“Sit.” Ignacio waves his hand to the chair near the bed.
I don't know why, but I comply, watching him warily. “Why don't you hate me?”
He sighs and laughs a little. “Should have expected that.” Taking a moment, he seems to gather his thoughts before looking up at me with understanding in his dark eyes.
“I loved Benjamin, probably from the moment I met him. So sassy and fierce, and he didn’t put up with any of our shit. He survived Luca, befriended Lio, and agreed to live by Il Padrone's strict rules, simply to stay with the family he'd come to love.I admire his strength. What he endured to keep us safe from Jax…”
He closes his eyes and shakes his head. “We lost one another because we were each other's first, but not our forevers. I fucked up, but so did he. I know why you hate me, and I don't blame you. I am happy to know he has someone so willing to protect him. But…he is not infallible, or blameless in our breakup.
“I love him. I willalwayslove him. But…he is not mine. He'll always be my Little Mouse,”—he rolls his eyes at my snarl—“but I am Roman's. I am devoted to him, and while I don't care how many other relationships he has, romantic or otherwise, he isitfor me.”
I raise a brow and he sighs. “Yes, I'm probably going to end up on my knees for Jayden, but that is only because Roman is far stronger and more accepting than I probably deserve. If he said so, I'd be only his. But he's not like that.”
“No,” I agree. “He's selfless, and wants everyone to be loved.”
Ignacio lights up when talking about the little shit. “Yeah, he does. And I love him for it. I'll give my life for him twice over, even though I know he'll protest. He can protect himself, but I'll always make sure he doesn't have to.”
I stare at him. Too many things running through me. “I'm glad you didn't die. I don't agree with what Cristian did, but I do understand it. I probably won't stop wanting to run a knife through you, but…treat Roman with the respect he deserves, none of that kid glove shit—he’ll be the one to stab you if you do that—and maybe I won't wipe the floor too badly with you when we finally spar.”
He laughs. “Oh, you think you can beat me?”
“Before your injury? No. Now…consider not getting your ass kicked incentive for getting stronger. Prove me wrong, Chaos.”
There's a fire in his dark eyes that calls to the darkest parts of me. He grins and I can see the challenge in his smile. It brings me joy to try to knock it off his face.
“You're on, Ten.”
Like him or not, I can't deny the bastard has earned some of my respect back. We'll see if he can get it the rest of the way. It'll be fun either way.
Ducking into Leandro’s office, I raise an eyebrow at the master hacker. There’s something…unique about him. We know quite a few secrets about the Amato Family, including about Leandro. However, I doubt we’ve scratched the surface with him. Unfortunately, secrets are irresistible to Ghosts and brats…
Most amusing has been the way each of us interacts with the kid. When we started to…blend, Lio made it very clear that Leandro was to be kept safe, which is ridiculous because we all know it would be a deadly mistake to underestimate him or his dog. However, something about Leandro calls to Lio, and I know to take that shit seriously. Hence why I’m in the room, despite the early hour.
“Good, it’s about time.” His navy blue eyes shift to me briefly before returning to his computer screen.
I bite back a sharp retort, my brat temper struggling not to unite. Instead, I take a deep breath and ask, “Is there something you needed?”
“First, I trust that Jude…handled things? I don’t need someone who is emotionally volatile. Not to mention, that fight was unnecessary. Your former…Boss is not in charge anymore, and despite any lingering feelings from any Martellis, he has no influence.”
My face gets hot from the reminder, but I strive to remain professional. “It is.”
His eyes drift toward me again, penetrating me as if he can tell all of my secrets. Good luck with that. Grunting, he waves toward a file on his desk, and three trackers. “Very well. Those are for you.”
I grab the file, but ignore the trackers for now. Shifting through the document, I let out a low whistle before raising my head and smiling savagely at Leandro. With an almost purr, I respond, “This is excellent work. I assume you want me to take those trackers and do my job?”
He rolls his eyes, visibly holding back his annoyance, before retorting sarcastically, “No, I’m in the habit of sharing information with someone for no damn reason. Of course, I want you to do your damn job.”
Snorting, I smother a deeper laugh. It takes a brat to know one, and Leandro? He’s giving off all the vibes. With a sigh, I shake my head, my sore ass acting as a strong reminder of why I shouldn’t fuck this up. “I promised Jude I wouldn’t go anywhere without his approval.”
Scrunching his nose in distaste, Leandro asks, “And you always follow the rules?”
I don’t dignify that with a response. He knows better. From the brief grin he gives me, I’d say he knows better than I wouldexpect—and that’s with him only being around for my more recent endeavors.
“Do you have a plan?” I eventually ask, unsure if I want to hear it. With a blank look that suddenly shifts to mischievous, he turns toward the office door. I recognize the loud steps heading in this direction with a heavy heart—Marcus never learned how to walk lightly.
He walks in, glances at me, and backs away. Leandro stops him with a cold voice. “Enough. If you want vengeance on Cecily, and to find Roman and Lio, you’ll get in here.”
While Marcus doesn’t audibly sigh, he certainly isn’t thrilled to be near me. Not that I blame him. Then again, I’m not exactly excited to be with him either. Still, he takes a seat near me, and gives his attention to Leandro.
