Angelo and Jose returned late that night. However, no one batted an eye - but already there was talk about one of their gun sales going ass-end up. It was most likely the one that Jose and Angelo had just gotten back from, but neither of them told anyone that was where they had just came from.
In fact, they barely talked to each other, or even looked at one another. Jose just headed straight to his room without so much as a goodbye, the same as any other night if anyone else was around, to keep up appearances. Meanwhile, as Angelo headed to his, he couldn't help but overthink. Dante had texted after backup arrived, and he was fine, but Angelo wanted to check in again and again. However, he didn't - he didn't want to be overbearing like Jazelle, or overprotective like his mentor.
Speak of the devil.
When Angelo made it to his room, he found that there was cold air and light coming from underneath the door. That meant Jazelle was probably waiting to surprise him inside. Jazelle thought he was stupid, that he didn't have common sense, but he did. When you had your entire life full of manipulative people, you tended to recognise things… like whose footsteps were coming down the hall.
He figured at this point, standing at the door, he had two choices: he could go inside and face her, or walk away. If he walked away, he could probably sleep on a couch or something, the estate had a million of them. However, if she already knew he was standing outside, that would create tension and anger. He didn't want that again.
The reason he was so nervous was that he didn't know what to expect. She could possibly still be mad, because the last time he saw her was when she hit him. That was at least a week ago, but he couldn't really process the exact timeframe. But if she was in a good mood, he had no reason to run; he just didn't know if she was or not. So if he ran while she was in a bad mood, it would just make it worse.
So taking a deep breath, he made his choice.
Despite already suspecting that Jazelle would be waiting for him inside, he still felt a cold rush through his body - like a flight response of panic taking hold. He didn't like it, the reminder that he was just a rat in a cage. Jazelle sat on the bed, as he expected, smiling at him. Good, she was in a positive mood; hopefully that meant there would be no yelling, hitting, or disagreements.
"Hey, sweetie," She cooed. "Brought you your favourite."
She held up a fast food bag from a Mongolian food place, the logo in the corresponding language. The worst part was it was actually his favourite place to eat, and she probably got him his favourite thing to eat. He didn't know how to feel about Jazelle knowing him so well, because honestly, he didn't want to let it go.
He knew Jazelle was a bad influence on him - she was manipulative, a liar, and generally had no morals. Did he love her? No, but he didn't want her to go away. Abandonment was scary, especially with someone who knew him so well, who knew all his emotions, his favourites, things he hated - maybe that was why he wished she didn't know him well, because then it would be easier to push her out.
However, she was acting normal, so he did his best to return the show. He closed the door and sat down at his desk, not really knowing what to do or to say. The thought crossed his mind to give her a smile, but he didn't want to; smiling might have been a normal thing for everyone else, but he rarely felt happy anymore, and he wasn't about to fake it.
Jazelle didn't seem to mind his lack or response, taking it as a normal reply. Thank the gods for that, he figured. She started digging into the bag of food and brought out a foam box, standing up and putting it on Angelo's desk. As she did, he followed it with his gaze, and didn't notice she was reaching for him. When he did, he flinched back, but she just put a hand on his shoulder. Apparently she saw it, because she just smiled in faux confusion.
"So jumpy," She commented.
With that, she kissed him on top of his head, pushing aside the curls as she did. Then she wandered off back to her spot on the bed, sitting down. Angelo wasn't sure what to do - she didn't hurt him, but he didn't like what she said. Of course he was jumpy, last time he saw her, she hit him. It would be normal for a partner to be jumpy after that, wouldn't it? Come to think of it… was it even normal for a partner to hit their lover? The way Jose reacted when Jazelle did that from time to time, kinda made him think it wasn't.
But how was he supposed to figure that out… he didn't know any better.
As he opened his box, seeing that of course it was his favourite mix of noodles with beef, mushroom, broccoli, and soy sauce, he felt his stomach grumble. However, he didn't feel like he had an appetite - maybe he was hungry, but the last thing he wanted was to eat. But feeling Jazelle's eyes on him, he took the box into his lap and picked up the chopsticks inside.
Thank you, He signed.
"No problem," She said.
Jazelle smiled, digging into her own box of noodles. There was a feeling that the room grew lighter - like Jazelle had just apologised, but it wasn't a real apology. Maybe she thought it was, but Angelo didn't know what it meant. Just because he took her food, even when he didn't want to eat it, didn't mean that he accepted her apology… but he didn't even know that there was one needed, or that she was giving it. Maybe he did deep down, but right now, he just shoved a piece of grilled broccoli into his mouth to swallow down with the big rock in his throat.
"How was your day?" Jazelle asked. "Good?"
Angelo managed a nod, his hands occupied. She smiled and went on. "No getting yelled at by your dad?"
He shook his head, and she let out a relieved sigh. "Thank gods, when I heard about what happened, I was so angry!"
Angelo gave her a confused look. "The torture?" She said, looking at his hands. "Does it still hurt?"
He shook his head, holding out a hand - no longer bandaged or stitched, but visible. Closed with six red marks on the side where his thumb was, a little swelled up but not overly so. There were very visible bruises, but they were fading. The parts where the needle and thread went in were puckered up, but despite how bad it looked, it was just a bit itchy. Jazelle covered her mouth in shock.
"That looks awful," She whispered, lowering her hand. "Gods, I would give him a piece of my mind if I could! Sew his own hands together, see how he likes that."
She stabbed at her food angrily, but looked sad. "But if I do that, it'll just make everything worse…"
She looked up at him. "I was so scared to come see you. I was worried seeing the damage would make me too mad, y'know? Didn't want to get you in trouble more."
Angelo nodded slightly and pulled his hand back, poking at his food. He knew what she meant - deep down he did, anyway, even if he didn't directly think it or express it. She only spoke this way because it was just him, and he wouldn't tell anyone that she literally threatened the Don inadvertently. There was no remorse behind her eyes, no apology for not coming sooner, just an excuse about how he would have made her feel.
These were all tactics of her manipulation that he knew, but didn't confront. He knew she didn't come for other reasons, whatever those reasons may have been, but he didn't care. It was always the same… make a mistake, use an excuse, and don't apologise.
"Your father was questioning people the other day," She said absently. "about your loyalty."
Angelo froze. He didn't mean to, but he did. She went on, not looking at him as she stirred her noodles. "I made sure he knew you were loyal. Made a few calls, set up some favours, and made sure other people thought so, too."
The way she said it made him think that she already knew he wasn't loyal - that she was covering for him, and he was already found out. However, she didn't say that directly, and he caught on. This was a threat; hidden, barely conceivable, but a threat nonetheless. At any point, if she changed her mind or he made her mad, she could undo him within a second.
Subtle.
Jazelle's phone chirped, and she looked at it. With a sigh, she closed her box. "Well, I guess that's all the grub I get in. Got a job to do tonight."
She started packing her things, grabbing her keys and standing up with a smile. "Enjoy the rest of your food."
With that, she kissed him on the lips, perking his chin up with her fingers and leaving him confused. She walked out the door without a glance back and a smile, and he forced one in return - if he didn't, she would have thought something was wrong, which it was… but he couldn't let her know that.