I smile across at him. "That's what makes it dirty."
"Ohh."
"So, the long story, do I get it?"
God damn it, Cora, there you go prying.
"How can I sum this up..." He taps his chin. "Okay, so my old boss and Dom's old boss used to be rivals. That's another long story. They are no longer...in the picture..."
I nod slowly as the understanding hits me. "Got it."
"Dom took his boss's place. And Johnny, Claire's husband, took my boss’s. Also, another long story."
"Why didn't you take his place?" I ask him, not quite sure how Johnny fits into all of this.
"He inherited it, rightfully so."
"I see...and you're like Johnny's right-hand man?"
"Yeah, something like that. And despite there always being a feud between the East and West, we decided to change that. That's how the connection started forming."
"So you guys have like an alliance or whatever?"
"You could say that, yeah."
I try to make sense of all of this with the limited information that I've been given. Clearly, they're all involved in a bunch of criminal shit, what exactly that entails, I haven't figured out.
"And your old boss, did you like him?"
That eager waitress comes over and places a bowl in front of both of us. "For your first course, a butternut squash soup." She keeps her attention mostly focused on Miller, and I sort of want to grab her ponytail and drag her into the back.
The poor girl hasn't done a thing wrong, and she honestly hasn't crossed a single line, and still, I feel weirdly territorial over a man who isn't even mine.
"Can I get you anything else?" she asks.
Miller looks at me first before saying, "No, I think we're good, thanks." He grabs the spoon and holds it over the bowl. "To answer your question though, yes. I liked him very much. He was like a father to me."
My heart aches at the tone of his voice, the shift in inflection at the past tense.
"What about your actual father?" I blow on a spoonful of soup and taste it, wondering how it's possible such a simple soup could be done this fucking well.
Miller's fingers twitch, and I worry that I've touched on a topic that he isn't willing to discuss with me. I mean, why would he, I'm practically a stranger.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," I add in an attempt to diffuse the situation.
Miller pats at the corners of his lips with his napkin. "I haven't talked about him in years. I try not to even think about him."
"We can change the subject. I'm sorry for bringing it up."
His eyes meet mine with great intensity. "Don't apologize."
"Sorry," I whisper, the word slipping out.
"My dad and I didn't have a good relationship. My old boss, he gave me an opportunity to get away from my dad and I took it, never once looking back. In retrospect, he probably saved my life, even if what I do is dangerous from time to time."
The loss of such an important person makes that much more sense. I can't imagine losing someone who saved me...I can't really imagine someone saving me in general.
"I vowed my life to him," Miller adds. "I learned the business inside and out, there isn't anything I wouldn't have done for him. I sort of have a tendency to give my all to those I love and trust."
