“Or something,” Jax replies, looking straight at me as he hands me the beer.
“So. How you liking your new home, Lucas?” Jax asks, looking away first.
Lucas doesn’t hesitate. “This will never be our home.”
“Well,” I say, “maybe ‘never’ is a strong word.”
Lucas looks at me, confused. “You don’t actually mean that.”
“I…” I hesitate, the Ashbrew making my tongue loose. “Millie’s here. My parents are here. Things aren’t exactly… stable.”
“That’s exactly why we can’t stay,” Lucas replies gently, like he’s talking to a child.
Matt goes very still. Jax says nothing.
I swallow. “What if they need me?” I snap.
“They don’t need you,” Lucas says, his voice darkening with a finality that feels like a door slamming shut. “There’s nothing you can do for them. They’re too far gone.”
Heat crawls up my neck. “What does that mean?”
“I mean… drugs aren’t something you just fix overnight, Sisk.”
“You think I don’t know that?”
“I’m saying you don’t throw away everything you built because your sister can’t get her life together.”
Silence. The only sound is the steady drip from the leak in the ceiling.
“Ouch,” Jax mutters from the corner, his voice laced with dark satisfaction.
I ignore him, turning my full attention to Lucas. “That’s not what I’m saying.”
“It’s what it sounds like.”
“My family isn’t something I built, Lucas. They’re part of me. I love them. If they need me, I’ll come back.”
“Your future is with me,” he says. “It’s dancing. It’s anywhere but here.”
Across the room, Jax slowly pushes off the bar. “Maybe let her be part of that decision too.”
I whip toward him, fury flaring hot. “Stay out of this.”
He just lights another cigarette, completely unfazed. Matt is already drifting toward the door, sensing the explosion.
Lucas continues, his voice rising as he talks over Jax like he’s not even there. “We worked too hard for this, Sisk. You didn’t claw your way out just to come back and drown in it.”
Something in me flinches. “You don’t know what it’s like here.”
“I don’t need to,” Lucas says. “I saw enough.”
Jax laughs softly, a dry, mocking sound.
Lucas turns on him. “You got something to add?”
Jax shrugs, taking a slow drag from his cigarette. “Just thinking maybe caring about your future in-laws’ safety might be a decent place to start.”
Lucas doesn’t hesitate. “I’m sorry, but I don’t care about them,” he says bluntly. “I care about you, Sisk. I don’t care about this city. Or the people stuck in it.” His eyes sweep the room with a dismissive glance. “You’re better than this,” Lucas says.
