“I’m not. Not truly. But there’s a reason I assisted in removing Lio, and everyone else, from the Martelli home. He crossed a line. The question is…did he cross too much of a line for Lio? Kink, as you know, only works if there’s trust.” She exhales deeply as she sits back, a frown marring her face. “To be honest, I don’t think the trust was irrevocably damaged. Not knowing Lio as I do. The strength it took for him to leave…I can’t imagine. This is a man who truly was devoted to Il Padrone, and while the Amatos may not see it this way, Allesandro was equally devoted to his Boy. It’s why what happened never made sense. But Lio is very black and white with how he thinks. There’s no middle ground. To him, Allesandro proved to be untrustworthy by breaking his rules. So…again. The question is: did it break all of his trust.”
“I would think so based on what you’re saying,” I reply slowly. “I can’t imagine forgiving that.”
“Nor would you. But you’re very different from Lio. Lio has a capacity to forgive that, to be honest, is immeasurable. The only thing he won’t forgive, from what I’ve seen, is someone hurting a loved one. Hence, Luca being persona non grata for the longesttime. Although that now seems to have been fixed, to a certain degree.
“But it wasn’t because Luca tried to kill him. Lio placed Luca on thenever forgivelist because he assaulted Benjamin and almost killed Il Padrone, and never gave a true apology.
“Lio wouldn’t have had such a severe reaction to Allesandro not doing well if the love wasn’t still there. For there to be love, there must be trust. Did it splinter? I’m sure it did. But shatter completely? I don’t think so.”
“Is it enough to take a gamble on this working?” I stare at her doubtfully, my mind already contemplating the multiple ways it could go wrong.
Sarah shrugs one shoulder. “To be honest, everything is a risk. Putting him with a therapist is a risk—mainly because I hope Doc doesn’t pick someone he’d be sorry if they were killed. I would trust Allesandro in this. If, for some reason, Lio isn’t reacting properly, Allesandro will back off. He won’t risk his Boy. And yes, I know I’m advocating that you ignore evidence to the contrary. But we’ve all done things we’ve regretted—haven’t we?”
I shift at her pointed stare, unable to defend myself. Hell, I’ve even made a mistake with Marcus, reacting in anger before. Granted, I never raped him, but I certainly didn’t treat him right all the time. Plus, I should have made sure Amy was safe before that situation devolved…Fuck.
“Allesandro wanted to bring it to you directly…and to Hollis and Tennant.”
Sarah’s lips quirk up at the mention of the two Amatos. “I can see that being fun.”
“I’d prefer not to be killed. I’m assuming you don’t want Allesandro on your table either,” I retort pointedly.
“Relax. I’m sure it’ll be fine. If you’re concerned, I’ll attend. However, if Tennant and Hollis love Lio, they’ll understand his needs and act accordingly.”
“Uh…I’m just going to state for the record, I highly doubt those two are going to be willing to trust Allesandro with their Boy. Especially, after just getting him back. And then almost losing him again.”
Sarah smiles evilly. “Then don’t worry, I’ll take care of it. Because Lio deserves to be happy and well. This is only a short-term fix—if it works, which I do think it will. If those two want to put their attitudes and feelings ahead of my friend… Well, I have a scalpel with their names on it.”
Swallowing, I blink at my sister. Breathing out, I shake my head slowly. “Fuck. The Bratva is so not ready for you.”
Sniffing, she replies, “David assures me that they are. And if not…it’ll be fun. They’ll learn not to underestimate me.”
I swallow the last of my water and stand up, keeping a cautious eye on Sarah. “Alright, let me see if Hollis and Tennant are available. Maybe you can make sure Allesandro is ready?”
Sarah stands up too, waving her hand in acknowledgment before marching out the door. I drop my head back and stare up at the ceiling for a moment. If I was the type to pray, this is when I’d do it. Because…fuck. Somehow I have to keep Hollis and Tennant from killing Allesandro, and keep Sarah from killing Hollis and Tennant.I should have added alcohol to my morning tea…
Squaring my shoulders, I take a deep breath and get started. It needs to be done sooner than later, because we need our Council working, which means Lio and Roman need to get back to work. Not to mention, what happened to Lio set off a fucking domino effect that led to everyone else breaking. So we need to fix this now.
Idon’t know what’s worse, Roman being kidnapped and not knowing what was happening to him, or having him right in front of me and still being in the dark. His dark green eyes are lifeless. The spark I’m used to seeing in them died when I was forced to tell him what happened to his friend. He hasn’t spoken a word since.
“The pancakes are good,” I tell him gently. “Not as good as yours, of course, but they’ll do. You did well with your selections for the kitchen staff. Though, once you and Lio are out of the medical wing, we’ll have to discuss what to do with the Martelli staff. I feel bad for leaving them in limbo. Especially the chef. The few days we were there, the meals were exceptional. I’d hate to let him go. Anyway, why don’t you try a little? Keegan ordered a whole array. I don’t know who he thought he was feeding.”
I smile at the thought of my Love asking for every single type of pancake the cook could make. Everything from plain to chocolate chip, to banana and blueberry, even pumpkin spice. The kitchen staff took his words to heart and presented Roman and I with a feast.
Roman’s only response to my words is to curl into himself further, and I bite back my sigh. I don’t blame him. I don’t know what happened to him and Lio while they were gone. I know from Doc and Tennant that it was bad, but as a father, I don’t want to see the videos. I know what Roman’s injuries are, so I can guess how he received them, and that’s enough for me. Unless he wants to open up, I won’t push for more details.
“If you don’t take care of yourself, keep your strength up, Doc will have to intervene. I don’t want to see that happen, Figlio. I hate watching you hurt yourself like this.”
“I deserve it,” he whispers so quietly I almost don’t hear him.
Leaning forward in my seat, I gently set my hand on him, quickly pulling back when he flinches. “Why would you say that?”
“Because what good am I otherwise?” He looks up at me and my heart breaks at the pain shining in his gaze. “I’m a terrible leader, a shit friend, and nothing but used goods now, so why would any of my lovers want me?”
“Hey, don’t talk about yourself like that,” I chide gently. “I know you’re hurting, but none of those things are true.”
“If they aren’t then why… Why…” His lip trembles and he gasps as his eyes fill with tears.
“Why what?” I ask softly, my heart breaking even though I’m grateful for this look inside his head.
