Surprisingly, Allesandro doesn’t turn toward his lover. He waves my statement off, and I’m not sure whether to feel relief or fury. He chose that asshole over us and now he’s setting him aside? What. The. Fuck. I clench my hands into fists and step back, needing to put space between us before I do something that will jeopardize this shaky alliance.
Unfortunately, he follows me. First, one step. Then, two. And another, until he’s so close I can feel the heat pouring off him.“Tesoro, I’m letting you have this time, but you know you belong with me.”
“With you orunderyou?” I sneer, my body vibrating with the unfairness of it all, the broken promises littered across the ground between us. Fuck him if he thinks I’ve forgotten.
Allesandro’s lips pull into a tight line as he raises his hand to touch me once again. Before it can connect, I’m being pulled back and cradled in two arms that have become synonymous for protection—for love. Tennant’s voice drips with violence as he tells my former Master, “You don’t want to do that.”
“Who are you to interfere?” Allesandro drops his hand, but lifts his chin, meeting Tennant head on.
Snorting, Tennant tugs me impossibly closer. “Always so condescending. You no longer own him. You never truly did. Mio Mostro ora appartiene a noi. Sempre.”
Allesandro hisses, snapping out, “Emilio. You have crossed a line. Choosing him…”
“You have no say in this. None!” I struggle in Tennant’s hold, but he doesn’t let me go. Not even when Allesandro steps forward once again. This time, there’s murder in his eyes, and I’m not sure if it’s directed at me or my love.
“I never took you for a whore,” Allesandro spits out, and the words reverberate around us, echoing inside my brain, tearing my bleeding heart apart even more. His words sink into me, like indelible ink staining my skin. Tennant’s arms fly off me as I'm choked by fear—even if I’m not sure what or who I’m afraid for.
Thankfully, the moment is broken by a flurry of movement as the others march our way, Cristian held by his guard. I wave my former lover off and turn into Tennant, stopping him from making any moves that may destroy what we’re working toward. With a deep sigh, he hugs me before letting me go and ushering me out of the warehouse.
I notice that Antonio has switched to guarding Jude, and relief courses through me. Thank fuck nobody was left unprotected. Right now, I don’t trust the fuckers. It’s too much of a game to them, and I know how Allesandro likes to play those.
I jump into one of the SUVs, with Tennant sliding in next to me. I can barely breathe, even as I watch Carter and Marcus make it to their vehicle safely. I trust that Jude, Antonio, and Dmitri have also reached theirs without an issue. I fumble with my seatbelt, my vision obscured by the sudden appearance of tears.
“Shh, Mostrotto.” Tennant takes the seatbelt from me and buckles me in as I swipe at the fucking tears.
Humiliating. Weak. Wrong.
Tennant’s voice whips around the car. “You are not weak. I do not want to hear that from you. Ever. He is the one who is weak. He is the one who threw everything away. Not you. Never you.”
I shake my head, unable to stand that my thoughts slipped out again. That Tennant heard the humiliation. As the SUV rumbles to life, I take deep gulps of air, forcing myself to breathe through the red-hot pain. I choke back anymore words that want to escape and turn my head to look out of the window, hoping to hide my shame. When Tennant’s hand finds my thigh, I don’t push it away, even though it’s a reminder that while I may be hiding now…my Sir and Tennant won’t let me hide indefinitely. Thank. Fuck.
“What the fuck?” I punch the seat next to me, pissed that Tennant has dared to touch what’s mine. “Your best friend has gone too far.”
Cristian shakes his head, his eyes wet from his own emotional turmoil. “I’m sorry, Cuore Mio. I shouldn’t have let him live after he touched Roman. Now to see him touch what is yours… I have no excuses for him.”
I wave off his guilt. It’s not his fault that Tennant doesn’t understand the rules. He certainly bears no responsibility for Emilio failing to remember who he belongs to…
“This alliance…” I break off the sentence, unable to finish it.
Fuck, the wordalliancetastes like ash on my tongue. Cristian’s hand trembles as he tugs at his suit jacket, and my heart goes out to him. I may have been distracted by Emilio, but I didn’t miss his own tense interaction with his husband.
“Ah, Sweetheart. I’m sorry. I don’t understand why our lovers have turned their backs, but it’ll be to their detriment. I only hope they learn that sooner than later…”
Cristian’s lips form a tight line as he stares out of the window, before he switches his attention back to me. The fear and anger in his eyes is a dangerous dance, one I want to lose myself in right now. He may be sitting across from me, but I feel his heart as if it were inside me. How can our lovers be so selfish? To inflict such pain on us?
“At least, we have each other.” His softly spoken words make me ache. I desperately want to give into them, even though it feels like a splinter has been jabbed into my heart with my Emilio’s actions. At least, I could make one person happy…
I break my gaze from his, uncomfortable with the level of intensity. I briefly meet Luca’s eyes, only to recoil at what appears to be open hatred. I blink and reassure myself I’m imagining things, because this time when I look at him, there’s no expression at all—just my former Second’s stoic mask. Emilio’s actions must have really thrown me if I’m hallucinating.
When the limo comes to a stop, we wait for our guards to exit before joining them. I grasp Cristian’s hand, letting him feel my strength and love as I walk forward, past our guards. They fall in line behind us. I open my mouth to say something to my Sweetheart, when all of a sudden, an arm is thrown around my neck and I’m pulled back, my body bowing under the pressure.
“I fucking told you what would happen if you hurt Lio again. Now you’re going to find out what it’s like to live in a nightmare.” A sharp jab hits my neck and I flail, losing Cristian’s grip. His own shout is immediately cut off, but I don’t have time to worry as the edges of my vision start to darken.
Before the darkness can fully claim me, I manage to gasp out one word, one accusation of betrayal… “Luca.”
Igrunt as Il Padrone’s weight hits me. Fucker is heavy. Turning my head toward Fin, I say, “Thanks for taking care of Cristian.”
“The money hit my account. Between that and Doc’s request, it was no problem.”
