Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 89145 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89145 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
“Money guys,” he huffed.
I shrugged. “Whatever you call the people who work in stocks and bonds.”
He furrowed his brow. “That’s not illegal.”
“It evidently can be. They manage portfolios for people who don’t care where the money comes from.”
“Ah.” He nodded slowly and set down his mug on the table.
“Anyway. I talked to Liam about it, and he caught me tryna minimize what I do—like, someone’s gonna do it, so why not me, and it’s not like I’m hurtin’ nobody—and he said that kind of thinking won’t fly in the long run.” I took another swig before I set down my mug too. “In the end, it’s about prioritizing. The Sons protect their own. Their families, their community. That’s where I’m at now. Fuck all others. I still try to be a decent person, but my family and my community come first.”
“The mobster community,” he stated.
“No, my actual community where I’m from, fucker,” I grated out. “Father O’Malley’s parish, that whole area. It’s probably one of the safest in Philly. We make sure the senior citizens don’t gotta struggle with rent, we ship supplies to the shelters, and we pour money into projects that help single-income families.”
His forehead wrinkled. “You do realize that’s to launder money, right?”
“Whatever.” I gave him a look. That money still did good. It was a crime that benefited the right people along the way. Which made me think of my mom and her hatred. “You know, my mom always despised the Sons but loved the neighborhood. She doesn’t know the syndicate’s the fuckin’ reason she never wanted to leave. But the Sons have done more for that community than the city has.” I shrugged. “I’m not justifying nothing. I’m just saying, I’ve got my priorities in order, and screw everyone else.”
West was in processing mode again, so he didn’t reply right away. He leaned forward and rested his arms on the table, and he stared at the shiny surface and into his mug.
“That kid—Colby,” he said. “He said you saved his life. Saved it from whom? The Sons, right? You said his brother is an associate. And something about Dublin.”
I folded my arms over my chest, feeling the need to pump the brakes a little. I’d been very forthcoming now, and I didn’t know what his motive was here. Was he trying to make sense of things, was he plain curious, or was he digging for other reasons?
“His brother is a grown man, and I didn’t want his shitty choices to affect Colby,” I said. “He’s just a kid. So I’ll be responsible for him for a while.”
“That’s right. He’s a kid,” West replied slowly. “What on earth is he doing in the mob? And why was he allowed to join?”
I suppressed a sigh. Time to exercise more patience. “It doesn’t work like that, West. It’s not like entering a gym and signing up for a membership. Most people get in at the bottom, long before any high-ranking member even knows about it. You work your way up. And Colby’s brother did that—and dragged Colby with him.”
“I see. So what would’ve happened if you hadn’t intervened tonight?”
“You’d have to ask Finn, but I can tell you it’s not as bad as what’s in your head,” I said. “Maybe they would’ve sent him to a cousin or to a shelter—fuck if I know. In the end, they would’ve looked after him. I was just mushy enough to step in first. I let my dad heart take the wheel. Finn can’t do that when he has the entire syndicate to consider.”
He hummed and picked up his mug again. “Your dad heart is one of my favorite things about you.”
Was he afraid that was going away?
I reckoned it made sense for him to wonder about…well, who the fuck I was now. After years of altering my behavior, then our divorce and all the venom that flowed between us, followed by my joining the Sons, and…
He didn’t know me.
Fuck, that hurt. I rubbed at my chest as a familiar tightness formed a new grip on my heart. West didn’t know me. Or he believed he didn’t. It was a clusterfuck. He knew me better than anyone else did, at the same time as he barely knew anything at all.
What I was about to say was gonna hurt like a fucking bitch, but it needed to be said.
“As much as it pains me to say it, I understand why you fell out of love with me and asked for a divorce,” I admitted. He immediately lowered his gaze and clenched his jaw, but I wasn’t done. “I wasn’t myself anymore. He was still in there, screaming for me to let him out, but…” My joke fell flat, and I swallowed hard. “I guess what I’m tryna say is, I’m slowly but surely finding my way back to who I was before we moved back east. With some modifications. I’m not twenty-three anymore. I’m a dad. I’ve…grown comfortable in some areas. I have different priorities, and I’m constantly afraid I’m gonna lose sight of Ellie when we’re out. She’s a fucking menace.”