“Surprised you’re not following them,” Dominic added.
I turned to see Mimic at his side once again. Dom’s arm, the one with my name etched into his skin, was around his shoulders. Mimic, meanwhile, was reclining into him like he’d done so a thousand times before.
All thoughts of Kate were erased. How could Dominic say that shit about his tattoos before going on to grope another man in front of me? Was he actually insane? Or was this all some part of his twisted plan to try and win me back?
If it was, it wasn’t fucking working.
“Maybe you have changed,” Dominic continued, a satisfied smirk on his lips as my fingers curled into fists.
“Or maybe I finally have someone I can actually trust,” I shot back. “Someone who would never lie to me or betray me. You should know what that’s like, Dom. After all, you had that once.”
Mimic gave a low whistle, extricating himself fromDom’s grip. “You know what? I’m getting a vibe that this is way deeper than I thought.”
Max snorted. “Mate, you’ve got no idea.”
“Fuck this,” I muttered. “I’m so done with this shit. Stay or leave, I don’t give a fuck. I’m going to get some air.”
I spun on my heel and made a beeline for the rear patio. I didn’t stop moving until the cold air whipped my cheeks and the sounds of the party faded away.
Fucking Dominic. How dare he show up with someone else? Was he trying to rub it in my face?
Like you asked him to, you mean?
I lit a cigarette and took a drag. Just because I’d asked him to move on, it didn’t mean I wanted toseeit.
A door opened and closed behind me, the noise of the party rising before becoming muffled once again. “Funny interpretation of fresh air.”
I took another drag, ignoring Dominic as he came to stand beside me. I wasn’t surprised he’d followed me out here. Part of me wondered why it had taken him so long.
“Have you seen your dad yet?”
My question caught him off guard, and his face paled. “What? Why the fuck would I visit that wanker?”
I shrugged. It wasn’t my place to try and mend their relationship, but after all Frank had done for me over the years… “You keep telling me you’ve changed. Maybe he has too.”
“And how would you know that?”
I didn’t answer him. The topic of how I’d become close to his dad wasn’t one I ever planned on getting into with Dominic.
“I don’t want to talk about him,” Dominic said. He leaned against the railing that surrounded the patio, hisgaze burning a hole in the side of my face. “You okay, Shadow?”
I laughed bitterly, flicking ash onto the ground. “I’m so fucking far from okay that it’s not even in sight.”
“I’m sorry.” Dom nudged his shoulder against mine. “I don’t want to hurt you, Ry.”
“If that were true you wouldn’t be here.”
Dom was quiet for a beat, staring off into the darkness. “Something I’ve learned over the past few years is that short-term pain is worth it if it leads to long-term happiness.”
“I have no idea what that means.”
“Take this.” Dom tapped at the scar on his neck. “Sure, it hurt like fuck, but knowing Taff made it home to his daughter? That made it worth it. Short-term pain for long-term happiness.”
No longer interested in the cigarette, I put it out on the rail and chucked it into a nearby bin. “Wouldn’t call nearly dying short-term pain.”
Dom shrugged. “It’s all about perspective. I recovered, therefore it was short term.”
I twisted to face him, leaning on the rail just like he was. “I fail to see how you being back in my life is the same.”
