“Should we wait for Keegan?” I ask, not wanting to upset the careful balance we have within the Council.
Hollis shakes his head. “No, he wanted to spend some time with Carter, and I’m sure, Marcus. He instructed me to let him know when we have a plan.”
I shrug one shoulder, pressing into Tennant further. It makes sense, and fuck knows I wish I could just tell Hollis to make the decision. Unfortunately, I know my Owner won’t let me just abdicate everything. Which, I suppose, is good. It’s another reminder about how the two men I love will never become the twisted, toxic mess Master became. Fuck.
“Baby Boy?” Tennant’s voice jars me out of my thoughts. I cringe, unsure what I’ve missed, as I’m stuck in a waking nightmare of knowing my Master has broken so much that he doesn’t want to live. They may say it’s not my fault, but I can’t shake the guilt.
“I’m sorry.” Sighing, I pull away from Tennant and struggle to sit upright. “I wasn’t paying attention.”
“It’s alright,” Hollis responds gently, but I kick myself at his look of concern. It doesn’t feel like I deserve it, not after failing Master. I drop my eyes, unable to hold my Angel’s gaze.
Roman jumps in to cover the awkward pause. “We were thinking that the former Bosses should stay at the Martelli mansion for now. If they can…meet goals, then we’ll discuss integrating them back into our families, in some fashion.”
“I think that’s smart,” I respond with a resurgence of relief. I’m not sure if I’m ready to be around Master full-time. I don’t trust myself not to break and beg for him, and if he’s going to get better, we can’t be each other’s crutch anymore.
“I’ve sent a message to Keegan. He’ll meet you at the front door.” Hollis taps on his tablet, frowning, before finally setting itaside with a sigh. “I worry, but I want you to know that I believe in both of you. I know this is hard, Lio and Roman, but you are strong.”
“And you’ll be with us?” Roman asks Tennant, just as the panic begins to claw at my throat.
“Of course, Little Prince. There’s nowhere else I’d be.”
“Then we can do this. Let’s get it done. The sooner it’s over with, the sooner we can come back and do another cuddle party.” Roman stands, straightening as if gearing up for a fight.
“I am all for that. Daddy is really comfortable.” I smile at Roman, who giggles with a freedom I’d been hoping for, and the stress melts from me. I know I can face anything—including Cristian and Allesandro—with my best friend and Daddy by my side.
I let Tennant help me up, feeling way older than I did this morning, but ready. I’m not sure what wizardry Hollis was working on his tablet, but by the time we make it to the doors, Keegan is waiting, and when we exit two SUVs are there, each with a driver and a guard.
Tennant guides me toward one, while Keegan and Roman take the other. I climb inside, buckling up, and wait for Tennant to give the sign for us to go. With a frown, I turn toward him and ask, “I still don’t understand…why is it so important we take separate vehicles?”
“Because we don’t plan on being kidnapped. Your Master taught you all bad habits. But don’t worry, Baby Boy, I’ll fix them.” He gives me a wink, and I roll my eyes while smothering a smile.
He puts an earbud in and murmurs instructions too low for me to catch. He offers me one, but I wave it off. I trust Tennant to take care of it, and my head isn’t in the game right now. With every mile we get closer to my former home, the sicker I feel. Iclench my hands into fists, trying to force myself to prepare for what I’ll see.
“We’re going to split off at the upcoming junction,” Tennant says, and I flick my gaze to him, but he doesn’t seem worried. They may be necessary security measures, but I’d feel better if my friend was next to me as well.
The car slows down, and suddenly, sirens fill the air. Tensing, I look around the driver’s seat and swear. “Fuck. Where the hell did they all come from?”
“I don’t know,” Tennant says grimly. From what I can see, there’s about six police vehicles lined up, with their sirens and lights going—and one unmarked vehicle, although it has lights on as well. I’m not sure if they’re forming a roadblock, or if it’s something more sinister…
“Do we stop?” the driver asks urgently, and Tennant curses.
“Yes. I’ll have Hollis get the lawyers on the line, in case they’re waiting for us. I do not plan on any of us going to jail today.”
I struggle to breathe, and Tennant rests his hand on my leg, squeezing it. “Calm down, Baby Boy. They can’t do shit. Our lawyers would eviscerate them, and everything is on camera, if they try to lie.”
Swallowing, I nod, ready to get this shit over with. We pull off to the side, as does the other SUV behind us, since there’s nowhere to go with the fuckers blocking the intersection. The driver stays still, keeping his hands on the steering wheel, so the police can’t claim he made any suspicious movements.
A woman strides forward, waving for a few men to follow. She’s too far away for me to make out who it is, but unease rolls through me.
“You don’t think that’s Cecily, do you?” I whisper to Tennant, who hisses through his teeth.
“It better not be. She’d have some nerve, but at least this way we can see her up close. It’s always better to know your enemy.”
“True—”
All of a sudden, a barrage of bullets is unleashed, and I scream. The men swarm the cars, and our driver and guard are killed immediately. I unbuckle my seatbelt, reaching for my gun.
“Fuck! Shit. There’s nothing around here,” Tennant yells over the sound of the bullets striking. Whoever is shooting is doing a damn good job of making sure we’re not hit in the backseat, but they're pinning us down instead, which scares the fuck out of me. “We’ve got two cars coming, we just need to hold them off.”
