31. Emilio
“ Y ou pulled a couple of stitches,” Dr. Ranlen says, as she examines my back while I sit on the examination table, her hands lightly touching around the areas where Hollis enjoyed himself a little too much. “That Amato doctor is definitely talented. Even if you did pull a couple, it’s extremely well done. I’m assuming he needs to be if they play this rough.”
I want to shrug, but considering she’s working on my back, I decide that’s a really bad idea. “At least I got what I needed.”
“Hmm. True. But I’ll feel better when Il Padrone is back and you can get it in a more…safer way.” Dr. Ranlen laughs lightly at that. I bet she never thought she’d consider what Master and I do as safe. But Hollis definitely put something into perspective, even if he did help silence the chaos in my head. “Do you plan on engaging in this in the future? If so, I may want to talk to their doctor.”
Rolling my eyes, even though she can’t see me, I respond, “It’s not like we made any plans, but who knows. It may depend on how much I piss him off.”
I hear the snick of latex gloves being pulled off, and Dr. Ranlen moves in front of me. “Don’t take unnecessary risks. Not with everything that we have going on. If you need help with anything, let me know. I’m willing to step out of my normal role to get Allesandro back. I owe him. Always.”
“You know he doesn’t think of it that way. At least, not anymore. Your ex needed to die. I would have joined in, had I already been here.” My disgruntled tone makes her smile and shake her head.
“I have no doubts about that. But—” I hold up my hand, cutting her off when my phone pings with a message from Hollis.
“Sorry.” I cringe at cutting her off, but Hollis sending me a message has me instantly suspicious. “Hmm. He sent me an attachment.”
I immediately open it and push play.
“Holy shit,” Dr. Ranlen whispers as she moves to get a better view. “Are they fighting or fucking? And why is Benjamin so bad?”
“He’s not. He’s playing with Tennant.” I don’t answer her first question, because I’m just as curious. I wanted Tennant to bring out violence in Benjamin—to make him understand it’s a good thing to be bloodthirsty. However, I did not expect it to be like this. “Oh, damn. That’s… Wow. That’s going to change things.”
“The way they’re fucking? Yeah, I’d say it’ll change things.” Dr. Ranlen’s voice is frosty, and I finally remember that she’s always worked closely with Benjamin. This can’t be easy to see, especially when her loyalty is to our family.
“Uh.” I try to think of something positive to say as I squirm in my seat, praying my erection isn’t visible. But, damn. That’s fucking hot. Who knew Benjamin could be such a firecracker? Or maybe it’s just Tennant that drags it out of him. “Oh, fuck!”
“He. Knocked. Benjamin. Out. After they did…what they did. And this is the type of training you think Benjamin should be undergoing?”
“Well, Tennant had a point,” I weakly defend him. “They are still training. Benjamin knows not to drop his guard. I’ve taught him that.”
Dr. Ranlen glares at me, and I forget that out of everyone, she makes me the most nervous. Her and her fucking scalpels. Plus, she’s seen me at my worst. I try to think of anything to diffuse the situation, but nothing is coming to me. She throws her hands up in disgust.
“At least I know their doctor is talented. But if you both are going to be interacting with the Amatos like this, I need to sit down with their doctor. Obviously, we need a game plan.”
“I think that’s fair,” I say carefully, watching her for any signs she’s going for a scalpel. When she rolls her eyes and shoos me off the table, I exhale deeply.
I go to leave but she grips my arm, stalling me. I turn my head to meet her eyes, and there’s a grimness there that almost takes me aback. “Are you going to show Ignacio?”
Fuck . I hadn’t even thought about that. Chuckling evilly, I respond, “Yes. Yes, I am.”
Dr. Ranlen drops my arm as if it’s electrified, and I don’t need to meet her eyes any longer to know she disapproves. But, fuck that. I’m not being a shit stirrer on this one. I need my best friend here. I need him as a Second, and as the voice of reason. The problem is…will he want to come back after what I just saw? That means I need to know what the fuck is going on with Ignacio and him. Sometimes love doesn’t work out, and it sucks, but sometimes, a kick in the ass is what’s needed.
