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When we tumble from the cab a few seconds later, me grabbing our suitcases before the driver takes off, I’m faced with the prospect of heading home or going to Lucas’s, which isn’t far away.
Home means she’ll inadvertently meet one of my sisters because they’re incapable of staying out of my place.
If we go to Lucas’s, I know he’ll be working because he’s a Type-A workaholic so we’ll miss him, but Ma checks in every day to make sure he’s eating, and with how my head’s feeling—and Belle’s won’t be much better—I could imagine waking up and finding her making us breakfast.
Is my ma the only woman who makes breakfast for one of her son’s one-night stands she’ll never see again?
I don’t know if it’s an Irish thing, a Catholic thing, or a “Patricia” thing.
My nose crinkles as I think about which of the women in my family I’d prefer to deal with.
Just as I’m about to make a decision, my cell buzzes.
Lucas: Why aren’t you answering your damn phone?
I squint at the screen and realize there are a couple of missed calls from him.
Shit.
Because I don’t want to deal with him, I decide against Lucas’s place. With my luck, he’d come back tonight.
Decision made, I take us to my home, which is a few doors down.
My father built our building back in the eighties. I don’t even want to know how he got this piece of turf out of the O’Donnellys’ clutches, but he achieved a miracle and earned enough money through his position with the Five Points to have this place constructed.
Ever since, we’ve been living here. Well, apart from Lucas who moved out when he got a promotion as captain of Aidan Jr.’s crew.
The Five Points’ legit front is Acuig Corp, and a swanky loft in one of Acuig’s skyscrapers came as part of the deal.
I’d prefer to live here than handle the extra responsibility.
Sure, his place is worth a couple of million, but it’s a few floors below Aidan’s apartment, which means he’s always on the job and never in that million-dollar “promotion perk.”
Fuck that.
Our building is long and thin because Da thought ahead—all his kids have a duplex so they can have kids too.
That means even Vinny has one.
I ride past it every night in the elevator, knowing that I helped take away his future.
We always dreamed of the day when we could live in our own apartments. We told each other we’d watch games at his place because he’d have the big TV, but because I was on the top floor, meaning the one farthest from Da, I’d have the better sound system for parties.
Shit like that mattered when you were a teenager.
You didn’t think you’d die in an illegal street race.
You just thought you’d live forever.
“Hey.” Belle’s soft voice has me blinking at her. Her hand cups my jaw, making me realize it’s still snowing. As I stare at her, I watch a snowflake fall onto her cheekbone as she asks, “What’s going on? Are you okay?”
I swallow. “Nothing.”
“Nothing?” She squints at me. “I may be very drunk right now, but I know something’s wrong.”
“I was thinking about Vinny, that’s all. Stupid shit. Nothing important. Come on, let’s go back to my place. I don’t want to deal with my sisters, but it’s better than being stuck in traffic for an hour.”
“We could go to a nearer hotel than the Ritz,” she offers, making me smile.
