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Felinus glanced up at him with the same predatory heat that he had given Issac in the mirror at the mall. The one that said that Issac could argue, kick, and scream all he wanted and in the end, he’d still be doing exactly what Felinus wanted. The one that made Issac both want to fight him more and turn into his good obedient boy, because either way it was going to feel good.
He swore softly with some of the new phrases Tiger had taught him that morning and stabbed at noodles and cheese. “I have work to do,” he said, looking down at his food to try to break the spell Felinus had over him. “Young has unbending deadlines and-”
“I know your syllabus,” Felinus interrupted, his voice low and dangerous, sending a shiver down Issac’s spine.
Issac sighed as he sat back in the chair and looked at him. “Of course you do.” Monday he would have been pissed that someone had pried so deep into his life that he didn’t have to finish speaking for them to know what he was talking about. He’d have been even more pissed that they thought they could simply tell him what he was and was not going to do with his time. And yet, it was Friday and maybe he was just too tired, but he didn’t feel any real anger at Felinus for telling him that the two of them would be going to the charity event that Dimitri had just tried to convince him to attend Tuesday. What he felt was… “I don’t want to go to this, Felinus,” he said, the truth feeling like lead on his tongue.
“I know you don’t,” he said, still watching him, “but you are going. Neither of us have a choice in this.”
Issac took a deep breath through his teeth and made himself eat a bit of the lasagna since he could see Maria’s beady eyes watching them from the kitchen window. “Your boss is going to be there,” he said after he swallowed.
Felinus nodded. “It’s his event.”
“And Dimitri’s dad is going to be there,” Issac went on, glad that the front restaurant was completely dead. It hadn’t been busy Tuesday night either- all the more proof that it was just there to cover up other business while the three Italian women who seemed to run the place played music and cooked in the kitchen.
“Adrian said he’s looking forward to meeting you there,” Felinus said, having told Issac about having coffee with Adrian while Issac was in class. “Like I said, the charity event is just a way to reset the treaty that was signed by the Three. They always-” He paused and Issac knew he finally pieced together Issac’s real issue with the event. He sighed softly as he looked at Issac. “I’m sorry, baby boy,” he said and there was sincerity to that. “I know this has been a lot and after last night everything is very raw, but without telling my boss why, it is going to cause more issues for both of us down the line.”
“Can’t you tell them that I’m sick or something,” Issac reasoned. “I mean… technically I am. Dr. Najjar would probably write me a note saying I needed bed rest or some medical bullshit if we asked her.”
“We could,” Felinus said, cutting into his lasagna and Issac felt his heart flutter with excitement. “But then they are going to insist on you being seen by their doctors and staying on bed rest for a week, at least.” He raised his eyebrows at Issac as Issac deflated in his chair, eating a fork full of his lunch. “If you think what we make you do to look after yourself is bad, you are not ready for what is going to happen if Esposito gets his hands on you. My cousin once made the mistake of presenting himself to the Don with a small cold; I walked in on him wrapped up in a bathrobe, with his fourth cup of tea, and his feet in a hot water tub.”
Issac smiled, feeling an ache in his chest that he was trying not to think about. It was too close to a childhood memory for right now; childhood memories that might get dragged up tomorrow night. His smile fell. “What if they recognize me?” he asked softly, aware that Maria and the kitchen staff might be eavesdropping.
“You are a gifted liar,” Felinus said just as quietly, reaching across the table and putting his hand over Issac’s. “You’ll outmaneuver them and if, by some fluke, they figure it out, they aren’t going to do anything. What I said about kids and fault? Those are in the treaty they all signed. It doesn’t matter what happened in your childhood or where you come from. No one can touch you for things that happened before you turned eighteen. Doesn’t matter what did or didn’t happen before that. They only care about what you’ve done in the last seven years.”
“Dog said Dimitri’s dad asked where I was from though,” Issac pointed out and Felinus sighed softly.
