in the future, if it can bring my mind calmness. Although, shit, I hope they don’t always rely on blood play…