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"For now he does," Finn jibed, then tacked on, "fuckface."
I grinned a little as Eoghan flipped him the bird, which Jake snagged in his hand, then gnawed on it like it was a pacifier.
When they drifted out, I asked Finn, "Check they’ve left?"
Frowning at me again, he got to his feet and wandered over to the door. Beyond, there was the hall I’d just walked down and it had windows, so I knew he could see them make their way back to the main house.
He turned around and said, "They’re leaving."
"What’s going on, Junior?" Da rasped.
I rubbed my chin. "This is hard to talk about, Da."
"I know about the Oxy. You don’t have to tell me—"
I wasn’t altogether surprised that Da figured it out. He was watchful around me anyway. But it still had me wincing. "The boys will be pissed. They thought they did a good job of covering for me."
He shrugged. "Know you too well. Like looking in the mirror."
Deep inside, I winced, but I clung to the conversation Savannah and I had had together in the car.
I wasn’t like him.
Weweren’ta reflection of one another.
"I’m clean."
"Figured as much when Conor kept making excuses for you every time I called." Da took a deep drag of his cigar before he ground the glowing tip into an ashtray. "It’s the only reason I let you get away with missing Thanksgiving.
"I’m not sure I like how you’ll all lie to me to protect each other, but what can I say? I did the same for my brothers, and I wouldn’t want your relationships to be weaker for it." He grunted. "Let’s not make a habit of it though, hmm?"
"What? The lies or the drugs?"
"Both, preferably."
His calm surprised me, but to be honest, I was past caring if he knew or not. I was clean now, nothing to hide. If anything, the truth being out would be easier on us all. Pussyfooting around Da was never a simple task.
It was only then that I realized how much of a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Doing without the Oxy was hard, but there were some advantages to living without it.
And with Savannah around, well, it wasn’t difficult to stay distracted. Not just because her pussy was like the fucking mothership calling me home, but because thus far, it had been the opposite of all quiet on the Western Front thanks to her exposés.
"Surprised you let me get away with it for as long as you did."
"Knew you’d get yourself right when you were ready." He scratched his jaw. "Had a problem with Angel Dust back in the day. Managed to clean myself up before it got to be too big an issue."
Finn snorted, but it was soft and I heard him mutter, "Explains a lot," as he drifted past me.
I hid another smile.
Da eyed me. "Been thinking about visiting that orthopedic surgeon of yours."
Surprised, I jerked back. "Why?"
"I’m sure he fucked up your surgery. My boy don’t get hooked for nothing. I figure he messed up the procedure and the hospital is covering his ass." His gaze turned mean. "Figured I’d break his knees, let him see how much pain you were in—"
Scoffing, I told him, "Da, that’s insane."
"He fucked up. You shouldn’t be like this all these years later. Hobbling around like a goddamn cripple. It’s not right."
