Page 108 of Tristano

He takes me in as if he is trying to remember. Eventually, he hangs his head.

“I see so many women. I have no idea. You all begin to look the same after a while.”

Stepping forward, I punch him in the kidney before moving to the sink set up at the side of the room and washing my hands.

No one speaks. The only sounds heard are whatever Tris is doing with the cell phone and the moans coming from the prisoner. When I finish, I head back to the group, seeing a mix of worry and awe on their faces.

“Are you done?” Lorenzo asks.

I nod. “Make it painful.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He dips his chin.

“We’ll talk when we’re done,” Bash says quietly as I walk past him.

Killian and Greer catch my eye next. Killian winks while Greer shoots me a thumbs-up.

I shake my head as I fight back a smile. As soon as I’m close to him, I grab onto Tristano’s shirt and pull him toward the door. “Take me home.”

He looks away from the phone. “With pleasure.”

He holds out his hands for a set of keys. Enzo hands them over easily.

Then he leads me up the stairs and out the door. Once he has me settled into the car, he rounds it, getting into the driver’s seat. Then he takes off toward home.

“Are you okay?” he whispers in the silence of the car.

I catalog how I’m feeling. I’m sad. A little disappointed that this man is not the head of this group, but I knew that was unlikely. Am I hurt? My hand hurts a little from punching the guy, but I’m okay.

So I turn to look over at him as he stares out the windshield. “I’m okay.”

I watch as he grits his teeth. “No trauma? Flashbacks?”

My heart hurts as I realize why he is so concerned. He thought that by doing this, I would be hurting my mental state.

Reaching over, I pull one hand off the steering wheel and into my lap. He lets me hold it, but he’s still tense.

“Not a single one. I didn’t make the decision lightly. I knew what I was doing.”

He growls, taking his hand back. “We need to stop talking about this. It’s making me want to punch something, and I still need to get us home safely.”

I sniffle, a sudden burst of sadness filling me at the idea that I hurt this man so much. A man I love with all my heart.

I don’t push it though. Instead, I whisper, “Okay.”

I keep peeking at him the entire ride home, but he seems to only become more agitated the more time that passes. I go to speak several times, but I don’t know how to make this better.

I never wanted to hurt him, but I couldn’t stand on the sidelines when I knew my idea would work. I knew I was safe.

When we finally get home, Tris heads straight to the kitchen. I watch as he moves around his kitchen while I sit at the island.

“Okay, let’s hear it.” I sigh.

Tristano folds a towel and sets it down before leaning against the counter. “Hear what?”

“You’re mad at me.”

He chuckles darkly. “I’m not mad at you,anima gemella. I’m fucking furious.”

---