Page 90 of End It All

I turned to meet his gaze. "That's the past."

"You always make this hard."

"What?" A cold gust of wind slammed into us, and I let my eyes close for a second as it replaced the bitter bite of regret and resentment inside of me before I opened them again.

"This." Harlow jerked his hand between us. "You're shutting it all off and that doesn't work for you. You're not being you."

I shrugged, not willing to dignify it with a reply.

Harlow groaned. "I'm sorry."

The cigarette fell from between my parted lips. "What?"

"You fucking heard me, asshole. I said I was sorry."

I had to have fallen off the roof and this was an alternate reality. There was no way in hell Harlow was apologizing. Thenagain, he'd changed ever since he got with Benito. Changes I would have never imagined for my friend.

"The whole marriage thing wasn't my plan." He held up a hand as if to keep me from interrupting him. "But what happened after, that was on me. I put some distance between us."

"You had to, your dad was watching me."

He shook his head. "Like I've ever given a fuck. I called you when I needed something but I never did more than that."

"I can't believe you just admitted you're a shit friend sometimes."

He flipped me off, and I couldn't stop the tug at the corner of my lips.

"For what's it worth, I was just angry at something else and what I said was?—"

"Right.” He leaned closer, really peering into my eyes as if he was trying to look into my soul. “I talked to some of the guys who used to be under you. Quincy, is what they're saying true?"

I flinched at the thought of everything getting back to Harlow. "I'm handling it."

"So, it is true? You're Daiki's bitch?" His anger wasn't hard to miss.

I wasn't even shocked at what was being said. "More or less. You left and Kai couldn't cut it here. Thought your dad would let me run the division, but no such luck."

I'd probably be a shit leader anyway.

"That motherfucker. ????????????"He gave me his word.

I didn't have to ask Harlow who he meant. A dry laugh emitted from me. "He told you he'd let me stay in the yakuza, didn't he?" It was no secret that the only reason I'd been allowed to climb the ranks in the first place was because of my relation to Harlow. Without him, I was back at the bottom.

"I'll kill him."

"And put your entire family on the line? The moment he's gone, you're dead."

Harlow waved it off like the thought of killing his father wasn't a big deal. "Benito will take care of it."

Must be nice. The trust Harlow had in Benito was astounding. I wanted that for myself. Not with Harlow but—Blake's face came to mind, and I pushed it away just as fast as it had appeared.

He shoved me. "And you're family. You've been more of a brother to me than the ones I got."

I felt like family but I never would be. I wouldn't have what Harlow had. Ever. "Man, what is Benito feeding you over there? You're soft as hell now."

"??????????????????????????????????????"I can still shove this knife into your throat and watch you bleed out. Don't test me.

I put my hands up in surrender.