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Still, I would feel sorry for him if he wasn’t such an asshole.
As a teenager, Micah was imprisoned for a crime he didn’t even commit. He was charged as an adult and sent to an adult prison.
This, of course, only made him worse.
Scorning the wealthy world he was born to, he now chooses the crime-filled alleys on the east side where he fits right in. Just another dangerous man among countless dangerous men.
Micah doesn’t need to stay here. Micah could have a corner office in his mother’s downtown building with an executive title to match. He was supposed to be the heir to a multi-billion dollar empire.
But no, Micah would rather scrape together a ferocious living with his fists.
We have a long history, an unshakable and unwanted connection. Our families are intertwined and so are our lives.
Especially now, thanks to Olivia.
More than a year has passed since her death and still she shadows me every day. Even the echo of her name in my head chases away any hint of a good mood.
My stepmother’s obsession with Micah’s dead father eventually turned to Micah himself. She did hideous things that I can’t think about without getting sick.
Olivia was a lesson. A bitter one. There’s no way to guess what some people are capable of until they show you.
All things considered, Micah and I should have made our peace with each other. My best friend is part of his family. Dani loves him like a brother. Yet despite our list of joint tragedies, Micah and I can hardly be in the same room for twenty seconds without exchanging a sharp comment or an eye roll.
Old habits never die, I guess.
Pierce can’t seem to sit still. He fidgets on the stool and keeps moving closer than I’d like him to be. I wind up edging away until my nose is practically pressed into the hair of the woman beside me.
I was so lost in my own thoughts that I never answered Pierce’s question. “No, I don’t see anyone I know.”
Micah’s back is now to me. He must have come here on a mission to get drunk quickly. He swallows another shot.
“Hey.” Pierce’s hand lands on my lower back.
Instantly, I wish he’d remove it.
“I’ve got to make a quick call.” His breath is sour. “You’ll be all right here for a minute. Just sip your drink and avoid eye contact.”
I wiggle away from his hand. “Think I can manage to behave in public without instructions.”
He grins. His face is too close. “Be right back.”
With every passing minute I’m feeling less enthusiastic about this impulsive night out. Pierce caught me by surprise after a long day at campaign headquarters when he asked me to come for drinks. We’ve had plenty of conversations, never anything social.
I’m not at all attracted to Pierce. He strikes me as vain and calculating. Standard political qualities. I’d hesitate to believe a word out of his mouth. It feels like a silly whim now, the idea that I might learn something of value on this outing.
But maybe my reasons are thornier.
I’ve been putting in crazy hours and shouldering a ton of stress. Dani is always urging me to branch out and live a little. My best friend is right when she worries that I’ve been missing out on all the fun.
I have.
My circle of real friends is very small. I don’t date. Sex is a distant and not particularly compelling memory.
Sadly, an invitation from even the likes of Pierce Carrington is the most exciting thing to come my way in a while.
What a depressing thought.
I might as well mute it with a drink. And then maybe I’ll have another.
