Page 45 of Destruction

I snort, but understand exactly what he means. I also don’t blame him for taking his hearing aids out as soon as he could. Jayden is…a lot. The sadistic bastard isn’t bratty like Doc, but his bedside manner is just as bad, if not worse sometimes.

“What’d he say?”

Jude shrugs. “Same thing. He did say he thinks my range of motion has improved though, but he wants to put me through some more exercises to be sure. Only reason he didn’t today was because Tennant told him he needed me.” Jude snorts and his hands flutter for a moment, as if he’s thinking about how to continue.

“WhatisTennant doing?” I ask. “I thought he was taking you and Benjamin to interrogate the cops that Joel tracked down?”

He huffs. “He said he was going to test Benjamin’s hand-to-hand abilities while I was at my appointment.”

“Okay…” I voice the word, drawing it out because I’m confused as to why Jude looks smug as hell over that.

“I assume,” he replies, his hands moving slower than usual as he does. “By now, Ten has either killed him or fucked him.”

My mouth drops open and my hands fall to my lap in shock. I…did not expect this turn of events. I mean, I know Benjamin is like fucking catnip to Ten, but I didn’t expect the new Second to just go for it. To be honest, I always thought Benjamin was an uptight snob.

I’m not sure how he and Lio are best friends, but well, it looks like he has hidden depths—more than he’s already shown.

“Are you really that shocked, Tesoro Mio?” Jude asks, tilting his head.

“Yeah…” I nod my fist and then hesitantly sign, “I knew they were into one another, and that Ten would go for it if given the opportunity. I just never expected Benjamin to give him one, is all. He seems like a one man type of person to me.”

Jude snorts. “Even I know better than that, Roman. I think you’re letting the fact he doesn’t like you cloud your judgment.”

I sigh and nod. “Probably right. Maybe this will make him not hate me? I mean, he can fuck my lover, then I can be friends with Lio without him breathing over my shoulder, right?”

Jude rolls his eyes. “From what I’ve been told, and what I’ve seen, he’s loyal to his Family, and very protective. You are…a lot. I’m not surprised he wants to protect Emilio from you. Especially since the two of you are so much alike. It’s hard being the outsider in this, Roman. He just wants to keep what he’s built.”

Biting my lip, I look at our past interactions in a new light. I…guess I can see that. Lio and I get along great, and have a lot of fun together. We share similar interests when it comes to killing those who deserve it, and I suppose that can be intimidating to Benjamin, who keeps his homicidal urges buried deep,deepdown.

Though, from the sounds of it, Tennant is working on breaking those walls down. If anyone can, it’s our resident sociopathic psychopath. He always knows the right buttons to push, and even if you think you’ve gotten one over on him, you’ve actually just played right into his hands.

I just hope Benjamin knows this isn’t a one and done, not for us.

Jude raps his knuckles on the desk, getting my attention. “Stop thinking about it. Yes, while it might be surprising that Benjamin is the one who somehow gets under Tennant’s skin, it’s not important right now. Hollis cleared it, which is enough for now. If there needs to be more of a conversation about it, we’ll have one.”

I look at him curiously. “Yesterday, I thought you were going to throw up a jealous, possessive protest. What changed?”

He shrugs. “I don’t do jealousy. If I did, I wouldn’t be with the three of you. No…I was simply concerned because I don’t know the Martellis as well as you do. Hollis and I talked, and he reminded me that I’m his…yours.”

“If I could,” I sign slowly. “I’d kill your family all over again for giving you so many doubts about your place in the world. The four of us…we’re everything. Benjamin and Tennant might be…whatever they are, but that has no bearings on what the four of us do together. Especially since I don’t know if Hollis could let that much control go, in order for them to be a separate entity. I highly doubt Lio would appreciate it if he knew his best friend was claimed, not only by Ten, but Hol, too.”

Jude chuckles. “Yeah… Let’s not test that theory.” He sobers, his face going eerily blank.Looks like he’s been taking more than “how to be a Second” lessons from Ten.“What’s happening on the streets?”

“Shit,” I sign, sighing and running a hand through my hair, tugging hard at the strands. “I did manage to get the weapons delivery pushed back a few more days, so we can get some protections in place. It’s going to cost us a pretty steep pay cut, but safety is more important than money right now.” My hands tremble slightly as the weight of reality and all I’ve learned today rushes to the surface, trying to take over.

“The re-supply went out without a hitch. Everyone got what they needed, and dispersed it to their dealers. Except…some of the street dealers were caught selling.”

“Fuck,” he curses aloud.

“Pretty much,” I agree. “They won’t turn on us; they know better. But it’s still a problem. If I were the LEOs, I’d go after the little fish, offer them a deal…and let them lead the authorities straight to who they actually want.”

Jude nods in agreement. “Make sure our people stay vigilant. Anyone who got picked up and then is let go needs to be carefullymonitored. I’d advise against moving on them. Any aggression on our part will be proof enough for them to dig their claws deeper into our business. So, put people on them, and have them report anything that seems suspicious.Thenwe can do something about it.”

I grin at him. “I knew you were a good Second for a reason. Sinclair suggested the same thing. He’s been watching the situation, along with the Martelli lawyer, though he’s not touching any of them.”

“Smart. The cops know who our lawyer is. And while people like Ricci, who hold large territories and are at the top of the food chain, can justify having a fancy lawyer, the street dealers can’t.”

“Exactly. Other than that, I’ve been going over what Carter, Enzo, and Marcus have been doing. Though I’m not needed much there, the three of them have a handle on the men, and know where to focus our attention. Lio’s stand-in Second, Antonio, had some good ideas on how to direct their operations, and I gave Enzo the go-ahead to implement similar measures. Tennant or Joel will have to approve it, but I have faith in them all.”

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