Page 19 of Consequences
“Yes, your artist was extremely thorough,” Il Padrone responds, as he cuts into a piece of tiramisu.
There’s a lull in the conversation again, and I glance at the clock. We have to be done soon. I’d rather go through a root canal with no anesthesia than this. And then it happens. The screech of a chair and a shout.
Il Padrone doesn’t say anything as Hollis rushes out, with Benjamin on his heels. He merely quirks his head and sends a long look to Cristian, before finishing his dessert. Carefully, he moves his own seat back and stands.
“Thank you for dinner, Cristian. I’ll see everyone for breakfast.” With powerful strides, he exits the room, and it’s like half the people can finally breathe. Of course, there are plenty watching Cristian as well.
Thank fuck he finishes soon after, and he leaves with Carter. I don’t even check to see if Marcus and Sarah are finished. I pop up from my chair and grab them both, pushing us out of there.
“That…was not good,” Sarah says slowly.
“No shit,” I hiss, as we walk toward the suite Marcus and I are staying in with Cole. “We’re fucking screwed if things don’t get pulled together. We have enemies coming at us. If we’re fractured like this…”
“We’ll go down,” Marcus responds grimly. “Let’s see how things go with Lio tomorrow. If I need to, I'll talk with Il Padrone.”
As much as I want to tell him no, to assert myself as his Dom, I resist. If Il Padrone is going to be stubborn, perhaps sending him his War will help. Of course, that depends on if he finds out about Hollis and Lio first. We may not need the LEOs to destroy us. Our Boss may do it for them…
Benjamin stops me from storming off with a hand on my arm. Whirling around, I give him a withering glare, though I don't reach for my knife—yet.
“I have work to do.”
“It can wait. You've been working non-stop for the past few days. I bet this is the first time you've eaten, isn't it? Not that I'd call a few mouthfuls actually eating.”
“Good thing I didn't ask for your opinion, Topolino.”
“Don’t. You donotget to call me that.”
“Oh? It's not the first time.”
His stare is hard. “I actually respected you then.”
Benjamin doesn't back down, even when I take a step forward and reach for my knife. He lifts his chin and holds my gaze, his eyes daring me to do something about his defiance.
If he were anyone else, I would have already stabbed him for thinking he had the right to touch me. No one dares to take such liberties with me. But… I gave Benjamin certain permissions that no one else has. Guess he thinks that applies toeverything.
“I don't have time for this.” Turning on my heel, I stride away from the dining room to my office. Benjamin follows closely behind me.
He shuts the door to the office firmly, and moves in front of me, as if standing in my way will prevent me from sitting at my desk. Kid has balls, that's for sure.
“You're no good to anyone like this. You need a proper meal and some sleep. I bet you have more coffee than blood running through you, and that's pretty impressive considering how much coffee Lio goes through. I'd take your heart rate and blood pressure, but I'm actually terrified of those numbers.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not; if that were true, you’d be taking care of yourself.”
“I was at dinner, I ate,”—not that I tasted a damn thing I put in my mouth—“what more do you want from me, Benjamin?”
“I want the man who not only managed to get fuckingTennantto defer to him, but a mafia heir as well. This is not the Hollis I know. Not the one who can make Lio go to his knees and keep him there. This,” he gestures to me, “is unacceptable. You’re no good to the Bosses if you collapse from exhaustion. You’re no good to Roman and Jude, or Tennant and Lio. Did you even see Tennant today? I thought you would have been the first one in the room after Doc gave the okay.”
“I was going to go after I worked for a bit longer. As I said in the meeting, there's a lot of information to go through, and even with help, it’s going to take a long time, not only to organize it all, but actually parse through it. Chasing down all leads andseeing if they go anywhere… It’s not something that happens overnight.”
“And if you miss something because you’re too exhausted to pay attention?”
“It hasn’t happened yet. I would never let it go that far.”
The look he gives me says he doesn’t believe me, but I couldn’t care less what he thinks of me.
“What happens when Tennant and Lio wake up? Do you think they’ll be happy to hear you worked yourself into the ground? How is Il Padrone supposed to trust you with his Boy when you can’t even care for yourself?
