The silence is deafening, and while I peek to make sure we haven’t been cut off, I know I shouldn’t be worried. My history makes everything complex, despite how much they reassure me. Suddenly, there’s barely hushed whispering, before it cuts off abruptly.
“Dominic and I will come get you.”I melt at the force in his voice, even as I want to sob from relief. Still, I know that’s not an option.
“You can’t. You know better. You can’t leave your jobs. Coming into another Boss’s territory? Not happening. Especially here. It’s…well, volatile isn’t strong enough of a word. There’s no longer just Il Padrone and Cristian to contend with, but three others.”
“Three? What the fuck is happening at my cousin’s?”
“It’s complicated. And please, don’t tell your father, Teo,” I plead, not needing that headache. There’s already a war here, I don’t need it to be worse.
“Fine. But I’m not happy about this. And we will come get you if there’s an issue. I don’t give a fuck about territories. We’ll deal with the consequences. What’s
important is you.”
Teo sighs and I imagine him pacing, trying to get rid of the nervous energy he carries so often. Softly, he breaks into my musings,“He’s not going to get you back. He hasn’t touched you, has he?”
“No. I don’t think he will.” Guilt slams into me, because I can’t be sure. Not after finding out what he did to Lio.
Fuck.I’ve spent months around human trafficking, and I’ve seen exactly what rape can do. I never thought Il Padrone would go there. After years of being my best friend… It doesn’t make sense. Unless… “Fuck. I’m an idiot.”
“What did you just call yourself?”I jolt at Dominic’s growl.
“Shit. I’m sorry, Sir. I just realized something, and well, I need to get a handle on it.” Taking a deep breath, I steel myself against any protests. “I need to help Il Padrone, and make my apologies to Lio and the rest of them. Then I can come home.”
“I don’t like this. At all. But at least you remember it’s home. Don’t think I’ve forgotten that you still haven’t told us the details. You will be paying for it. But, if you insist on staying, we expect regular calls.”
“I do. And I will. I need to remind Il Padrone he’s no longer his father for a reason. Losing control was always his biggest fear, because shit like this happens. And with the kidnapping, I should have expected it to trigger a meltdown. I’ve been there, which is why I have a much different apology to make while I’m here.” Shame burns me as I remember my history with sexual assault. A knock at the door distracts me and I groan at the loss of privacy. “Look, I really do need to go, but I promise, I’ll keep in touch.”
“If you don’t, we won’t wait. They can fuck off if they think we’ll leave our Boy.”
With a hurried goodbye, I turn off the phone and hide it under the covers. Clearing my throat, I call out, “Enter.”
My heart beats fast as it opens, only to sink when I realize it’s the maid coming to pick up dishes from dinner. Then again, this gives me more time to focus on what needs to be done. Step one is teaching Il Padrone a reminder, one that he gave me before. It’s the only way forward for him.
Fuck, I hate his father with a passion. He twisted my best friend, and this obsession he has with Cristian is just another symptom of the past. I can’t let it stand in the way of his future. Not after he gave me a future of my own. Fucker is lucky he’s my best friend.
My only fear? That I can’t beat back the demons of his past. With all the hatred his father poured into him covering his soul like it’s gasoline, the ember of any additional trauma may have set him on fire. And if that’s so, is it even possible to stop the fire before Il Padrone burns to ashes, taking everything and everyone he’s ever loved with him…
Iusher Antonio, Nario, and Nicolo upstairs to their bedroom straight after dinner. My mind is turning with everything that was said and unsaid over the meal, and I don’t blame my Bel Fiore for wanting to avenge his friend. What I know of his past…the hints I’ve gotten of Hollis’s… Antonio isn’t the only one who wants to put Il Padrone down.
Doesn’t mean I’m going to let him do something stupid. No, he belongs to me now—all three of them do, which means they’re my responsibility. And I’ll show them just how seriously I take that…
In the room, I lean against the closed door, watching as Antonio stands before me and his lovers, squirming slightly under our combined gazes. He stares up at me with wide, almost-innocent brown eyes, and I bite back a grin at the attempt.
“Sir…”
“Unless the next words out of your mouth are apologies for your impulsive and irrational thoughts, I don’t want to hear it, Boy.”
“But, Sir… He can’t be allowed to get away with this. Besides, I should get Lio a housewarming gift, shouldn’t I? It’d be rude otherwise…”
“No,” I say firmly, my tone firm and commanding.
Antonio snaps his mouth shut and squares his shoulders, and even the twins stand up straighter at the single word.
And the power in that… The ability to bring such men to their knees… It’s been far too long since I had the pleasure.
“I know you care for Lio, that you want to protect him; I will even agree that Il Padrone shouldn’t be allowed to get away with what he did. But it needs to beLio’schoice. Understand?” I sign the last word, hoping my point gets across. “You wouldn’t want Emilio, or any of the Bosses or Boys, to make a decision for you, so you don’t get to do the same for them. It doesn’t matter if you think you’re helping, or if you’re making the right choice. We’re working on not becoming Allesandro and Cristian, and going rogue, no matter how noble the cause, isn’t how we do it.”
Antonio swallows, his eyes still burning with rage and the need to put his former Master in his place, but he nods. His cheeks turning red and his expression softening. “Yes, Sir.”