I glance at my phone again, checking the time. Nodding to myself, I quickly jog to the gym, as I know that’s where he’ll be. The door bangs open when I enter and Ignacio startles, staring at me cautiously.
“Did you need something, Boss?”
Considering his ass is most likely still hurting, I understand his hesitation. Too bad, I’m going to teach him yet another lesson. I gesture for him to stop the treadmill he’s on, and once he steps off, I toss my phone to him. He manages to catch it, despite being sweaty.
“Press play on the video. And don’t say anything until it’s finished.”
I take in every facial twitch as he watches the video, from confusion to rage, to devastation. By the end, his face is pale and tears drip from his eyes. His whole body shakes as he looks up at me.
“Why did you show it to me?” His voice is thick, clogged from the tears he can’t hold back.
“Because I need you to know what’s happening. And what could happen. They’ve obviously connected. You know that love has to be tended to, and it goes both ways. You’ve shown lately that you don’t have much faith in Benjamin. I don’t want to lose my best friend and Second because your relationship is fucking us up. Right now, he could walk to the Amatos. So this is where you tell me what the fuck is going on, and what your plans are for the future. And yes, your feelings on this matter as well.” I plop down onto the floor, thankful for the training mats.
He pinches his nose as he drops as well, leaning against the treadmill. “Alright, I screwed up. I’ll be honest about that. After Jax…I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to protect him, so I kept him a little more sheltered than I should have. I wasn’t letting him in as often. And then when Il Padrone was kidnapped and he stepped up… I didn’t take that well. You know that. I tried to put him in his place, and while he may have enjoyed it, we clearly didn’t resolve the issues. It’s not something that’s easily resolvable with one conversation after months of confusion. I don’t blame him for connecting with someone else. Plus, you know none of us are sexually exclusive. I just never imagined he’d have such a very obvious connection with someone else. Especially Tennant.”
The last words are whispered, and I do feel for him. I don’t get why he didn’t trust my best friend, but I do feel for the fact he’s in pain. “Do you still love him? And think carefully, don’t just give me a knee-jerk answer.”
Swallowing, he stares at the floor, and eventually, he raises his eyes to meet mine. There’s a fire and determination in them, and I almost melt with relief. “Yes, I do. And I’ll do whatever I need to do to prove it.”
“Even if it means having to share him? With more than just us,” I clarify quickly.
Ignacio swallows roughly, tightening his hands into fists before relaxing them. “Even if I have to share him with that fucking psychopath. I want Benjamin to be happy. Preferably with me, but yes, I know what I saw in that video. He may no longer choose me.”
Thank fuck I don’t have to point that out. I’m about all emotioned out. “Then we’re on the same page. I want you to be very careful on how you approach Benjamin when he comes back. If you start immediately with accusations, you’ll lose him.”
“I understand. Thanks. I know this isn’t your typical thing.” I grumble at his appreciation. I hope to fuck he never expects this again.
“I’m not doing it for you. I’m doing it for my best friend. There’s no way I’m losing him to the fucking Amatos. He kidnapped me as a friend, he can’t leave me now.”
Ignacio gives a startled laugh and shakes his head. I relax when he smiles slightly. He stands up and offers me his hand. I let him pull me up, even though I don’t need the help.
“One thing…” he says, and I gesture for him to continue. “I hope you know that I’m going to punch Tennant. He didn’t need to knock Benjamin out.”
I stare at him, unable to speak, before slowly looking up at the ceiling, praying for patience. None comes.
Giving him my attention, I speak slowly. “You... You want to take on Tennant? Their strongest asset. Who, yes, fought dirty, but that’s how you should fight. You taught me that.”
“He deserves it.” Ignacio thrusts his chin up, rolling his shoulders back. I know this isn’t a fight I’m going to win, so I just wave it away.
“Whatever. Good luck. Maybe he won’t kill you. Just make sure you don't fuck up your chance with Benjamin.”
With that, I spin on my heel and head for the door. Now I need to track down Marcus and Jenna. Oh, and call Hollis. That first. I want to make sure our records are safe, and most of all, I want to know what the hell he thinks about all of this. He’s got a harem of his own, and that includes Tennant. I want to make sure he hasn’t killed my Second…