“You can’t go any further,” Doc snaps at me.
I blink, not realizing we’ve made it to the medical wing. Hell, I didn’t even realize I was following. I can’t say anything, as the lump in my throat is too thick, so I nod, falling back. Doc dismisses me with nothing more than a single glance as he breaches the surgery doors.
I stand there, not sure what to do. My heart is with Allesandro, while my brain is frozen on the image of him taking the bullet, and my body screams from the stress of watching someone else I care about collapse.
“Come on.” I jump at Keegan’s touch, turning to him in confusion. “You need to rest.”
“No, he needs to give a full report.” Antonio bumps Keegan out of the way. “What was Cecily there for? Is it safe to send the twins back?”
I stare at my best friend, but right now, I don’t even recognize him. Fuck. I shake my head, trying to put the pieces of me back together. He opens his mouth again, but I hold up a hand, needing him to shut the fuck up.
“Do you not even care?” I whisper, the tension bleeding into every word, as I stare into Antonio’s brown eyes. They're usually warm, but right now, they’re almost iced over.
He rubs his face, tracing the scar along his cheek, before dropping his hand. “Sure I care. I care that he’s still breathing when he shouldn’t be.”
“What the fuck?” I stumble backward, my hands shaking at the desire to hit Antonio, but I force it back. “He took a bullet for me. That wasn’t even the first time he’s saved me. Hell, he saved you. Or do you not remember that,Mattress?”
Antonio hisses at the reminder of his nickname from the days he was forced to be a street whore, and I flinch at the fury that flashes across his face. Still, I hold my ground. He should know better. Allesandro rescued him, brought him into the Family, and fucking gave him everything. Hell, we used to joke that hewas the most spoiled of us all. And now, he just…walks away? That easily?
“Don’t you fucking dare,” he hisses. “You know my past. I will never forgive that man for hurting Lio. He should be dead.”
“And if he was dead already, then I’d have been killed tonight. Fuck you. What he did was wrong, but it’s not for us to pass judgment on this. That was Lio’s call, and he and the Council let Allesandro live. If you have a problem with it, get the fuck over it.”
“And if I don’t want to?” Antonio growls, stepping into my personal space.
I give him a warning glare, but he doesn’t step back. “I swear…if you don’t back off, I will take you down. Allesandro…you barely know his history. Hell, I don’t even know all of it, but I know more than most. I’m not excusing him, but fuck. He saved us, gave us new lives, and fucking gave us a family—true family. At least, that’s what I thought we were.”
“Maybe you’re wrong. Maybe it’s a damn good thing you chose to go with the De Lucas, because I wouldn’t have you at my back if your judgment is this fucked up.”
I rear back, unable to believe he’d cut me that deep. My jaw drops as I stare at the man I considered my best friend, my brother, an uncle to my son, but now the truth is out. The reality is on the walls, and it may as well be painted with blood, because I thought that was the only thing we didn’t have together. A blood bond. Instead, it was trust, respect, and fucking love.
“You…you just want to walk away?”
He shrugs one shoulder, not meeting my eyes. “If you think I’m ever going to care about that man…”
“Hell, all I ask is that you aren’t actively wishing for his death! Or, if you are, keep it to your damn self! He. Saved. My. Life. Not to mention, he loves us—all of us. Whether you believe it or not.”
Antonio fists his hair, stomping his foot as he struggles against my words. “You…I idolized the asshole! And now…”
Softening my voice, I say, “I understand. The situation is fucked. But…things aren’t black and white in this life. You know that. With what he went through, and his past…can’t you at least let me have him in my life?”
Antonio’s eyes finally meet mine again, and it steals my breath. They’re hard, unforgiving. “No. You need to choose. Him or me?”
I wonder for a moment if this is some type of nightmare. Nothing makes sense. My heart hammers inside my chest, my mouth is dry, and I struggle against the urge to vomit. Because fuck, being ripped in two is exactly what he’s offering me.
It takes me three attempts to get it out, but finally, I manage to say, “I refuse.”
Antonio’s face scrunches up and he stares at me in disgust, and fuck, possibly hurt. I’m not sure. Eventually, his expression smooths out, and with cold finality, he responds, “Fine. Then I renounce our friendship, and fuck, I hope Keegan teaches Cole better than you can.”
Ice slides down my veins. He did not just bring my son into this. Fiery anger chases the cold and I snap, slamming him against the wall. “What. The. Fuck?”
He pushes me away, sneering. “Exactly what I said. You don’t deserve to be a father. No wonder you lost Amy.”
I freeze. Unable to move. Unable to breathe. Unable to fucking think.
“Alright, that’s enough.” Jude’s voice is harsh, but neither Antonio nor I glance away from each other, the hatred burning between us.
“You asshole. You think you’re better than me?” I whisper. “We’re supposed to be friends. Brothers. There’s a man in the next room who may die for me. And all you care about is beingright, isn’t it? You finally have your happiness, you have the Dom of your dreams, and your lovers, and now…now the rest of us can get fucked.”
