Even in Death not to Part [18+]

Chapter 22 - The Realisation

I make my way over to Lorenzo. His back is to me, Vinny is talking to him but Lorenzo is not responding.

Vinny looks over and sees me approaching; he walks away from Lorenzo towards me.

"Maybe you will have better luck getting through to him" he says then makes his way out of the training suite.

It is just me and Lorenzo now, the silence makes the room feel twice its actual size. His back is still to me, I see smoke around him, dancing up into the air above him.

"Lorenzo" he doesn't respond, more smoke shrouds him

"Enzo" this worked, he turned to look at me.

"Can we talk about what just happened?" I ask him as he takes another drag on his cigarette "You can't lose it like that with the recruits"

"He fucking disrespected you!" he spat

"He did, and he will not do it again, he is young and foolish as most boys are" remembering my brothers as I said this to him.

"That's not a Fucking excuse" he snaps "and you are right he wont do it again NONE of them will ever dare to even try. He is fucking lucky he still has fucking knee caps."

"You can not kneecap your own men Enzo not for something like this" I sigh

"I FUCKING CAN THEY ARE OUR FUCKING MEN" he shouts throwing his finished cigarette to the floor then firmly running his fingers through his hair.

"Exactly, they are our men! If this plan of yours is going to work and we are going to take your fathers Empire from him, we need MEN! If I hadn't stopped you with Joseph what do you think would have happened? Do you think you would have stopped? If so at what point? when he was unconscious? When he was barely breathing? When he was dead? Or not even then?"

"He can't speak about you like that! I want him gone!" he snaps

"No he can't which is why I did what I did. You did not need to reinforce the message, he is still a kid, he was trying to show off to his team. Maybe he isn't ready yet? He's 18 I say give him one more year, he's had his warning give him a year to redeem himself. You have been firm with him, now show him that you are not your father that you will give him a chance to earn your respect" i try to reason with him

"NO!" he said forcefully

"Enzo, come on you can't be serious?" I struggle to hide the shock from my voice.

"I cant fucking trust him, he fucking disrespected you in front of his team, Pauly, Vinny and ME! I am his FUCKING DON and HE HAS THE FUCKING BALLS TO FUCKING DISRESPECT THE WOMAN FUCKING I LOVE?!" his anger building with each word.

Did he just say that? Did he mean to? Before I can rationalise this to myself as a slip of the tongue my heart bursts. I have butterflies in my stomach and tingles all over my body. He did, he said he loves me...FUCK!!

"Then as the woman you love, I ask that you give him 1 year" I say firmly trying to keep any other emotions in check.

"You can't be serious? You fucking want him here?" he looked taken aback.

"Yes, I do" 

"Fine" he said through gritted teeth "1 year and not a day more"

"Thank you" I smiled at him

"Don't do that again" he said shaking his head

"Do what?"

"Use the fact that I love you as a way to get what you want from me" he snapped