Page 90 of Mercy & Malice

“Tell her that.” Maybe she’ll trust it coming from Luca.

Troy makes his way through the crowd towards us. He sticks out like a sore thumb. And people are noticing as a few eye him, including a girl that tries to talk to him, and he shakes her off as he curses under his breath.

When Troy reaches us, he says, “This party is a little too far out of my realm. A girl just asked if I’m looking for my kid, and another asked if I wanted to be her daddy. I’ll be out in my truck watching the perimeter. Call me if y’all need anything.”

Luca laughs as Troy pushes through the swarm and makes his escape.

Ivy and Brooke take another shot before they make their way to the dance floor.

A hoot to the side catches my attention as Cain walks up. He’s buzzing and seemingly feeling pretty good as he tells us, “Glad y’all are here.” He offers me a beer, but I refuse.

“Come on. Just one drink won’t kill you,” he whines.

It doesn’t change my mind. I don’t want anything to cloud my judgment.

When Cain offers a drink to Luca, he refuses as well and holds up his water.

“Why did you two come out if you’re just going to stand around?”

My eyes lock on the brunette dancing around and smiling. She’s why. The only reason I do anything anymore.

Cain follows my line of sight and shouts, “Ladies.” Then dashes over to them as he passes Brooke the beer in his hand.

The three of them dance and laugh together. And I can’t fight the jealousy brewing inside me. But every time her captivating eyes lock with mine and the smile on her face is pointed at me, it dissipates a little. When a slow melody comes on and Cain gets closer to her, I almost react and head their way until Brooke and Ivy both shove him back then wrap their arms around each other. He stands there, appearing shocked until some girl walks up to him and drapes her arms over his shoulders while he loops his around her waist.

Luca motions to the swaying fool. “Give him a break. Today is his sister’s birthday.”

His sister died playing Mercy years ago. He avenged her death, stabbing the fucker who killed her in the skull. But even I get that vengeance doesn’t undue the pain.

Once the music turns upbeat, so do the vibes. A ton more songs and few drinks later, Brooke walks up to me.

“Ready to go home?” I ask.

Her glazed eyes flick to mine, and she looks a million miles away as she utters, “Yes. It only feels like home when you’re there.”

I hate that house too, but I concur. Wherever she is, that’s home. “Agreed.”

She leans into me as I loop an arm under hers. Once I get her to the car, I buckle her in and head home. When we get to the house, I help her out and into the house. She’s not stumbling, but she isn’t steady either.

“I got it,” she insists.

“You’re drunk.”

She glares at me, her nose wrinkling as she says, “I am not drunk. Buzzed. Maybe.” She waves her hand over my face. “But you’re not blurry at all.”

“Is that the drunk gauge?”

“Yep. I realize when it’s time to cut myself off. I just had a few drinks.”

I tell her the shot and beer count as her hands drop to her sides. “You were monitoring my alcohol consumption?”

“No, I was watching you.” More like I couldn’t pry my eyes away from her even if I wanted to.

She giggles as she attempts to whisper while we climb the staircase, but she drops to sit just before we reach the top. “That would sound creepy coming from anyone else.” Her glassy stare looks up as she grips my T-shirt and pulls me to her. “But I like knowing you’re watching me. It makes me feel safe.”

That’s different than her usual rebellion against us protecting her. But I don’t argue with her. She presses her mouth to mine and I taste the alcohol on her tongue. Reluctantly, I pull away after a few seconds. “You need to get to your room before your mom figures out you’ve been drinking.”

Her eyes roll as she grips my shoulders, and I haul her to her feet. “Fine. No making out on the staircase. Such a killjoy.”