“Maybe, maybe not. But we do it, and it works.”
“Doesn’t work that well. Someone’s pretty pissed about it.”
I frowned and tilted my head. “You really think someone turned on us?”
“I don’t know.” She swirled her wine. “I can’t help but think maybe, yeah. How else did my family know we were going there?”
“I know you’re right. But the idea of Hedeon getting information from a traitor, or one of the guys turning against us pisses me off. Not something I really want to think about.”
“I know.” She stared into her glass. “We’re going to have to face it though.”
I leaned back as Owain cheered and pinned Des’s arm. The smaller man groaned and stood up, shaking his head. He disappeared back into the bathrooms.
“Sore loser,” Owain said. “Couldn’t handle it. He knows I’m the better man.”
“You have, like, twenty pounds on him,” I said, shaking my head.
Owain flexed. “Don’t be jealous.”
Robin laughed and rolled her eyes.
I put my hand on her leg. “Come on. Let’s grab some food.”
“Sure.” She picked up her wine as I stood.
“I’d ask you to join us, but I’m pretty sure you’ll just arm wrestle our food.”
Owain laughed and waved his hand. “Enjoy your meal while you can. Some of the other guys are showing up later.”
“Good.” I steered Robin away. “We’ll try to find some peace and quiet for a while.”
I pulled her toward a booth that was recently vacated and sat down. The waitress came over, gave us menus, and disappeared again.
Robin looked at me for a while without speaking. I stared down at the menu, barely reading, before I looked up.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“What?”
She smiled. “You’re showing me your world.”
“No, I’m not. This is just a little… reward. For a good job.”
She laughed. “No, you’re showing me your world. You want me to meet your friends.”
“I wouldn’t exactly call Des and Owain friends, but okay.”
“It’s fine.” She picked up her menu. “I don’t mind.”
I smiled a little and shook my head.
Truth be told, I didn’t know what I was doing. But for some reason, this felt right. Bringing her around, showing her off. Giving her a taste of how I live beyond all the killing and the fear.
It was stupid, I knew it. It was probably a mistake.
But I couldn’t help myself.
She kept sucking me in and wouldn’t let me go, and I knew I had to get more.16RobinThe rest of the night was a blur. We ate, had a couple drinks, and I was introduced to gangster after gangster.
I didn’t know what to expect. Maybe guys like Des and Owain, loud and crazy and wild. But it turned out they were more like my old family than I would’ve guessed. Some were old, some were young, some were loud and brash, some were reserved and kind. They knew each other well, but I got the sense they didn’t see each other all that much.
Leo seemed happy, and by the end of the night, I realized something.
We were alone toward the end of the bar. A few guys were arguing loudly about which mafia movie was the best, Godfather or Goodfellas. Leo smiled at me, tilted his head.
“What?” he asked. “You’re looking at me.”
“Just thinking.”
“Go ahead and think out loud.”
“You’re showing me off a little bit, aren’t you?”
He raised an eyebrow. “What makes you think that?”
“I don’t know. The way you introduce me to everyone.”
“That’s just being polite.”
“I’m not sure it’s just that.” I leaned closer to him. I put my hand on his thigh, my heart beating fast. “I think it’s something a little bit more.”
He met me halfway, but instead of kissing me, he leaned forward and whispered in my ear.
“You want to be something I show off?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I’m not sure what I want.”
“You’ll have to be something I have before I can show you off.”
I pulled back, chewed my lip. His smile didn’t falter.
“Things have been moving so fast,” I said. “A lot’s changed in just a few days. I think… I don’t know what I think.”
He took out his wallet and put some cash on the bar. “Come with me.”
“Where are we going?”
“The car.”
I hesitated. “We’re leaving?”
“Something like that.” He reached out and took my hand. “Come on.”
I stood and followed. Some part of me felt like I was losing something, like I’d never get to see this side of him again. I got the feeling that this was rare, to have so many guys in his crew in one spot. But there was something in the way he looked at me, in the way he spoke with a low tone, that made me need to stick close to him.
We walked out into the night and he tugged me along. I kept up, heart racing. I didn’t know what we were doing but I wanted to find out. It was dark, past midnight, and although I’d had a few drinks, I didn’t feel drunk. My head felt clear and my hands were steady.