“Anyway, H took the listing down, and he and Leandro are looking to trace the origin. I’m sure there’s someone out theredumb enough to try to take us out, but we can handle one or two stragglers easier than any number of assassins trying to kill us.”
“Is that what you think happened to Carter?” Roman asks. “I mean, it doesn’t make sense, since they hit the car and didn’t kill him. From Marcus’s account, there were a few of them, but do you think it was an assassination attempt? Or whoever’s after us? Or…” He doesn’t voice his last question, but I can guess at what he doesn’t say.
Was it Allesandro and Cristian who tried and failed to take Carter out? Or were they behind the rumors all along? Just because they claimed to be worried, doesn’t mean they wouldn’t use such a situation to their advantage. There are too many questions, too many factors, to be considered.
“Something will shake out, with both H and Leandro on it,” I reassure Roman.
“And the possible connection our adversary has to Allesandro’s cousin?” Lio asks. “Did anyone ever follow up on that?”
“Luca claims not to know anything,” I tell him. “I believe him, he hasn’t lied to us yet. I’ve read all his texts, and have all his phone calls recorded. If it’s true, he’s not privy to it, but his contacts seem solid. If need be, we’ll investigate that line of inquiry further, but for now, they’re not a threat.” Mostly because Luca’s contacts seem rather…attached to him. But that’s his business. It’s not hurting us, so he can keep his…bedroom activities, or whatever it is, to himself.
Lio lets out a breath, probably more relieved he didn’t have to deal with Luca than anything.
“Meanwhile,” Jude signs. “I hope Ten doesn’t expect us all to sleep with him tonight, the bed is barely big enough for us all as it is. I might not mind Roman on me, but I can’t promise anyone’s safety should they touch me…”
Tennant laughs. “Don’t worry, Agnellino, your virtue is safe. We are going to have to find a new bed sooner than later though, Tesoro.”
I sigh. “I’ve been looking. One that will fit ten of us…that’ll have to be custom made, and we don’t have the space for it, even if we knocked a wall down between two rooms.”
“Oh!” Roman bounces in Jude’s lap, making the other man wince a little as Roman accidentally bumps into his bad hip. “Sorry.” Roman looks up at Jude sheepishly.
Jude simply adjusts his positioning. “Be more careful, Tesoro Mio.”
“I will.” Roman drags Jude down for a kiss before turning his attention back to the topic at hand. “What if we build a house? This one is serviceable for our needs, but it’ll be so much better if we’re able to build something that fits all our needs. Orgy bed room included.”
“English, Roman,” I gently remind him.
He grimaces. “Sorry, Lio.”
“It’s fine. I’m the one who’s sorry. My ASL lessons got shoved to the bottom of my list. I hope you don’t think I don’t want to learn…”
Jude gives him a small smile. “It’s okay. I know how busy you are. I’m Roman’s Second, remember? I understand that some things take priority.”
“You’re a priority, too,” Lio argues. “You’re Roman’s Second, which means I need to be able to communicate with you. I’ll do better.”
Jude’s eyes soften a little. “The trips volunteered to teach Antonio and the twins, I’m sure they’d be happy to help you as well.”
“Yesss,” Roman hisses. “Then we can practice together.” He purses his lips. “We should probably start teaching Cole now, too. It’s easier to pick it up when you’re young. Tennant andCristian did that with me, and while I’m fluent, Nan says I still have a bit of a hearing accent.”
“You do,” Jude voices and signs. “But even if I didn’t know your history, I’d guess you had someone in your life who was Deaf, just based on the way you sign.”
“Don’t let the trips talk you into anything you’re not supposed to do, Mostrotto,” Tennant tells him. “Jayden seems to be in control of them via Donovan, but that doesn’t mean they’re not sneaky shits, either.”
“Speaking of Jayden,” Roman says. “Why aren’t you doing Ignacio’s PT, Benjamin? I mean, Jayden is amazing, but he can be…brash, and doesn’t have patience for anyone who doesn’t do things his way. Plus, I would have thought you’d want to supervise Ignacio’s care yourself.”
Benjamin seems to sink into Tennant a little as he answers. “I’m far too busy. Jayden and I went over his care plan, and it’s solid. I can trust him with Ignacio.”
I watch him closely, and while it's not an outright lie, there’s an odd catch in Benjamin’s voice that says he’s not telling the whole truth. It further supports my earlier suspicions that something isn’t quite right with thebaby mouse.
“Okay…” Roman replies slowly, as if he also smells the bullshit Benjamin is trying to sell. “Back to what I was saying before we got sidetracked. What we need is a bigger house, in order to not only have the orgy bed, but to make sure everyone is comfortable.”
“Orgy bed, really?” Tennant asks.
“What else do you call a bed big enough to fit ten of us?” Roman shoots back.
“Why ten?” Lio asks.
“There are six of us here,” I point out. “Antonio and the twins, plus Ignacio, makes ten. I see what Roman is getting at. We need space to have privacy, to be within whateverconfigurations we want, but we also need somewhere we can all be just like this—together.”
