Page 89 of Forbidden Romeo

I shrug, “Like he cares for me, I guess. Like he wants to protect me.”

“Girl, he did not protect you from this box dye,” Craig says. “I’m going to have to work double time on this.”

“There’s no rush,” Kate cuts in smoothly. “Besides, Jack is paying.”

She waves a matte black card in front of me.

Craig’s face lights up. “In that case, I’m thinking highlights?”

“Balayage?” Kate chimes in.

“Yes, yes, yes! Alright, Pippi Longstocking, I’ll go mix you up a cocktail.”

Craig disappears again, and I throw Kate a concerned look. “It’s like eleven AM.”

“He means your colors,” she clarifies.

“Oh.”

“So,” she says, leaning in conspiratorially. “Is it just that you don’t trust him?”

“Would you? In my situation?”

“No… But then, I’m not you. Am I, Aimee?”

I freeze. “I-it’s Roisin.”

“Is it?” Kate says, leaning back.

“Well, at least I know Jack trustsyou,”I say, unable to squash the bitterness of this small betrayal.

“We weren’t conspiring together, if that’s what you mean.”

I snort, “Oh, so it wasn’t your idea to marry me off to Jack so I wouldn’t help my brother keep his alliance with the Novas?”

Kate’s jaw practically hits the floor. “That asshole! He didn’t tell me that.”

“That’s what he told Padraic,” I reply. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t even a little satisfied with the validation her reaction gave me.

Still outraged, Kate waves over at Craig. “Hey, Craig? We’re going to need nails too.”

“Seriously?” I say with a wince.

“I’m going to make sure you look so good tonight, Jack will be on his knees begging for forgiveness,” Kate says firmly and without a hint of irony.

I shake the image from my mind. “What’s tonight?”

“The annuals,” she says, returning to her phone and furiously searching up more references for Craig. “It’s a boxing competition that Padraic has been running atLuckiesfor years.”

Oh shit.

I can’t believe I didn’t put it all together. The annuals…Luckies… BKB and Jack’s ability to take a punch. The illegal nature of his businesses…

“I thought the annuals got shut down after that kid died?!” I hiss in alarm.

I remember a day, about seven or eight years ago, when my father read out the news in a rare state of sobriety and good humor.“The Duffys have fucked up for good this time,”he’d claimed. My brother had rejoiced; we’d gone out for dinner and ordered sparkling wine. They were sure this would be the scandal that would take the Duffys off the chessboard.

Kate grimaces, “Only made it more popular, I’m afraid. Especially since Jack took it over.”

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