He stares at me and shakes his head. “This isn’t the time to talk about it.”
People murmur around the table, but I’m not paying attention to who is saying what. Right now, I don’t give a shit. I need to know if I should slip out that door and go bury a knife in Il Padrone’s heart. That’s if he even has one, because I swear to fucking God, if he hurt Lio…
“Bullshit. This is something we need to know.”
“No, Antonio, it isn’t. This is my call to make. It’s my life.” Lio’s voice whips around the room as he yanks on his hair.
“Fucker did, didn’t he?” I push out my chair and stand, my hand going to my belt where I keep a knife. “I’m just going to take a stroll to take care of the issue.”
“Sit. Down.” Lio’s hand bangs on the table, and the whispers stop dead. The pulse of tension between us is thick and heavy. “Leave this alone. It’s not your decision to make.”
“You’re not the only one who can make that call now,” I grumble as I sit back down with a huff, pushing my plate away, as food doesn’t sound appetizing in the least anymore.
Fucking hell. I knew Il Padrone went off his rocker, but this? This deserves a death sentence, and if Death won’t take care of it, I’m more than happy to do it for him.
“No, Antonio. But in this instance, it would be my right to decide. That means you may not go to Carter or Roman to get their approval.” Anger and fear dance in his eyes, and it’s the fear that stops me. I lower my gaze and sigh, nodding an agreement that I don’t feel. “This is one issue we are not going to deal with. The three of us, as Heads, will be making decisions like this together. I do not want anyone to try and play us against each other. It will not work, and it will result in consequences.”
I want to push to learn what they may be, but I keep my mouth shut and stare at the table instead. There’s too much to even contemplate right now. I want this dinner done so I can escape. I force myself to stay silent and still. Perhaps when the dinner is done I can talk to Jude about the situation. While Lio may not be willing to give me permission, and he’s made it clear that I’d face consequences if I went to another Boss, he’s not in charge of my Sir.
Letting the chatter flow over me, I grudgingly start to eat when Jude pushes my plate back to me. I know better than to disobey him, but it’s hard to swallow past the lump in my throat. I don’t taste a damn thing. I can’t tell if the kitchen staff Romanbrought in are any good, but from the way the others eat, they must be.
Il Padrone… Fuck! It’s one thing when he punishes us. Hell, I know the Amatos may not agree with his methods, but I’ve never struggled with them. But if he has changed the fabric of who he is, then this is a major problem. Can he be trusted at all?
We’ve all been very careful not to say anything about him or Cristian as we’ve set things up, but they’re going to have to face the situation sooner or later. And that means learning to co-exist with the assholes. Or, better yet, letting me take care of the problem. Hmm…I wonder…would it really be going against Lio’s edict if I did it as a gift to him?
“Whatever you’re thinking, Bello, you need to stop.” I scowl at Jude’s voice, but when he pinches my thigh, I quickly rearrange my expression. No need to get in trouble, just yet. I’d rather save that for any future decisions I make.
“Yes, Sir,” I say just loud enough to be heard, and finish my food as I wait for dinner to be done.
When Carter announces they’ll be having a meeting afterward, I sigh in relief. It’s the perfect time to escape. After being excused, I leave the dining room, but I’m not fast enough.
“Antonio, you need to run whatever you’re thinking by me.”
“And us,” the twins add to Jude’s statement.
Slumping, I nod glumly. It just figures that I can’t get out of fucking trouble before it even starts. It’s a good thing I love them… Even if it means Jude is going to say no. Then again, maybe he won’t. Then I can sneak out with permission. Hmm. Yes, that’ll work even better.
Following Lio into Roman’s room in the medical area of the house, I can’t help but be concerned about him. Neither he nor Antonio said much over dinner, but the underlying conversation, the implication of what they refused to say aloud…
Everything in me is screaming to take him aside and help him through whatever pain and trauma he’s endured. I can’t though. Partly because I don’t think he’ll let me, but mostly because if this partnership is going to work, then the three of us have to trust and work together. We cannot turn into Cristian and Allesandro.
Roman and Leandro are waiting for us. “How was dinner?” Roman asks.
“It was…interesting,” I tell him, then I look at Leandro. “You mean you haven’t buggedthishouse?”
The boy shrugs. “Not yet. I’ve been busy trying to get settled, picking out an office for me and Hollis. Which…do you think we could have someone get our equipment from the condo? Yeah, H and I are working on getting stuff to build more computers, but it’ll be easier if we have our own rigs without having to rebuild—again.”
Roman and I exchange a look, and I address the boy. “We’ll discuss it…later. With Tennant, because that is incredibly risky. Not only do we not know if the LEOs are watching the property, but Cristian could easily be monitoring it as well…”
Leandro sighs. “Fine. Discuss it and let me know. I’m guessing I’m going to be getting kicked out now?”
“Yes. This meeting needs to be just us,” Roman tells him.
“So boring. I could have been your secretary.”
“Out,” Roman says, narrowing his eyes at his best friend. “And don’t leave any recording devices behind or anything.”
“Where’s the trust?” Leandro pouts.
