I listen to the phone ringing, but keep an eye on the black car. He’s on my ass now that there’s nobody around. Ely must pick up because Antonio is speaking rapidly, hopefully finding us somewhere to go. This isn’t our territory, and I have no damn clue where the safest location is.
“Listen, you need to get out of here,”Ely blurts out, and I blink, realizing Antonio must have put it on speakerphone.
“Little hard,” I growl. “We’re being followed. What the fuck is going on?”
“Traitors,”she retorts grimly.“We’re taking care of the issue, but somebody picked up on our alliance and decided to make a name for themselves… It’s not safe for you here.”
My stomach sinks. “Areyousafe?”
“She’ll be fine.”I breathe easier at Daniel’s harsh voice, but damn.
“Can we at least get some assistance to get the fuck out of here?” I grit out as I take a corner too fast, the wheels lifting on one side. “I want to know if this was someone’s idea of a lucky day catching us here, or if this is a coordinated attack.”
“We’ll send the bikes your way. It’s the best we can do,”Daniel grunts, and the phone call ends.
Antonio slams against the door, cursing, as I take another hard right. “How are fucking motorcycles supposed to save us?”
Sweat beads along my temples as I gun it, trying to get away from the car behind us as a shot rings out. “Fuck!”
I hold my breath, but thankfully, whoever took the shot must suck, because it doesn't sound like it landed. Antonio begins to unbuckle, so he can return fire. I grit my teeth, hoping the motorcycles show up soon—and with a fucking plan.
Between one heartbeat and the next, the world explodes… Images collide with each other, and I can’t tell what the fuckhappened. I scream as the car flips, and I can only just make out the two cars that seem to have come out of nowhere.Fuck.
It’s only when we land—upside down—that I realize the shot was nothing more than a distraction, keeping me from realizing we were being pinched. Fuck. Whichever one hit us… I groan, my head pounding.
I try to form words, but nothing comes out, everything is too fuzzy. There’s the sound of glass shards being stepped on, revving engines, and a scream from Antonio…and then…nothing. Blackness overtakes it all, and I can only hope that when I wake up, the world will make sense again…
With my heart in my throat, I watch Benjamin as he sleeps. He hasn’t woken up yet from being sedated, which is a good thing. Fucking hell, if my lovers can try not to give me a heart attack, I’d really appreciate it.
On one hand, I’m glad that Benjamin’s been able to deal with whatever bullshit he's been going through, and remembers he’s supposed to be Emilio’s best friend. On the other, I’m ready for him to stop being such a fucking dumbass. If need be, I’ll tie him to the fucking bed. Fuck whatever Dr. Ranlen thinks of it, or of me.
My stupidly brave and fearless Topolino… Somehow, he managed to get under my skin and turn my life upside down. Now, I just have to keep him there. If I have to carve my name into his flesh, and burn myself upon his tattered soul, I will. Whatever it takes to get my Baby Mouse back with me.
All of my loves are finally under one roof again, but we’re fractured, hanging onto the ledge with our fingertips. Like hell am I going to allow this to break us. We’re stronger together…better.
I can’t force Benjamin to accept that, but like hell am I going to give up on him, on having all of them. Even if it means doing things I never thought I would. I’d do it for him. I meant what I said when I told him it wasn’tIgnacioI wanted him to marry… I simply need to find a way to get Hollis on board, then I can make my move.
There’s a brief knock on the door before it’s pushed open and Hollis walks in. He glances at Benjamin, lips pursed, before meeting my eyes. I know my Tesoro is…less than happy by Benjamin’s recent actions, and I won’t stop him from giving the Topolino a piece of his mind. Hollis has more rights than anyone else, and that will never change, even if certain actions are taken.
“I just had an…interesting conversation with Keegan,” Hollis signs.
“Interesting, how?”
The corners of Hollis’s mouth pull down and he hesitates before saying, “Apparently, Allesandro wants to talk to us about the Little Monster.”
I sit up straighter in my seat. “What could he possibly have to say? Lio’s being taken care of, that’s all he needs to know.” My signs cut through the air between us, giving away my feelings on the former Il Padrone.
Hollis sighs. “I think we need to hear him out.”
“No!” I wince, checking on Benjamin to make sure he’s not disturbed by my raised voice. To reassure myself, I stroke my fingers over his hand, hating how still and cold he is in sleep. The firecracker of a man, who doesn’t hesitate to take what he wants from me, isn’t ever this still when I’m around…Fuck.I need him to wake up so I can fix whatever’s broken in him.
Looking back to Hollis, I continue in ASL again. “No. I have nothing to say to him, and don’t particularly care to hear what he has to say.”
Hollis sighs, sorrow filling his dark brown eyes. “I think…we need to listen, Love.” His signs are slow, unsure. “He knows Emilio better than we do, they’ve had more time together. If this were Roman…wouldn’t you want to speak with Ignacio about his care? To make sure he was doing everything he could to bring our Giocattolo back to life?”
The chair skids across the floor as I stand. I can feel Hollis’s eyes on me as I bend over and press a kiss to Benjamin’s forehead before stalking out of the room, brushing past Hollis.
My Tesoro follows me out of the room, and closes the door firmly behind him. Whirling around, I crowd him against the door.
