Page 48 of Humility

“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Just answer yes or no. This is not that difficult,” I growled.

“Fuck…yes, he’s my friend.”

“Great, then let’s set some ground rules. Angelo, you go first.”

He growled under his breath and stormed from the room.

“I’m not doing this,” he said, stomping out of the room and slamming the front door behind him.

Enzo shook his head. “He’s impossible.”

“Didn’t I tell you to shut the fuck up?”

“But…”

Grabbing my knife from my boot, I whipped it at Enzo. It cut off a tuft of his hair as it whizzed past his head and lodged in the wall behind him.

“Geezus fuck,” he swore and looked over his shoulder, his eyes wide.

“Now, let’s have a little talk, and just in case I wasn’t clear, I’m doing the talking, and you’re going to sit there and listen.” I relaxed back on the couch and stared at Enzo.

Did I classify him as a friend? I guess I did. I had considered Angelo my only friend until we were forced to go on the run together. After my sister died, I had a hard time letting anyone in, which was what made Jasmine so special. She never tried to heal me or pity me. She never looked down on me from the pedestal I placed her on. Jasmine treated me with kindness and compassion even when I didn’t deserve it. I had finally gotten her to whisper ‘I love you’ in my ear, and then Angelo and I broke her heart. She made my heart beat. I didn’t feel dead inside with her, and the need to fix what was stolen was so strong that it took everything I had not to storm that hotel room and grovel at her feet. I understood Angelo even if I didn’t fully agree with how he treated Enzo now.

“You will not antagonize Angelo about Jasmine. You’re also not going to go all cowboy like you did today and do whatever you want.”

“But….” Enzo shut his mouth as I pulled the second knife out of my boot.

“What did I say?”

Enzo slowly leaned back in the chair.

“You won’t do either of those things out of respect. Regardless of the situation we find ourselves in, Angelo is still the son of a powerful Don, and if he ever finds a way to restore his power, we are nothing but soldiers once more. Do you understand that?”

Enzo sighed and nodded.

“Good. I know you like to think we are all equal, but we’re not, and Jasmine could never marry either of us, her father would never allow it even if she wanted to. Jasmine Falcone is a princess. So if you want to have a shot at this long term and not just a fly-by-night fuck, you had better start showing Angelo and his love for Jasmine a little respect. Or you will find your throat slit, and if Angelo doesn’t do it….” I stood up and stared down at Enzo. “I will.”

He swallowed hard. “I just don’t want to be cut out, and I know Angelo doesn’t want me involved. I have never wanted anyone like this before. She is…I won’t walk away.”

“I will speak to him and make sure that doesn’t happen, but when you purposely try to get under his skin like today, you’re only making shit worse. I can’t believe I have to say this but grow the fuck up.”

“You really are a miserable prick sometimes,” Enzo grumbled.

“I am, but I also know this will only work if we are all on the same page. So get on the fucking page and stop trying to re-write shit. You have no idea what Angelo and I went through to get back to Jasmine. The things we did would make your skin crawl. If I have to have this discussion with you again….”

He held up his hands. “I’m not going to stop poking at him, it’s way too much fun, but…I will get on the same page. I don’t want to lose Angelo as a friend, I think of him as family. I really do like her though.”

“Yeah? Try pining over her for five years and tell me how you feel then.” Marching out the door, I slammed it behind me. I found Angelo looking out over the pond at the far edge of the property. “You good?”

“I can’t lose her again,” Angelo said.

“We won’t.”

Angelo slowly turned around, and there was a hint of something I rarely saw in his eyes…vulnerability.

“I hurt her so bad…Enzo is a fresh slate. What if I can’t overcome what happened?”

“Fucking stop saying I. We were both involved, and we both left. We didn’t come back, and we both stopped taking her calls. We broke her heart.”