Page 150 of Fortress of the Soul

“You were very hard on me, onus,” I say.

“You understand why, right? It was a shock, to say the least. I wish that one or both of you had come clean and not kept me in the dark.”

“But you wouldn’t have accepted it anyway.”

He sighs. “While that may be true, it would have been better than the alternative.”

“Are you here to make me feel bad about it? Because I already feel bad enough, and now I’m getting mad in the chapel, of all places.” I’m going to hell anyway, so what does it matter?

He puts an arm around me, and I try to shrug away, but he pulls me into his body and kisses my head before he lets me go. “I held you in my hands, Valentina, when you were born. From that moment, I have felt the protective urge for you and vowed to look after you since Papa was killed. It’s my job as a man. You understand that, I’m sure. To keep you safe from harm, to be able to trust the people around me to watch out for you, no matter who it is.”

“Enzo would never hurt me.”

“I know that, Valentina, I know. I’m sorry for what went down, I truly am. I didn’t like the whole behind my back scenario. I still don’t. But what’s done is done.”

I glance at him. “So, you’d do it all over again?”

“Val, being a hothead is in my blood. At times, when I’m pushed, it flares.”

“There are worse people I could be with, other than Enzo.”

“I know that.”

“Are you sorry for punching him?”

Angelo strokes his chin and glances at me. “Don’t ask me that.”

I huff again, “See! He’s lying on an operating table and you aren’t even sorry for breaking his face!”

“That’s my protective instinct, Valentina. He has to understand that, and he does. We talked in the car. I may not be happy about things, but I’m not completely unreasonable.”

“You didn’t fight?”

“We discussed things at length.”

That means they fought.

My eyes go wide. “And what?”

“He knows why I’m the way I am; he was there from the day you were born, too.”

I chagrin at the thought. “Angelo!”

“The baby of the family has to be protected at all costs. But in saying that, in hindsight, Enzo isn’t a bad match for you. He may be my best friend, and it may be slightly awkward, but I agree he would always do right by you. He took a fucking bullet for you.”

I look at his face and don’t see a trace of the anger I saw earlier. It’s replaced with worry and a lot of anxiety. It’s not something that Angelo displays very often, even if he feels it. I know he carries a lot of stress on his shoulders most of the time.

“I hope we get through this,” I say shakily.

“You have my blessing, little sister, so I hope for all our sakes that he does.”

I glance at him again, my anger over everything melting as well. I know I have to look at things from his angle. It couldn’t have been easy being a young father figure to me and growing up with that on his shoulders, as well as looking out for Ma and our brothers.

“I do?”

“I think taking a bullet for the one you love takes the cake, Valentina, wouldn’t you say?”

I lean into him and rest my head on his shoulder as I start to cry. It comes in thick, heaving sobs. I’m so pent-up with so many emotions and so many things I want to say to Enzo. We haven’t even scratched the surface yet. He wraps his arms around me and holds me protectively.

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