Page 55 of Sinful Hearts

Then he’s gone. And I’m still slumped against the glass, trying to remember how to speak or walk, when I hear the door to my apartment close behind him.

12

HADES

“So. Who is she?”

I’m barely inside the lobby of the building my family’s home sits atop when I hear Castle’s voice behind me.

Like Sean Farrell, Castle is another unexpected friend courtesy the Drakos-Kildare partnership that came about when Ares married Neve. The one-time Army Ranger, who was once bodyguard to Neve and her sister Eilish, is now Cillian’s de facto number two. After Ares and Neve tied the knot, Castle and I still bumped heads on more than one occasion. But in the last few months, we’ve been getting along tolerably well.

I think realizing I wasn’t sniffing after Eilish Kildare helped settle whatever problems there were between us. Castle’s fiercely protective of the two women, who are like kid sisters to him.

Not that Eilish isn’t smoking hot, but she’s not my type. What can I say: innocent and sweet is a turnoff for me.

Castle and I connect through boxing as well, same as Sean. But we’ve also gotten friendlier simply by working together than I think either of us would have expected. It’s nice.

When my brother married Neve, the whole point was to create a truce: Drakos and Kildare setting all previous hostilities aside to present a united front against any and all enemies. In terms of business, the original idea was that each family would maintain their own empire independent of each other. That’s still mostly the case, although some of our…less than legitimate business interests have started overlapping.

Like, for instance—and I’m speakingcompletelyhypothetically, of course—if a Columbian gang who’d been trying to muscle in one of our poker games in Harlem needed to be reminded who’s fucking game it was, and we needed to burn a warehouse they used for their drug imports down to the ground.

All hypothetical, of course…

As it turns out, Castle knows his wayremarkablywell around a gas can and structure supports. After I discovered that, and furthermore after we realized we were evenly-matched sparring partners, things have been pretty cool between us.

“What? Who?”

“Whoever you’ve been cheating on me with, dick. You stood me up at the gym twice last week.”

I snort, shaking my head as we both step into the elevator. I use my thumbprint to unlock access to the top floor where the Drakos estate is perched, and the elevator starts to rise.

“Shit, sorry, man. I’ve been slammed with work.”

“All good, I’m just fucking with you. Congrats on the launch of Thermopylae Acquisitions by the way. How’s it feel, going legit?”

All I can offer in response is a non-committal grunt. Castle chuckles.

The doors glide open with a soft chime, and the two of us step out into the lavish front entrance of the Drakos estate. Even though he’s been here about ten thousand times by now, Castle still whistles under his breath, his eyes dragging up to the high vaulted, gilded ceiling, taking in the elegant and supremely English wainscoting on the walls, and out the glass front doors to the grounds.

Yeah, we’re on top of a building overlooking Central Park South, and there are privategrounds.

Grandpappy Drakos didn’t fuck around with this place.

“Try not to drool on the parquet floors, okay? Ya-ya will be pissed.”

Castle grins, shaking his head and running his fingers through his short blonde hair. “Sorry. Gets me every time, this place. It’s fucking insane, man, you know that?”

“Dimitra literally maintains a separate landline number exclusively for all the real estate agents and brokers who call offering to cut off their own hands to get the listing if we ever decide to sell. You gotta listen to the messages sometime, it’s embarrassing. This one guy left a message once literally offering to blow me, Ares, and Kratos. And the dude is straight and married.”

“He also might have a fairly loose definition of ‘straight’.”

I chuckle as the two of us walk down one of the gilded hallways and out one of the side doors leading to the grounds. It’s Sunday, which means family dinner night. This has always been Ya-ya’s “thing”, and ever since the merger of the families, she’s started including the Kildares as well. It’s exactly what it sounds like: both families sit down together to eat, drink, and laugh, with the only rule being no business at the table whatsoever.

Tonight, since the weather is nice, my grandmother’s decided we’re eating al fresco. And once again, I try not to roll my eyes too much at Castle’s low, impressed whistle when we follow the white gravel path around the corner to the arbor that covers the outdoor dining area.

White, creeping floral vines, twinkling garden lights, and polished wood tables and chairs underneath a pergola draped with gauzy white curtains. Hashtag: natural life. Hashtag: family. Hashtag: live laugh love. It’s like dining in a fucking Pinterest board.

That said, I fuckingloveeating out here.

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