“I know you want to be there for me, but Emilia needs you there more than me right now.”
Iago went to speak again but stopped as if seeing that Othello had made sense. “You’re always looking out for me, aren’t you? And especially Emilia. If I didn't know you bat for the same team, I'd suspect you're in love with her.”
“We’re brothers. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do? You watch my back, and I’ll watch yours,” Othello told Iago as he pulled him into a hug, feeling how tense the other man was. “Honestly, I think Emilia is too good for you, and I'm just trying to get you to see that."
"I know she is." Iago sighed.
"Then stop fucking around on her," Othello told him. "Get rid of the mistresses."
Iago sighed, and his body relaxed, embracing Othello back. “You’re right. I'll do better and be a good man and father to my family."
"I know you can do it, Iago."
"Okay, I’ll head out. Take someone with you. Neutral or not, don’t go alone.”
“I won’t,” Othello assured him as they separated. Minutes later, Iago left, and Othello called Don Alessandro, explaining everything to his father and about his meeting with the Rossetti underboss. After he was done with his call, Othello trudged outside the club to the back entrance and took the short walk to his place, letting the cool air fill his lungs. Ten minutes later, he took the stairs of his apartment to check on the doctor. Othello liked his apartment's location. It was in a busy part of the city but gave him a beautiful view at any time of the day.
“Hey, Marco, go take a break.”
Marco gave a curt nod, then walked away. Othello didn’t bother knocking and entered the room. The lights were off, but it didn’t matter to Othello; the industrial-size windows brought in enough light from the outside so that he could see his way perfectly. But he also installed electronic curtains to close some rooms if he needed privacy. This was his home away from the Romanos' home. No one was allowed to enter without his permission. He had it added on when the club was being built. Othello liked the area because it faced the water, and he liked to stand and drink his coffee at the window in the morning.
His apartment was once part of a chocolate factory with two levels, and Othello bought and remodeled it. The first floor had an open design concept from the living room, dining room, andkitchen. The same thick red drapes hanging on the windows also separated the bedroom, which had an ensuite bathroom and walk-in closet. Othello designed the first floor so that everything could be seen and reached with a few quick steps. On the second level was his in-home gym with a sauna and game room. A door led to the balcony where he grew a garden and had enough space for a pool and lounging.
The place was quiet, and there wasn’t anyone in the kitchen. He didn’t hear the shower on in the bathroom. He knew the doctor was still there since there was no exit except the front door, where his subordinate stood guard. Marco would have told him if the other man had left, which meant the guy was sleeping.
Moving over to the couch, Othello expected to see the little doctor sleeping, but it was empty. Furrowing his brows, Othello scanned the room and spotted a garment lying on the leather chair across from the sofa near the window leading to the large balcony.
He knew he hadn’t left it there since he was a neat freak and always kept his place clean. Moving over to the chair, he saw another article of clothes on the floor, picked it up, and noticed it was the doctor's shirt. Othello tsked at the messiness as he followed the line of clothes that was dropped as the man had undressed. He finally stopped when he reached the bed, pulling back the thick red drapes and spotting the lump under the covers. Walking over to the bed, the only thing he could see sticking out of the cover was the little doctor's dark hair.
“How dare you crawl into someone’s bed naked like you own it?” Othello mumbled, then smiled. He shook his head when he got a light snore in response. Othello wasn’t sure why he’d allowed the man in his personal space when, after he broke up the fight,he simply could have thrown his drunk ass in a car and sent the little doctor on his merry way.
Not wanting to bother with the sleeping form, Othello left his apartment and headed to the meeting location. If he knew the Rossettis’ underboss, the man would show up early at the diner. He left Tallen to stand guard and took Marco with him. As Othello had predicted, Rossetti was already there when they arrived at the diner. Since it was midnight, the restaurant was bustling with customers. Luca Rossetti was sitting at the counter when Othello walked in, and he simply joined the man. He ordered coffee and waited for Luca to start the conversation. Since it was his guys that had come into his territory unannounced and started shit, it was up to him to apologize.
“We will pay for the damage to your establishment,” Luca stated. “I will also have my people come and apologize to you personally. They broke a rule, and it's unsatisfactory.”
“What about the man he assaulted?” Othello asked, leisurely taking a sip of his coffee.
“Who cares about some easy ass?” Rossetti snapped.
Othello growled, not looking at the man. He didn’t like the way Rossetti referred to the little doctor. “And what if that easy ass, as you called him, is one of my people?”
Despite fucking with the little doctor, Othello felt responsible for what happened in his club, even though it wasn’t his fault; especially since the man had saved his life, he felt he owed the doctor protection.
“Fuck, then I supposed I owe you an apology,” he said, even though Othello knew he didn’t mean it. “But did you have to break his fucking leg? Beast is one of my best people.”
Othello didn’t respond, so he simply set his coffee cup down. Othello stood, ready to leave, but Rossetti stopped him. “That’s it?” he asked.
“What more do you want me to say?” Othello looked at him.
“We haven’t seen each other for more than a year, and the first time we met was to discuss something that could have been done over the phone.”
Luca and Othello went back to their teenage years despite being from rival clans. After the Romanos had adopted him and Iago, they’d attended a prestigious middle and high school where they met Luca and disliked each other on sight, without knowing their family backgrounds. As they got older, their differences turned into a friendship, and later, he and Luca had a brief relationship that went no further than kissing, hand jobs, and rubbing their dicks together. They broke it off since neither was willing to bottom for the other. Their friendship wavered over the years, and the more intertwined they got into their perspective clans, the less they saw each other when situations like tonight happened, and whenever they did, there was an underlying tension between them.
“I heard you got shot a few months ago. I wanted to visit, but I didn't think you'd want to see me. Are you doing better?” Luca’s eyes roved over him from head to toe.
“I’m good.” Othello sat back on his stool and ordered another cup of coffee.
"Do you know who did it?"
