“Finals are over for the summer?” Karlie asked. They were sitting at one of the local pizza places.
“Finished an hour ago,” she said with a whoop.
“I’m impressed you’re celebrating with me and not Parker.”
“He had a meeting to get the instructions for Finn. The bar is closed tonight. I’m sure we’ll come up with some way to celebrate.”
“Things are going well then?”
“Things are going amazing,” Astrid answered. “I love everything about the Donnellys. I love the bar, I love his family, I even love Finn’s friends.”
“That’s good since they seem to be permanent fixtures. And what about the hot bartender with the second-best ass in New England?” Karlie asked. Astrid rolled her eyes. No way did Max have a better ass than Parker. She could still bounce a quarter off of it. He even encouraged it now. “Aww, you’re smiling.”
“Because I’m madly in love with the sexy bartender.” They both laughed. “Speaking of, I should head back. Parker texted about half an hour ago to say he was picking up Liam and then heading home.”
She tossed the last piece of crust back on the pan and stood. Karlie followed her outside. They hugged in the parking lot before Astrid headed back across town to the bar.
She parked behind the building next to the Ramcharger. She could tell something was wrong the second she stepped inside the bar. It was too quiet.
The office door was open and the light was on. She could hear fighting so she quickly walked down the hallway. Astrid found Parker sitting on the old couch, holding a bag of ice to his face. Liam was leaning against the desk with his arms crossed over his chest. Ronan paced in front of the open safe.
“What’s happened?” she asked hurriedly to Parker. He had a nasty cut across his cheekbone and his eye was swollen.
“Nothing,” he mumbled at her.
“It’s damn well something,” Liam said, glaring at his brother.
“I said it’s fucking nothing,” he growled back. He locked gazes with his younger brother.
“Fuck you, Parker. Don’t tell us it’s nothing. You should have told us about this,” Liam yelled with a matching scowl. Astrid felt she had been dropped in the middle of a war she didn’t understand.
“You were thirteen. What were you going to do about it?” For the first time, Astrid noticed the baseball bat that lay on the desk.
“Stop!” Ronan roared. “This doesn’t solve anything.”
“Tell me what happened,” Astrid said with more force this time. Parker and Liam continued to glare at each other, ignoring her.
“Some thugs were waiting in the alley tonight when they got home,” Ronan said. “They came to collect a late payment for a loan Parker took out from some shark. I heard the fight and grabbed the bat. They took off when I got to the alley.”
She could see Ronan’s hands shaking. It must have been unimaginably terrifying for both boys. Parker shot a glare at him.
“What?” Ronan said, glaring back. “She’s a part of this family now. She needs to know.”
“Did you ever think this might be the thing that drives her away,” Parker asked.
“She’s right here,” she said. “Just shut up for a moment while I think.” Everyone sat in stony silence while Astrid tried to sort it out in her head.
How had Parker not caved under the pressure? A sick dad, adolescent brothers to raise, and mounting debts trying to keep the family business afloat. All those times he smiled at their group when they walked in. He must have been screaming inside.
“Okay. Ro, is everything locked up and the alarm on?” When he nodded, she continued. “Let’s go upstairs. I’ll get Parker cleaned up. You two can help with something to eat. I think we’re going to call it an early night. Maybe everyone can get some sleep.”
She helped Parker off the couch. He groaned in pain. She suspected there were bruises they hadn’t seen yet.
“We can talk about this tomorrow when everyone has calmed down,” she said. Motioning to the other two, she helped Parker through the door. Ronan locked it behind her.
Taking Parker into the bathroom, she helped him pull his bloody T-shirt over his head. He already had bruises forming on his left side. She gently cleaned his face with a wet cloth and swabbed ointment on the cuts. She guided him into the bedroom.
“Sit on the bed. I’ll pull your pants off,” she said.
