Page 98 of Humility

Jasmine giggled even though it looked like Tuck was going to shake her hand so hard that her teeth would rattle right out of her head.

“Today is a perfect day to arrive. We have some samples we need to test after the tour.”

I loved that Jasmine asked questions as we walked the floor and showed a genuine interest in every stage. While Tuck explained what happened during the fermenting process, I stepped closer to Dario.

“Any concerns?”

“Not yet. Kenji’s men have searched the building and found nothing. There doesn’t seem to be anything suspicious in the neighboring buildings, and no one unusual is hanging around.”

“Good. I would never forgive myself if something happened to her,” I said.

“You and me both.”

“Um…how about all three of us? I’m still here, you know, and I can hear you,” Enzo said, and I rolled my eyes at him.

It was bad enough that Dario corrected my grammar and reminded me that he was in our relationship, now Enzo. If I didn’t like the guy or love Jasmine so much, I would be tempted to shoot him and put myself out of my misery. On the other hand, I recognized that Enzo was something I wasn’t. He was still fun and spontaneous and didn’t take everything so seriously. Too many parts of me had died in Chicago, and the darkness had forever tainted what was left. Even if Jasmine made me feel alive again, there were some things that might never heal.

“This is amazing, Angelo,” Jasmine said as Tuck continued the tour, and we walked to the office. “I’m really very impressed. I always thought your father didn’t give you the credit you deserved.”

“Is that so?”

She looked up at me, and I wanted to melt into her golden eyes like I was throwing myself into a vat of whiskey.

“It’s easy to see how hard you’ve worked, and I remember you coming up with so many ideas that he shot down. You tried to hide the disappointment, but I knew you would prove him wrong, and here you are doing just that. I love it.” She smiled, and I wanted to tell everyone to go away while I pushed her up against the wall and lifted her little black dress to fuck her hard. “Honestly, I’m surprised I never heard about it. Your father is a complainer, and I figured I would’ve overheard him once when he was over,” she said, shrugging.

I found the last statement strange, considering my father banished me from home. He would never want to talk about me. I was a stain on his reputation. Before I could ask the question, we reached the office, and Tuck dragged Jasmine inside.

“So, there are three new flavors we have created. Would you like to try those? You would be our first,” Tuck said, pulling a chair out for Jasmine to sit.

“Yes, that would be incredible.”

Tuck held up a bottle. “This one is called The Charmer’s Cache.” Tuck smiled wide. “Up your charm with one shot.” He gave Jasmine a wink. “Experiences may vary. We are not responsible for black eyes, unexpected pregnancy, or getting locked up. Please drink responsibly.”

Jasmine laughed as Tuck finished his sales pitch. He wanted us to make it a commercial, and I hated that it was kind of catchy.

“Let me explain the flavor profile of all of them first, and then you can decide which you’d like to give a whirl,” Tuck said as Jasmine sat down at the desk.

I pulled out my phone and answered a few messages from Kristof, warning him of the strange message Dario had received from Giovanni. I still wasn’t sure what the hell he meant by “The cuckoo’s nest is empty. Beware the snake.”

All hell had broken out, and now I didn’t know if the clue had something to do with what happened in town or something else. I even tried calling him on the secure line he’d given me when he and Dario had arranged our escape from Italy, but he didn’t pick up. God, I hated riddles. Who was the cuckoo and the snake? Did I know them, or was it a new threat? My head hurt thinking about it.

Why he couldn’t just tell me was frustrating. He still owed me as far as I was concerned. I could’ve sent him and Lucas to hell three times over with the shit Lucas did to four Dons’ daughters. Giovanni wanted to protect his son, which I did and didn’t understand, but he was still a powerful man, and I’d gotten myself into hot water and needed his help, so we came to an understanding. Lucas was a piece of shit, and as far as I was concerned, Giovanni should just put him down. But I still held an ace up my sleeve, one I hadn’t shared with him and planned to use only in a dire situation.

I jerked my head up from my phone as a faint scream for help reached me. Dario must have heard it, too, because he immediately stepped outside the office door.

“Did you hear that,” he asked softly.

“Yeah,” I said as it came again, and Dario and I pulled our guns. I looked back at Enzo and signaled to stay put. He took out his gun and nodded. I didn’t want to terrify Jasmine, so I closed the door.

“This way.” Following Dario, my senses were on high alert. He marched fast, his eyes scanning every corner. “Over there.” There was a thud, and he pointed to the taste testing room. We jogged and skidded to a stop when we reached the door and stared down at Carlos. He was our batch taster before the whiskey was bottled.

He lay on the floor with his hands wrapped around his throat, eyes wide as foam leaked out of his mouth. He was still jerking like a fish, but I knew that look, and there was no helping him now. Rage roared through my system. Someone wasn’t just targeting me. They were targeting my business. I had no idea who it was, but I would have to pull back the latest shipment that had just gone out to be safe. Fuckers.

“He was definitely poisoned, so until we know by what, don’t touch anything. I’ll get a crew to come in and test. Sheriff Nottingham still owes me a few favors,” I said and spotted the testing glass on the ground. I turned and ran back the way we came.

Sprinting across the floor, Dario was right beside me as I burst through the office door, making Enzo jump and turn his gun on me. Jasmine already had the glass to her lips, and with a maniacal yell, I charged across the room and smacked it out of her hand.

Jasmine screamed and jumped up as it smashed, her eyes wide as she stared at me. I grabbed her face and looked at her lips. They didn’t seem wet, but I wasn’t taking any chances.