Chapter 58 Chapter 58 - And The Silence Was Answer Enough
Cedric’s POV
Something was definitely wrong.
Gianni didn’t answer immediately when he came back through the door. Couldn’t, from the looks of it, with exhaustion written into every line of his body and his movements lacking that usual serious, predator grace of his.
Cedric’s heart did a backflip in his chest, then another one.
Because of this, Gianni sounding exhausted and vulnerable and almost as human as anyone, was somehow more terrifying than when he’d been tying him up and threatening very creative punishments just an hour ago.
Cedric couldn’t see what was happening at first, still blind behind the silk, but he heard the door close. Felt the bed dip as Gianni sat down heavily on the edge.
Then his hands were on Cedric’s ankles, working the restraints free with trembling fingers, not steady like they so often were.
The silk fell away and Cedric immediately drew his legs together, curling slightly inward. Then his wrists, the casted arm first, handled with care, then the good one.
Finally, the blindfold.
Cedric blinked up at him in the lamplight, his eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness after so long in darkness, and his breath caught in his throat.
“Jesus Christ, you’re bleeding,” Cedric said before he could stop himself, his voice rough with worry.
His eyes tracked across Gianni’s face, cataloguing damage. Small cuts scattered across his cheekbone and temple, from flying debris, maybe? And his white shirt was splattered with blood that looked too dark to be fresh, too much to all be his own.
“What the fuck happened out there? I heard talking and threats and… Was that… was someone trying to kill you?”
Gianni sat down on the edge of the bed like his strings had been cut, all that dangerous energy just… gone.
The mattress dipped under his weight and Cedric found himself shifting closer automatically, his good hand already reaching out before his brain could tell him that was a stupid idea.
Gianni kept his mouth stubbornly shut, his gaze sliding off Cedric to the ground while his mind went somewhere else, probably a million plans and counterplans to fix the mess outside those doors.
“Gianni? Please talk to me.” Cedric faltered, his hands reaching out to touch Gianni’s face, unsure if he would accept the help or just push him away.
In the end, Cedric did it anyway. He put his thumb to his tongue, wetting it a little, before wiping a bit of the blood off with his thumb like he would with his little sister.
He used his other hand to brush softly through Gianni’s hair, picking off bits of splintered wood, trying to comfort him the best he could.
Cedric didn’t miss Gianni’s small, soft sigh as he shut his eyes and leaned into the touch.
For the first time since Cedric met him, Cedric was holding him on his own, without being forced, without any sexual intention. And to his surprise, Gianni let him.
A very long silence stretched out between them, and just when Cedric had started to give up, Gianni said something.
“Il Macellaio, my weapons dealer,” Gianni said, his voice rougher than Cedric had ever heard it. “He decided to deliver a… gift to me personally, making sure to first beat his way through my outer guards.”
Cedric’s eyes went wide. He now knew the name of the man who supplied the biggest crime lord in the city with his guns, it definitely sounded like something Marcus could use in his investigation.
Slowly though, guilt and so many conflicting emotions started to wash over him. He was supposed to be comforting Gianni, right? But no… he was a monster.
Right?
“Apparently I disrespected him by refusing his offerings earlier.” Gianni’s hand came up to touch the cut on his cheekbone, fingers coming away red with fresh blood. “He took exception to my rejection. Wanted to remind me that I’m not as untouchable as I believe myself to be.”
“Are you okay? Did he hurt you? Did you…” Cedric stopped himself, swallowing hard. “Did you hurt him?”
“I’m fine,” Gianni said automatically, but the lie was obvious even to Cedric. “I handled the situation. Reached a… compromise.”
He didn't look fine. He looked like someone had just knocked the foundation out from under his entire world and he was still trying to figure out how to stay standing.
“You don’t look fine,” Cedric said quietly, his eyes searching Gianni’s face. “You look exhausted. And angry. And kind of…” He hesitated, not sure if he should say it. “Shaken?”
Gianni’s jaw tightened and Cedric knew he’d hit the truth, he just didn’t want to admit it.
“I made a mistake,” Gianni said, and hearing those words from his mouth was so unexpected that Cedric almost didn’t process them.
“Coming back here tonight instead of attending that meeting with them. It created an opportunity my enemies were quick to take advantage of, showing them a weakness they can use against me.”
The pieces clicked together in Cedric’s head. “You came back because of… me?”
It wasn’t a question and they both knew it.
“I came back because Luca reported that you were acting suspicious,” Gianni corrected, but even he didn’t sound convinced. “Because you were taking secret photos, making unauthorised contact with Dante, acting in ways that suggested…”
“You came back because you were worried,” Cedric interrupted, his voice gaining quiet confidence. “About me. About what might happen if you weren’t here to… I don’t know. Control things. Keep me safe.”
He paused, then added with brutal honesty: “You blew off your important mafia meeting and pissed off a bunch of powerful families because you were worried about me.”
Gianni didn’t deny it.
He just sat there, looking more exhausted than Cedric had ever seen another human being look, and the silence was answer enough.