He was lucky.
C H A P T E R
29
CHAMPAGNE SPRAYED AROUND THE PRIVATE ROOM AT THE BELLEVILLE CLUB THAT HIS UNCLE OWNED. The room was filled with men celebrating and the beautiful women who had come along to help them celebrate. Nikos stood in the center of the room as the one honored. People clapped his back and dapped him up, passing him many drinks as he stood as the man of the hour, and Nikos took that all in, proud of his own achievement.
Over the music, an insistent clinking noise started, and everyone turned to look at Theo, who clinked his glass with a knife. Nikos smirked, looking at his cousin, who was thedrunkest of them all. Then, everyone quieted down and gave their attention to Theo.
“Brothers, cousins, friends, and family. Tonight, my cousin took down our enemy. Ricardo Rodriguez is no more, and that is thanks to Nikos. We stand at the top again with no one in our way. And when my uncle returns, he will return to no enemies. To Nikos.”
Everyone clinked their champagne glasses with one another before the celebration started again.
“You did a good job,” Christos said, clapping his shoulder. “I knew you could hold down the Fort while Antonis is gone, but even I’m impressed by how far you have gone. You were born for this.”
“Thank you, man,” Nikos said, genuinely grateful for Christos’s praise.
They pulled each other into a hug and clapped each other’s back. The one person who had been on his side this entire time was Christos. He had stood behind him, believing in him from the very beginning, more than he even believed in himself, and he wouldn’t have been able to achieve what he did tonight without his help. They had taken down his uncle’s enemy, the same man who had put Antonis in a coma. It would change everything.
Theo clambered over to him with a glass of champagne in his hand. When he tossed his arm over his shoulder, some champagne accidentally sloshed out.
“My bad,” Theo said. He was clearly drunk, but Nikos could not blame him because though he wasn’t, he wasn’t necessarily sober either. He had many drinks himself tonight, and he was buzzed with energy.
“Here, man. For the man of the hour,” Theo said as he passed him the drink.
“I’m good,” Nikos declined.
“Aw, don’t tell me you’re giving up already. We’re celebrating,” Theo complained, and Nikos chuckled.
“Actually, I think I’m going to head out,” Nikos said.
“What?!” Theo exclaimed. “Don’t you see all of these beautiful women in here? Why would you want to leave? Unless you plan on taking one of them home?”
Nikos glanced around the room, seeing all the beautiful women, and not only the beautiful women but the men he had built bonds with these past few months while running his uncle’s group in his stead. He should want to be here, and though he was having a good time, there was someplace else that he would rather be. He wanted to celebrate with someone else who wasn’t in the room right now.
“I’m heading out,” Nikos said. Christos eyed him for a second but nodded while Theo complained.
“You better not have too much fun, or Amber will have your head,” Nikos said as he turned to leave.
“Don’t tell her that I’m here,” Theo yelled to him over the music, and Nikos laughed. He was nearly out of the room before he grabbed a bottle of champagne and then left. He told his driver the address to take him to, and forty minutes later, he found himself in front of Honey’s door.
He knocked twice, and a beat later, Honey opened the door. She wore a white camisole and gray pajama shorts that hugged her thighs. She wore no makeup, and her hair was down. She eyed him with an arched brow of confusion.
“What are you doing here?” she asked. Nikos leaned against the door frame, still feeling very tipsy and buzzed.
“I’m here to see you to celebrate.” He lifted the bottle of champagne to the line of her vision, and she blinked.
“Are you drunk?” she asked, and Nikos corrected her.
“I’m tipsy,” Nikos said as he stumbled into her apartment. He heard the door close behind him as he entered the kitchen and found the bottle opener.
“You came to my place tipsy?” Honey said sarcastically as if she clearly didn’t believe he was just tipsy. “What if my son—”
“Kai is at his cousin’s place tonight for a sleepover. You told me that. Remember? I would never come over to your place tipsy while Kai is here,” Nikos told her seriously as he popped the champagne bottle.
“But you would come over tipsy while he isn’t here,” Honey said, folding her arms as she fixed him with a small glare.
“I wouldn’t even say that I’m tipsy. Slightly buzzed, maybe?” Nikos said, winking, and Honey rolled her eyes.
