“And I can track your phone.”
“You still do that?”
“Not to mention, a sixth sense when it comes to you and my child…”
Jade gives me an apologetic look as she’s dragged away and calls over her shoulder, “I tried! Come see me at home before I’m forced to do something drastic like clean.”
I gasp in mock horror. “You wouldn’t!”
“Don’t make me do it, Quinn. I’m that bored.”
“Let’s not get crazy. I’ll be there.” I laugh and shake my head at her ridiculousness.
Jade gives me hope. After all she’s been through with her crazy ass ex, she still found happiness. True happiness. But, hope is maybe even more dangerous than fear. And I’d do well to remember that.
I didn’t see Carter again at Hot N’ Bothered. I thought after earlier, he might want to walk me home. I tried to stall by wiping down the bar extra thoroughly, and even swept, mopped, and took out the trash. But at three a.m., I finally called it a night. He said not to walk home alone, but who the hell else was awake at that hour? Plus, he’s not my keeper. So, I walked home—okay, maybe I ran a little—and locked the door behind me. I took Gia out to go potty on the little patch of fake grass on my patio and made myself a bowl of Ramen noodles. I poked at my noodles, feeling sorry for myself and wondering why Carter even bothered to give me the whole spiel about walking alone if he clearly doesn’t care.
I considered getting dolled up, just in case he decided to show up again, but my pride wouldn’t let me. I opted for an oversized T-shirt and snuggled up on the couch with a copy of 44 Chapters about 4 Men by BB Easton for the sake of levity. This bitch might be even crazier than I am.
I don’t know how long I’ve been asleep, but the creaking of my floorboards has my eyes shooting open. Before I can even get out a scream, a hand is slapped over my mouth while another squeezes my throat. A rough, low voice growls out at my ear.
“I thought I told you that you were never to walk home by yourself.”
If I have to stand here for one more bloody second, I’m going to strangle Graham myself. This little meet has gone on long enough. I’m burning a goddamn hole in the carpet of Graham’s office while they discuss our next move.
The Lucky Lucianos are at it again, trying to blackmail the businesses we work with and ask for protection money. They’ve already burned down two bars on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The owners were pissed, and rightly so. They pay a ridiculous amount of money every month to Graham, trusting he’d keep them safe. The Italians are making the Irish look bad.
When I was a wee boy, Ma always told me that Italians were the worst. “They think that they’re more Catholic than us,” she cackled and brought her drink to her lips. She was a bit of an alcoholic and a lot of a whore. I can’t tell you how many times I was locked in a closet when her male companions decided to come around. Sometimes for days. But I preferred it in there, because she forgot about me. It was when I got in her way that she was truly terrifying. Out of sight, out of mind. She had black hair. Long and curly. So ever since I was little, the combination has turned me off. I reckon that’s why I only sleep with blondes. “But the truth is, the Italians are not better than us, Carter. They’re just crazier. But that’s enough for them to win. They always win.”
I think Graham might share Ma’s sentiment, because he is talking with his hands a lot, pacing from one corner of the room to another. Sin is staring him down like he owns this office, and I wonder if Graham knows what Sin is thinking about. Because I do. I was onto him the minute he set foot in this place.
He doesn’t want to take part. He wants to take over. For now, I’ll watch. And if Graham doesn’t see it on his own, I’ll step in.
Right now, though, I couldn’t care less. I tuned out a long time ago. The Lucky Lucianos will pay, but I need to get to Quinn. Sin and the rest of the fecking Brady Bunch start to clear out, and I take that as my cue to bail. Cole’s hand on my shoulder stops me right before I make my getaway.
“You okay, man?” Cole’s concerned eyes scan my face. For what, I’m not sure. Ever since he and Jade moved out of the apartment, I’ve been better. It’s cleaner. Neat. Less chaotic.
“Dandy,” I reply dryly. He raises an eyebrow and glances over to Graham, who’s sitting on the edge of his desk with his arms folded across his chest and his ankles crossed, looking mildly amused and even less conce
rned.
Well, maybe he’s not that upset about the Italians, after all.
“You’re acting like more of a weirdo than usual. Just making sure you’re good.”
“Thanks, Ma,” I groan.
“Don’t be a prick, Carter,” Cole snaps, and I feel a slight morsel of guilt. He’s the closest thing to a brother I’ve got, but I’m defensive and on edge.
“I need your head in the game, Carter. We’ve got a war coming with the Italians, and I can’t have you off in la-la land. No distractions. That gonna be a problem?” Graham slaps me on the back with an expression that dares me to cross him. If Cole is like a brother to me, Graham is like a father. One that I want to punch in the face at times.
“I’m straight,” I grit out, shrugging his hand off my back. “I just have somewhere I need to be.”
They both exchange a look, and I roll my eyes before walking out. I can only imagine what’s going through their minds, but I don’t have time for this shit right now.
After storming downstairs, searching the entire club, and interrogating another bouncer, I found out that Quinn wasn’t at Hot N’ Bothered. I rushed to her house, on a mission to teach her a lesson. I specifically told her not to walk home alone. I told myself if she were alive when I got there, I’d kill her myself for being such a goddamn idiot.
Now, I stand in her doorway while she sleeps for the second night in a row. She looks as if she doesn’t have a care in the world, curled up on the couch. Does she think it’s funny to scare me like that? I stalk over to her, and right before I reach her, she stirs, then freezes. I slap my hand over her mouth so she won’t scream. I hate loud noises.