He’s right. I’m a terrible sister.
“Ready to celebrate!” I try to sound convincing and pull myself together for him.
The taxi pulls over, and Ray is the first one out, coming around the other side to open the door for me.
“This is paradise. I’ve dreamt of coming here for months. You know I’ve got a weak spot for big athletes, especially when they’re tattooed.”
I laugh despite myself.
“This place is owned by four guys from Leinster,” Jamie says, taking me under his arm and limping because of his knee injury. “The team meets up here after every game, but we also use it for things like parties, celebrations…so basically, we’re always here. Now you’ve been here too.” Jamie winks at him, and I roll my eyes. I stiffen myself at the entrance, blocking his way too.
“Riley,” Jamie says in my ear, “everything’s going to be fine. I promise you. I’m your brother, and I want you to have fun tonight.”
“You’re not trying to manipulate my life, are you?”
“Absolutely not.”
I sigh and walk through the door before him, sincerely hoping that Ian won’t be here. I don’t want him to think I’m going after him or that I’m here for some other reason. This little dive into the past was more than enough for me, and I don’t feel like swimming right now.
We greet the bouncers at the entrance, and they open the doors for us. We walk down the stairs, which are narrow and increasingly dark, leading us to the basement where the place is located. It feels like a cave down here, but it’s actually pretty inviting. I haven’t been here much, maybe two or three times, but the team, the staff, and the fans keep it full around the clock.
We take a seat at a free table, and Ray doesn’t waste any time searching for someone to ogle as I fix my eyes downward on the table, trying to make myself as small as possible and hoping that no one will notice me.
“I’m going to go say hi to the guys, okay? Be back in a bit. Order whatever you want. It’s on them tonight,” Jamie says, smiling and walking away but not before passing under Ray’s x-ray vision.
“You want to stop that?” I threaten him.
“Did you know your brother…?”
“Yes, I know full well.”
Ray huffs and gets up to order us some drinks.
“Wow, it’s really quite something, isn’t it? Lot of people here tonight,” Kate interrupts. “What else are you hiding from us, Riley?”
I flash her a forced smile and discreetly raise my gaze. I check out the room, and thankfully, Ian’s not here. It’s highly likely he won’t even find out I came. Another sigh escapes my lips; this time, it isn’t relief.
Damn it.
We get our drinks and the first round disappears in no time. I get it, we’re at a party and the idea is to enjoy it. The second round goes down as quickly as the first, and by the third, I start to feel lighter, less weighed down. I take my jacket off and open my blouse a bit to get some relief from the heat building up in there, and Ray lets out with a whistle of approval.
“Go on, girl,” he hoots, making fun of me, as if he really appreciated what he saw.
We chat, laugh, and relax – I even begin to calm down almost enough to wish there was music playing that we could dance to. My wish comes true after a few minutes and the place comes alive with a song I love.
Kate must have read my mind, because she stands up, pulls me from my seat, brings me to the dance floor, and starts moving next to me. I cover my face with my hands, shaking my head because I feel embarrassed; no one around us is dancing, but her drive is contagious and after a few beats, I’m right there with her. It’s the perfect song for two people to dance to.
Our spontaneous gesture attracts some attention, and the dance floor fills up in a hurry.
Ray joins us with a guy he just met, where they start to whisper into each other’s ear, smiling and dancing next to us, happy and carefree. I can’t help but feel a little jealousy pierce my stomach.
Jamie raises a glass in our direction to let me know he likes the fact that I’m letting myself go, at least tonight, and I blow him a kiss from a distance, to thank him for having brought me.
Kate squeezes herself against me, grabbing my hips, and rubbing against me seductively. She’s undoubtedly drunk, but in the end, who cares? She just wants to have fun, so, I play along and grab her by the waist, and move my body against hers.
We let ourselves go to the music, to the alcohol flowing inside us, and to life itself, and for a few minutes, I really feel good, like I haven’t felt in a really long time. My muscles loosen up, my head is light, and my thoughts have flown somewhere else.
A group of guys approaches us, persistent. Apparently, the show has caused an uproar, and they want to get involved. Kate and I try to step away – we weren’t on the hunt tonight – but a guy, about thirty and visibly drunk, doesn’t seem to pick up on our signals.
He makes his way in between me and Kate and takes control of the situation. He grabs me by the hips and tries to pull me towards him as I push my hands against his chest, trying to break away from him.
His breath stinks of alcohol, making me nauseous, and his insistence becomes oppressive, but I’m not strong enough to push him away – and he doesn’t have any intention of letting me go.
Before I can turn my head to look for my brother, someone puts his hands on the drunk guy’s shoulders and slams him to the ground.
And my heart stops beating.
