Page 49 of Tragic Empire

A giggle bubbles up in my chest. “Are you scared?”

“Scared? I’m thinking about the sake of my eternal soul!” Colton proclaims dramatically. “I do not claim this energy. I rebuke it. Demons cannothave my arm, or any part of me.”

Armani rolls his eyes. “Excuse him, his grandmother told him that Satan tries to reach us through everything. Scarred him at the ripe age of five, and now anything demon related makes him weird.”

“You’re in the mafia,” I point out, brows furrowing. “Isn’t doing sinful,criminalwork, also attracting Satan?”

“He doesn’t even go to church.” Armani laughs, tossing his friend a smirk. “It’s just one of his many adorable little quirks. Fear of demons, how precious.”

“Don’t flirt with me, you prick,” Colton grumbles. “When a demon rips your arm off and leaves me alone, you’ll be sorry.”

“I can see why people at Empire thought you were secretly dating,” I tease, smiling at the pair of them. “You bicker like an old married couple.”

“As if,” Colton scoffs.

“We would never work,” Armani adds good-naturedly.

“Because you’re too much alike?” I guess, arching a brow.

The cowboy grins. “More than you know.”

“Let’s just say, Colton and I both need the same things, and neither of us possess those things.”

“She’s not a child, you can speak plainly.”

“Who says she wants us to over-share?—”

“We both like to be in charge,” Colton cuts him off. “Plus, neither of us are versatile.”

“And there’s the small issue of Colton being in love with my brother.”

My eyes bulge, and the man in question gasps. “You tattletale!”

“Your fault, you’re the one who started over-sharing.”

Before they can continue to jeer at each other, I reach over and pat Armani’s arm lightly. “Thank you.” My quiet words catch both of their attention and my eyes meet Colton’s. “Both of you.”

Eyes soft, Armani asks, “For what?”

“You guys are really good at lightening up my days,” I admit. “It feels like life isn’t so horrible every time I’m around you.”

Well, them,andCassio.

“No need to thank us, doll,” Colton replies, smiling wide. “We like hanging out with you.”

“We do,” Armani agrees.

I don’t detect a hint of dishonesty, and my chest warms with happiness. I’ve never been great at making friends, but it feels incredibly natural with these two. I think the only thing that could make it better, would be if Jade were here with us.

“Pizza for you lot,” Agnes announces, bustling into the room.

She’s carrying two steaming trays of large pizza she’s been making for the past hour. Homemade dough, slathered in her famous marinara sauce, layered with fresh mozzarella, and two different combinations of toppings.

One with Italian sausage, peppers, onions, and mushrooms. The other—my preferred kind—with spinach, chicken, and garlic.

“Agnes, you gem,” Colton hoots, jumping up to help her put the food down. “It smells fantastic.”

She smiles at his manners and dusts her hands off. “You boys eat as much as you want, I’ve got a third in the oven now.”