Page 162 of Cross & Crown

“So,” he finally said. “You need my help again.”

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t,” Nick said, words coated

in ice.

Paddy laughed. He pointed at Nick while glancing at

Kelly. “So fucking stubborn. He ever told you this story?”

Kelly shook his head, then remembered Nick’s warning

about being respectful. “No, sir.”

Paddy grunted. “First time I saw these two chuckleheads,

they were sixteen, walking down the street from baseball

practice. That one had a black eye.” He pointed at Nick

again. “Looked so much like my son, Patrick Jr. Lost him

to a goddamn drunk driver the year before. Saw Nicky and

thought he was a ghost. I stopped my car, called to him, asked

him how he got that shiner. And this fucking kid, he looks

me straight in the eye. You know how many people look me

straight in the eye, even back then?”

Kelly shrugged uncomfortably.

“No fucking one.” He looked back at Nick almost sadly.

“Didn’t take a fucking genius to figure out his old man was

knocking him around, so I asked him, big kid like you, why

don’t you knock back? He meets my eyes again and he says,

‘’Cause I got people more important than me at home to

take care of, Paddy.’ He fucking knew who I was. Wasn’t

afraid of me.”

163

Kelly glanced at Nick, his heart aching. “With a father

like his, why should he be afraid of anyone?” he asked softly.

“You damn right,” Paddy snarled. “Damn right. I told him

I’d help him out. I’d protect his sisters if he’d protect me. He was good on his word, and I was good on mine. Even gave him

a ride to the airport and paid for his fucking ticket to go to

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