Page 15 of Destruction

Furious voices shout out, and I catch the words “death wish”, but I ignore it all.

Roman stares at me steadily, the only one not reacting to me being an asshole. “You had to push them, did you?”

“Of course. I need to know we’ll be able to work together—even when someone fucks up. You know our Families, that’s going to happen.”

“We didn’t kill Luca. You didn’t need to add gas to the fire,” Roman retorts, shaking his head, but I see a small bit of humor in his eyes. My friend embraces chaos as much as I do.

I smile as the arguments continue around us, drowning out our conversation. “Eh, as long as they don’t kill each other, we’re fine. We will get your father back. I will not stop until both he and Il Padrone are found. Nothing in this world is safe from me. I’ll burn it all to the ground.”

I didn’t notice the room becoming quiet until Tennant cuts in. “You won’t be the only one burning the world down.”

Twisting, I meet his hard eyes, unflinchingly despite the predator vibes rolling off him. I live with a lion of my own, and know not to mistake a predator for a kitty. I’d never underestimate him, but he’s not an issue. No, I’ll welcome his violence as we tear this place apart to find our men.

“As for your question,” Hollis’s voice cuts in and draws my attention away from his lover. “I did look through what was sent—and even more, since your Family doesn’t know how to compile shit.”

The words hang in the air, as if daring me to attack. Instead, I shrug and lean back in my chair, clasping my hands together. “Very well. Where is Il Padrone?”

“Because it’s so easy to find a needle in the haystack. They shoved him in a van that looks like every other van out there. They managed to find the only fucking blindspot in the city, and poof!

“Leandro was able to follow their trail for a while, but lost them due to some camera malfunctions. The city isn’t known for keeping up to date with their tech. Tennant sent some guards—you’re welcome—to check it out.

“We found the van, and a driver with a bullet hole in his head. Whoever is doing this isn’t being sloppy. Based on that, I’d assume that whatever I find on the wedding planner’s phone, it won’t be much—or even accurate.

“You’re asking for a miracle, and last I checked, I’m not fucking Santa, or a genie. Go ahead and get your people in on the search, but I guarantee they won’t find half the stuff I will, even if you give them a week. But if you want to be a negligent asshole and risk losing the only chance you might have at finding your precious Master… Be my guest.”

I glance sideways at Roman, checking to see if he’ll correct his lover from calling me an asshole. When he doesn’t, I sigh mentally. I fucking hate this, but there is no way Master would have accepted being talked to like that, even if I do understand it.

Surprisingly, I don’t have to jump in. Instead, Benjamin moves from behind me, the knife that's suddenly in his hand now pointed at Hollis. With a colder voice than I thoughtpossible, he threatens, “If you call our Boss an asshole, or any other derogatory term again, you will answer to me.”

My lips twitch in amusement at the way Hollis shuts up. I don’t think he’s scared at all, but is more shocked that my friend has come this far. If things were tense before, this makes it even worse. At least, until Tennant starts laughing. My jaw drops and I swivel my head to stare at him.

“Nobody will touch Hollis except me, so put the knife away.” Benjamin glances at me. I nod to give him permission, but keep one eye on Tennant. This situation is more volatile than I expected it to become.Fucking hell, how did Il Padrone manage this shit?“Impressive as a Second, though. Foolish, but impressive. I think you could benefit from the same lessons Jude will be taking. Let’s see how much of a Second you can be.”

“Wait! If anyone is going to train him, it should be me!” Luca cuts in, and I struggle not to roll my eyes.

Considering how he fucked us from the start, I don’t want him anywhere near the Amatos right now. I cut that off quickly and consider Tennant’s offer. Benjamin has been excellent so far, but I know his distaste for violence will become an issue. Not to mention, this may strengthen our alliance by showing that much trust.

I give a shrug. “Thank you for the offer. We’ll accept it, but with two caveats. You don’t kill him, and no permanent injuries.”

“Fine on the first. I make no promises on the second.” Tennant’s voice guarantees pain, and I shift in my seat. It’s too close to the voice Il Padrone uses, and right now, I could use a physical outlet to relieve this stress. Tennant iswayoff limits though.

Benjamin puts his knife away and squares his shoulders as he moves closer to Tennant. My jaw drops in shock when he leans further in and snarls, “Bring it.”

Ignacio hisses, and I shudder. I thought we fucked up in the beginning, but now? Now we’re just fucked. And from Tennant’s evil grin, he knows it, too.

Swallowing, I glance at Roman, hoping to see some amount of reassurance, but there’s none.Great.

My best friend just signed up to be tortured by a psychopath, only so he can better fulfil his role. One he hopefully won’t be in for long, because I will have my Master back soon, and given the way Roman looks at me, he’s making the same silent promise about his father. If only we can survive working together, we may just have a chance.

This meeting is going just about as well as I could have predicted. It’s hard enough working with another Family when it comes to business dealings, but this is much more than that. The stakes are higher, and the atmosphere in the room is…volatile.

I stare at Benjamin, impressed by what I see in his sea green eyes. It’s not enough to convince me he’s ready for the position he’s been thrust into, but there’s promise—enough that I’m happy to take him under my wing.

He’s also very, very lucky I was able to divert his attention. Hollis is holding himself back for Roman’s sake, but there’s a difference between letting me handle the insult to Jude and allowing someone to threaten him. It’s only his utter trust in me that allowed me to swiftly defuse the situation.

It's bad enough that the one they should have killed long ago disrespected Jude, the last thing we need is to make another enemy because they pushed Hollis too far. His respect for Roman’s position only goes so far, especially when they’ve already shown they’re unwilling to get rid of those who don’t know their place…

“As Hollis said, I’ve sent men out to do ground work at both scenes. They’ll canvas the area, before moving on to where the van and body were found. I have low expectations, but nobody is perfect. This kidnapping may be textbook, but they’ll have to fuck up eventually, and when they do…” I let my words hang in the air, as my lips stretch into a grin that I’m sure is more than a little feral.

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