“Are you okay, Marcus?” Hollis asks.
“Yeah. It’s just a scratch.” He looks at his hand.
“She is well-trained. She went after you because she perceived you as a threat to me, but you’re a friend—for now—so she didn’t want to hurt you, just get you to back off,” Leandro explains.
Marcus scoffs. “What do you know about being friends? Lio is yours, or he’s trying to be, and yet you sent one of his men—his friends—off to his possible death! He’ll be tortured at the very least.” His eyes narrow as my heart clenches at the thought of my beautiful Antonio enduring more pain in his life. “I swear to fuck, if anything happens to him, I will make it my life’s mission to end yours.”
“Enough!” Tennant moves, grabbing for Marcus and getting an arm around his throat. I don’t know what threat he whispers in Marcus’s ear, but the look on the other man’s face darkens, even as Ten’s arm flexes and he tightens his grip.
Keegan moves to save his lover, while Hollis reaches for the knife strapped to my side. I stop him just as Keegan reaches Ten, and Carter stands from his chair.
“Stop.” The Boss’s voice is hard and firm, and just loud enough to be heard over the cacophony of other voices.
Everyone seems to freeze in place and look at Carter, who, even injured, stands proud and straight in front of us.
“Let Marcus go, Ten.”
“He threatened what’s mine,” Tennant shoots back.
“And you made your point. Let him go or I’ll let Keegan make you.”
“Playing favorites, Carter?” Ten asks carefully, his voice calm and collected, though we can all practically feel the storm vibrating under his skin.
Carter has the decency to not roll his eyes. “You know I don’t. But you will not disrespect anyone in this Family. Yes, Marcus shouldn’t have gone after Leandro, but Leandro is also at fault. He is playing at things he shouldn’t be. Someone should have been aware of what was going on.”
Tennant slowly releases Marcus, but doesn’t come back over. Instead, he stays near Marcus, who moves closer to Carter, with some urging from Keegan, both of them casting wary glances at Leandro and Ten.
Carter nods once he’s satisfied no blood will be shed and takes his seat again, wincing at the exertion. Marcus and Keegan start to fuss over him, but he waves them off. “Keegan and I were discussing how this Family is still operating as if there’s a divide between us. I understand why, given the way we broke away from Allesandro and Cristian…we pledged loyalty to each other, in the structures that made the most sense to us. Except that is not how we operate. This Council, it is one. I trust Roman and Lio will agree with me, we are standing on the cusp of something revolutionary. We must stand together, not three Families with three Bosses, but a true Council with one large and sprawling Family. United, we will take our enemies down. Separated and at odds? We will be no better than those that came before us.”
Carter looks to Leandro. “With that being said, there will be no missions that do not get run by me or the Seconds. I do not care if you spearhead them, you know what to do and how to get the results you need. I trust you.” Marcus scoffs. “But you cannot order our people around without letting everyone know what’s going on. Do you understand?”
The two men stare at each other for a long moment, looking so much alike that you can’t help but see the truth beneath the poorly hidden secret.
“Fine,” Leandro says, sounding as collected as Ten. Whether it’s his disinterest in the feelings of other people coming out, or he’s mimicking Tennant, it’s hard to say, and I’m not sure if the truth even matters right now. “You want to know the plan? I’ll tell you.” He relaxes in his chair, seeming as if he doesn’t have a care in the world. “Yes, today’s outing was a setup.”
Marcus makes a move and Carter holds up a hand, stopping him.
“Why?” Carter asks.
“Because I miscalculated, and I needed to fix my mistake.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” Marcus asks coldly.
“Enough, Marcus,” Carter snaps. “This isn’t helping. I understand you’re upset, and you have every right to be, but I will throw you out of here if you can’t control yourself. Attacking Leandro won’t get Antonio back.”
If looks could kill, Leandro would drop dead on the spot, but Marcus nods. “Yes, Boss.”
Keegan takes a step closer to his lover, and part of me is glad to see Marcus still cares for Antonio, that he didn’t write him off because of their fight. Now we just need to find my Flower, so they can repair their relationship.
“I knew Allesandro and Cristian were going to be kidnapped,” Leandro says.
It’s as if the air is sucked out of the room with the boy’s words.
“What?” Carter asks shakily.
“You knew?” Marcus and Ignacio’s voices become one as they speak.
“Yes,” Leandro replies, still calm. “I figured out someone was after us…just not who.”
