Fiercely protective.

“Maybe you should back up and go at this from the beginning, Duke. Including this stuff about Mick,” Craig said.

“It’s really not your business,” Duke answered.

Craig put his fork down and wiped his mouth carefully with his napkin. “Well, you see, that’s where you’re wrong. You made it my business when you came over here and terrorized Carmella until she fled your presence. So, why don’t you back up and start at the beginning because I promised her I’d use my words instead of my fists and I’m already thinking about how I’ll explain to her that I failed.”

Mick snorted and then spoke to Duke. “You put yourself right where you are now. You found pills in her bathroom. Lots of them. In someone else’s name.”

He remembered that sick feeling when he’d caught sight of the rows of bottles. He’d seen the signs before and pretended everything was all right. He’d told himself Mick’s life needed something to soften the edges and help him get through the day. And that had been a mistake he wasn’t going to make again.

“I did. And so I confronted her about them,” Duke replied. “And then it went off the deep end. She kicked me out of her house.”

“I think you skipped a step or two there, Duke. You confronted her. And she said what?” Craig asked.

“She said they were her mother’s. But there were so many bottles. Ten maybe. A few from different pharmacies. I know what that means.” Duke looked over to Mick briefly.

“You don’t know shit. Virgie Hay is her mother. Those are her mother’s prescriptions. But Carmella already told you that and you didn’t believe her. The only thing you would have believed was a confession of a misdeed.” Craig ate awhile before speaking again. “You have some scenario in your head for what you think is going on but you couldn’t be more fucking wrong. About all of it.”

“So why not explain it to me?” Duke asked.

Craig rolled his eyes as he started on his second sandwich. “Because you just admitted you had your mind made up! She told you the truth and you called her a liar. And you’re faulting her for not explaining something you’d already made your mind up about? That’s stupid.”

“He did it because I had a problem. For a while, several years ago,” Mick said. “He came at this wrong, sure. But he did it from a good place.”

“And that means exactly what? You don’t know what you’ve poked at.”

Duke liked to think he was smart. Good at things. But he’d fucked up. He wasn’t sure of everything, but he knew enough to see he’d done some damage.

“So tell me, Craig. Explain it to me.”

“Why do you think you’re entitled? Huh? You think Carmella is this private for no reason?”

“If she wasn’t so damned stingy with her life, it wouldn’t have even been a problem. She shuts me out and it’s my fault?”

Craig just looked at Duke as he ate, shaking his head.

“I had a drug problem. Duke knew it and tried to talk to me about it. But I blew him off and he let it go. I ended up in the hospital having to get my stomach pumped,” Mick said. “He handled this wrong, but he did it because of that. He was worried. Help him out, man. He digs Carmella, and from what I can tell, with the exception of this, she seems to dig him back.”

Craig sighed and shoved some more fries into his face. “She’s important to me. I really dislike seeing her sad. You made her that way. I’m wary about giving you anything else to hurt her with.”

Duke scrubbed his hands over his face. “I don’t want to hurt her at all. Jesus. I was worried. Should I have stayed silent? And then what? In the ER when she’s in a fucking coma and you all knew I saw those bottles and said nothing?”

“This right here is one of those relationship things. Your shit got mixed up with her shit and it all blew up like a shit bomb.”

“You’re very poetic, Mick.” Duke rolled his eyes.

“But right.” Mick smirked.

Craig wiped his mouth with a napkin. “If you have questions about whatever she’s doing, ask her to explain. Don’t accuse her. Don’t make up your mind before she can speak. That’s a surefire way to earn your exit. And believe me, Carmella can—and does—forgive a lot. Be worthy of that.”

“You won’t just tell me?” Duke asked. “Don’t you think it’d be easier for us to work it out if I knew?”

“Take a guess. Her mother has a lot of pills. Carmella keeps them at her house instead of with her mom. It’s not that hard to piece together really.” Craig stood. “Don’t come for her if you’re not willing to do what it takes to stay. She’s had enough losers in her life.”

He turned and walked out, leaving Duke sighing and looking over to Mick. “I fucked up.” He was only now beginning to understand it. He’d come at her all wrong. Even though it was for the right reasons.

“Yes. You gonna fix it? Or leave it be?”

“I don’t know.” Which was sort of true. But the fact was, he wasn’t going to walk away without trying his hardest to make this right. Carmella deserved it and he did too.

Mick leaned back and looked his friend over carefully. “Look, you wouldn’t have said anything to her if you didn’t have feelings for her. I understand that. And I know why you did it. You need to tell her why you did it. And it’s cool with me if you share my story. And then grovel a lot for how you did it.”