“Well, maybe you should be,” I counter and turn back to my brothers.
I grab onto Manual’s hand and pull him out of the room. We head back up the stairs and we go straight for the kitchen. I force him to take a seat at the breakfast bar and look for something to grab from the freezer to go over his eye. I find an ice pack and pull it out. I cross the room and look at how awkward Manuel has become. I never want him to feel he can’t be the real him.
“I want you to know that whatever happens I love you,” I say and press the ice pack to his bruised eye. “Okay?” I ask, and he nods weakly, his eyes watering. I set the ice pack down and fix him with my sole attention. “Manuel, this isn’t something to be ashamed of. Giovanni is a bastard who wants to exert power, but what he did to you was wrong. It’s unforgiveable, and I want you to know that whatever happens, I will always by your side.”
“What about Papà?” Manuel asks meekly, and I see the terror in him.
“You don’t worry about him. We’ve got your backs on that matter,” I tell him confidently. I even offer him a small smile of comfort in the hope he’ll just calm down a little.
I hear the front door open and watch to see who it is. I feel relief flood me when Carlo comes into the room, but it’s short lived when I see urgency masking him. When his sight lands on Manuel, he does lose it all, quickly replacing it with concern.
“Giovanni used his anger toward him. Just a black eye, nothing serious,” I comment before he can ask and furrow my brows together at what had him near enough running into the wrong. “What’s wrong?” I swear I cannot tolerate more aggravation for today.
“I need to talk to you.”
The look Carlo pairs the comment with has me worried.
“Okay,” I say and look at Manuel. “Hold that on there. I want that swelling going down before I leave.” Once Manuel is holding the ice pack firmly to his face, I follow Carlo out to the nearby hall. “What is it?”
“I need to know if you want me to work on getting Zane out from under the radar for definite. I mean, if you do, it’ll take longer, but otherwise, I can have you out of here by the end of next week. I have it all set up; I’m just waiting to settle on a house and getting your documents finalized.”
“I don’t care about that right now,” I say defiantly. I see the confusion it casts upon my brother, but I have other motives now. “I want Manuel out of this family before me. I want him saved, Carlo.”
I sacrifice my own happiness for Manuel’s, and I don’t feel even an ebb of regret.
***
Letting myself in, I hear the radio playing and hear Zane puttering about. I roll my eyes, knowing he should still be resting. I drop my bag, take off my coat, and head toward the kitchen. I stop myself in the doorway and watch him. He’s only in sweats, dancing around to the music while he cooks.
It amazes how far he is into his recovery after just a few short weeks. A month ago, my life was falling apart around me, and now it’s suspended in bliss. A month ago, Zane was shot – dying even – and I put my entire family life at jeopardy to run to his bedside. Now, he’s here alive and healing. We spend late nights curled up with a movie, leisurely mornings together wrapped up under the duvet, and every other moment I’m not with my brothers living a life I never allowed myself to dream.
“Oh, you’re home,” he comments, stopping to notice my presence. He looks at me with elation that I’m finally here.
The sound of that puts a small smile on my face. Home. I don’t know how long it’ll last, but in the here and now, I cannot do without it. It’s my one small piece of sanctuary in an otherwise insane world.
He dazzles me with a bright smile, putting the pan down to approach me. He draws me into his arms and I just hold onto him as he kisses into my neck. Slowly, we pull away from one another, reluctance befriends me suddenly, and I tighten my little grip. I want to revel in this moment a little while longer. My family home is in the midst of total destruction, but this one here is the calmest thing I have ever known.
“So, it’s nice to see you up and about, but I have one issue with it,” I say, finally pulling away to look at him. He cocks a brow, coercing me to continue. “I’ve resisted jumping you since you got discharged because I was scared to hurt you, but here you are cooking,” I tease, smirking at him playfully. “Should I strip now or in a moment when we’re in the bedroom?”