“He did. But that has everything to do with the fact that you and kids like you were supposed to be accounted for and taken care of. I don’t really understand it; the Casualty Orphans clause was always something I was aware of since I had to correct people when they called me one. All I know is every Ring had a team of people who were supposed to find the kids in the foster system who were there because of the war. If their parents had been a member of the gangs they went into one pile; if their parents had been honest people, they went into another. I know the ones that had been part of the Family they tried to get placed with guardians still connected and knew their parents. I think the other two had similar systems for the kids of their fallen. Honest kids, from my understanding, got extra opportunities, some of which have spread out past Casualty Orphans to any kid in the system. The Family hosts a carnival every year that’s free to all foster families and their kids. His concern isn’t who you, specifically, are but who dropped the ball and if there are more like you.” He stabbed at his food. “Despite appearances, Pakhan Emil Volkov takes things very seriously when it comes to the promise to take care of children. See his youngest boy being honest.”
Issac frowned. “What do you mean?”
Felinus paused, glancing at Issac then hummed softly. “I suppose you wouldn’t know about that… Since Dimitri didn’t know you made him as connected…” He shifted in his seat. “This is all rumor, understand,” he said. “But as it was told to me when Dimitri’s mother died she made Volkov promise her that Dimitri would not follow in his father’s footsteps. Volkov, loving his wife, promised her that their baby would be an honest man and an off limits order was put on him.” He shrugged. “More or less, no one is allowed to touch Little Volkov. Anyone who does it is immediate open season for the Russians.”
“Open season,” Issac repeated, frowning. He did not recall hearing that term before.
“The off limits and open season come from the treaty,” Felinus explained. “Off limits is fairly self-explanatory. It refers to a person who might border the underground but isn’t actually in it. Technically, you fall under an off limits though the order hasn’t actually been given since the Family and the Russians have stated you have their protection. Women, particularly pregnant ones, and minors also fall under off limits without giving orders for it. Those are just understood. Open season is when a group, usually referred to as a Hunting Party, is given access to another Ring to chase down someone they are going after who has holed up in an area that isn’t theirs. I’ve had to use it before on rats that thought they could hide from me in one of the other Rings. We aren’t supposed to bring our business into the other Rings or no-man’s land if possible, and getting permission usually takes time. In the case of an off limits order being broken, the only thing that needs to be done is the ringleader being notified so no one gets in the Hunting Party’s way.”
“But you threatened Dimitri,” Issac pointed out, frowning at him. “You said you were going to teach him a lesson. Wouldn’t that have caused an open season on you?”
“If I had touched him, yes, technically,” Felinus said, waving a hand. “But I wasn’t actually going to touch him and part of being off limits means the person who is off limits doesn’t get involved in business deals. Little Volkov was toeing that line by trying to interfere with my business with you. If he had tried to stop me from leaving with you, then he would negate the off limits order, at least for that evening. I would have had to prove I had no choice, that I didn’t use excessive force, and it would have been a real headache but… He isn’t supposed to approach anyone at all as part of the off limits.”
“So if someone tries dragging you into a van, I should stand by and let it happen,” Issac said dryly.
Felinus grinned. “If someone even attempts that, then things have gone very very wrong for me,” he said. “But yes. You let it happen and you call either Brutus or Snake. Brutus is my second in command, so he will be able to mobilize the men. Technically he should be your first call, but we’ve found that the sooner we tell Snake things, the faster he can work his magic and less damage comes from it in the long run.”
Issac frowned at Felinus. He had made the comment sarcastically, not really thinking that it was something he would have to deal with, but now that he had said it out loud, he couldn’t help but think what he would do, what he could do if someone went after Felinus in front of Issac. Logically, he knew that Felinus was right. Even if there wasn’t an off limits on Issac, the best course of action would be to get far away from the situation and call people in to help him. Issac didn’t really know how to fight and he never carried weapons, nor could he imagine himself starting to carry a weapon- let alone using it. Add to that that anyone could pick him up and toss him away, he would be the worst person to try to stop a kidnapping or attack. He’d just get hurt or worse if he tried to do anything except get away and call. But if he did that and he never saw Felinus again-
Felinus’s hand closed over Issac’s again. “No one is going to take me from you, baby boy,” he said quietly, squeezing his fingers. “You’re stuck with me.”
Issac swallowed the lump in his throat, shoving everything he felt down into the pit of his stomach where he had locked it all away for years until last night. “At least until New Year’s,” he said, trying to sound hard and indifferent.
Something flickered in Felinus’s face that Issac couldn’t name. He nodded once as he took his hand away, leaving a fading warmth behind. “Finish your lunch. We need to get you a suit before tomorrow.”
