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“Persisting with the activity that got someone hurt in the first place is the very definition of not caring, Tommy.” I sighed, turned my back on him, and walked back into the kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee. I didn’t have the energy for this.
The only sound in the apartment was the hissing and ticking of the coffee maker as it worked. I pulled my favorite mug out of the sink, the one that read “Straight Outta Patience,” rinsed it out, and set it under the machine. It was nearly full before I realized Tommy was standing right next to me. For a big man, he could be incredibly quiet when he wanted to be.
Tommy reached up and touched the bandage on my temple as gently as if I were made of glass. His fingers traced down my cheek, lightly taking my chin between his thumb and forefinger and tilting my head to inspect the wound. I let him.
He frowned at me. “You could have been killed.”
“I’ll be all right.”
My answer irritated him. Tommy let go of my face and turned his back to me, helping himself to a coffee mug. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re not stupid, Cassidy, so stop acting like it.” Tommy pushed the brew button with vengeance. “You may have washed your hands of me and Dad, you may have nothing but contempt for us and our lifestyle, but stop acting like some dewy-eyed crusader fresh off the boat.Youwere born into this life.You, more than anybody else, know the dangers it brings. Andyouknow the consequences for mouthing off to the wrong people.”
Every sentence was punctuated by a rap of his tattooed knuckles against my counter. I wasn’t buying the whole alpha-male big brother routine, though. “I can take care of myself.”
“You can’t even keep a decent lock on your apartment.” Tommy flicked the handle of the knife. “Nice home defense, by the way.”
I ignored him. “So, I guess that by you coming over here and acting all concerned, then it wasn’t your guys who killed Johnny.”
“What the hell?” Tommy got in my face. “You actually think I would put a hit on a kid like that? On my own sister?”
“You didn’t even know I was in Boston until tonight.”
Tommy blew out a breath and paced away, hands clasped over his head. He turned suddenly and stalked back to me, speaking as if to a child. “No, Cassidy. Johnny was a good kid. It wasn’t us.”
“Are you sure about that?” I was thinking about the note in my pocket, but I wanted to hear it from him.
“I’m going to find out who it was,” Tommy said, “and then I’m going to make him wish he’d never been born.”
I noticed he didn’t precisely answer my question. The coffee maker sizzled as the last of the water ran out. “Thanks for the lecture, but I’m all set. It’s been a great visit. Maybe we can do it again in another five or ten years.” I grabbed Tommy’s cup and handed it to him. “Finish your coffee and lock the door when you leave.”
Tommy didn’t budge. “They’re going to come after you.”
“I’ll get a gun.”
“It won’t be enough.”
“It’ll have to be. Now if you’ll excuse me,” I opened the front door. “As much as I’d love the prospect of going another round with you, I’ve got a headache the size of Rhode Island and a new lock to buy in the morning, seeing as the current one is so woefully inadequate.”
Tommy shut the door and stood there with his hand on it, fuming. “I didn’t come here to argue, Cass. I came here to save your life.”
“And the Academy Award goes to…”
“Will you just shut the hell up and listen to me for once! So goddamn stubborn—” Tommy swallowed the rest of what he was going to say. It must have been a herculean effort, but he blew his anger out in a single breath, his shoulders slumping visibly. “Can we just sit down for a minute?”
He guided me back to the kitchen table. I was almost tempted to resist, but there was something in his eyes that I hadn’t seen before, something that looked an awful lot like fear. Tommy wasn’t afraid of anything. He sat across from me, silent for a moment. Drummed his fingers on the table like he wasn’t sure where to begin.
Finally, he looked at me. “Dad and I have a proposition for you. A deal, of sorts.”
I narrowed my eyes but didn’t say anything.
“We’re going to arrange a…a protection detail for you that will guarantee your safety. In return, you’ll agree to abide by the ground rules—”
“What kind of protection detail?” I interrupted. “How long?”
“A year. Just a year should be long enough.” My brother shifted, clearly uncomfortable about something.
