“Talking too much frustrates him,” I countered, recalling Max’s brooding expressions and occasional irritated sighs. He wasn’t known for patience either.
“Exactly. That’s the trick, see?” Sean’s grin widened with more mischief than amusement. “You gotta talk to him anyway. It throws him off-balance. Sometimes, you can even manage to coax a smile outta the old grouch.”
Old?How old was Max anyway?
“You have a death wish,” I said with a scoff, but a smile tugged at the corner of my lips.
“Perhaps, but I’ll go down with a laugh.” He enjoyed getting on Max’s nerves, and to be honest, so did I, though for far different reasons.
“So what exactly happened with Ricky?” I finally asked, my curiosity piqued.
His smile softened, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “We took care of him. Took some doing though. Stubborn mule, that one.”
“You took care of him?” My voice hitched. “You mean ...?”
He gave me a nod. “Ricky messed up. He crossed a line—one your father makes very clear—and sometimes, lines need to be erased permanently, yeah?”
I held his gaze. Sean may look a lot nicer than most mobsters, but that didn’t make him any less terrifying.Daisy got a man killed because she spilled a drink on him?I had a feeling there was more to the story. The Outfit thrived on a delicate balance of power; of knowing but not knowing. It was a world where silence spoke volumes, and sometimes, the loudest voices were the ones that went unheard.
“I know Ricky wasn’t the best person, but death seems a little much for a spilled drink,” I began. “At least, I thought he was a family friend.”
“Friendships get complicated in this business,” Sean said with a sigh, putting a wrench down on the table. “Ricky got too close to something he shouldn’t have. Made a bad call, and it wasn’t just about Daisy.”
“What else was it about?” I pressed.
“He stumbled onto a shipment. A big one—not the kind you walk away from whistling. He got the damn Feds involved.” He paused, his eyes searching mine as if he’d told me too much. “Look, this doesn’t concern you. You’re safe. Your father wouldn’t let anything happen to the two of you. That’s what matters.”
His words offered little comfort. “Safe,” I repeated, “or just kept in the dark?”
“Don’t get cute. You know the score. This life? It protects you as much as it binds you.”
“Protects me from what?” I wondered. “The truth? From the blood on my family’s hands?”
“There’s no blood on your hands, just a little too much curiosity for your own good.”
I scoffed. “Yeah. Well, curious or not, I’ll be needing a ride. Now and next Friday, apparently.”
“I can drive you in a few hours. What’s the deal with next Friday?”
A few hours?I slumped over dramatically. “Dinner at the marina. My mother’s trying to pawn me off. Haven’t you heard?”
He laughed. “No, but I’ve heard of the ones that didn’t work out.”
I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. “I have bad luck.”
“I’d say the men had it worse, kiddo. At least you still have a beating heart. Can’t say the same about Derik or Simon.”
Poor guys.
“Beating, sure, but it’s wrapped in barbed wire.”
“Dramatic, Rose, as always.”
CHAPTER 5
ROSALIE
My head hung off the edge of the couch like a wilting flower straining for the last rays of sunlight. The world tilted on its axis, the room warping with every frustrated blink.
