Page 92 of Never Say Never

Summer: Shit is insane. We could use the help.

Jamie: I can't be doing your work, man.

Who was I supposed to be right now; Paul or Paolo? I'd spent years as Paul, an FBI agent, all while craving to be myself again. Now that I looked the part, I was still left with no family, and the one man who'd I'd fallen for hated my guts. I felt more lost than ever.

Paul: I'll be out for a bit. I took family emergency leave.

Hunter: Make sure to bring back some cheese from Wisconsin.

Jamie: Hope everything is okay.

Summer: Here if you need anything.

The team who meant nothing to me gave me more support and understanding than the people who I gave a damn about. A broken laugh left me, and I turned away from the door. I headed toward the elevator and hit the button for the top floor. I punched in the code Benito gave me and it took me to his place. The doors slid open, letting me into his penthouse. A moan echoed around the dark room, and I froze.

"Who the fuck?" Harlow asked. He flipped the light on, a knife in both hands. Benito pulled his gun out as well. When Harlow saw it was me, he groaned and pulled his dress back on. "Great, I'm going to the bedroom. Benito, don't take fucking forever. Emika just started sleeping through the night but she's up at the ass crack of dawn." He grumbled as he made his way to what I assumed was their room.

"Sorry," I blurted out. Not sure what for anymore. It felt like everything was coming down way too fast and it was all my fault.

Benito sighed. "Don't worry about him." He put his gun away and moved around on the couch. "You need to crash here?"

I wanted to be with York but that wasn't going to happen right now. "Yeah."

He was up, patting the couch. "All yours. Not the greatest for more than one night."

I nodded. Talking felt like a chore.

"Gin's fine. He’s, well, you’re the twin.” Benito pinched the bridge of his nose, seeming to collect himself. “You know how he is.”

Do I? It was starting to feel like I'd really lost my brother. He could be a hothead but the way Gin looked at me said he wanted nothing to do with me.

“I never told him you were still alive, but you know how he can get. If we would have told him what was going on, he would have looked for you regardless of what we said. Dad was right about that much."

We'd been over the reasons countless times, but now that we were telling the truth, the lies felt unwarranted and hurtful.

"Enzo would have understood, but I didn’t want to stress him out. He was in such a fragile state back then… " Benito looked away. "They will come around and things will be back to how they used to be."

I was starting to doubt that. "Sure. Thanks, Benito."

He placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. "We're brothers. No matter what, we always have each other's backs."

It felt like they were brothers and I was an outsider that had been forgotten. Nothing more than a ghost. "Yeah, I know. I think I'm just going to pass out for a bit."

Benito opened his mouth, probably to lecture me some more. I was saved by his husband just in time. Harlow popped his head out the door. He cleared his throat and the smile that took over my brother’s face spoke volumes. "I'll see you in the morning." He paused. "We need to talk about what's up with you and York Washington. He's not just some random agent that has it out for us."

My stomach clenched. "He's off limits, Benito. I mean it. This is the one thing I'm asking for."

"I don't know if I can give that to you, Paolo. Whatever is going on between you two, I need you to remember the only thing that matters. Family comes first."

Right, family first, but I’ve been putting them first my entire life.

He headed for his room, leaving me alone again. I was always alone. For a second there with York, it hadn't felt so daunting, but now it was the same old suffocating emptiness.

I pulled up the camera feed, switching to multiple tiny screens on my phone. Grabbing the throw pillow, I tossed it on the couch along with a blanket. I wasn't going to get a wink of sleep but I hadn't thought I would. Instead of closing my eyes and resting, I watched the cameras the entire night.

Sunlight hit my face before it bathed the luxury living room in a warm glow. For the first time, I saw the baby stuff scattered around the place. Blankets, clothes, and toys. There was a swing, baby jail, and some contraption that had all the primary colors and covered an entire corner of the room. Crying pierced the air, and I sat up instantly. I held my phone, the battery in the top right corner was red. It was going to die soon.

I glanced up only to see Benito, shirtless, heading for one of the other doors. The cries intensified before he shut it behind him and they became muffled. I stretched, cracked my back, and my arm screamed in agony. My skin pulled and the scab split open where Enzo had cut me. Blood spilled out, and I applied pressure.