Page 56 of Quiet Rage
I can almost believe it, too.
Just like I can almost believe I don’t really miss him after he leaves. I can almost convince myself there aren’t any realfeelings inside me, drawing me a little closer to him all the time. I can pretend he doesn’t mean anything.
Almost.
Chapter 25
Kellen
I tipmy glass back and take another big sip of my cold beer. Alcohol doesn’t make the dreadful feeling in my gut go away, but it damn sure helps.
I’ve been at the Archer’s Den for most of the day, but it has been pretty empty until now. It’s getting dark outside, and people are getting off work to come here and enjoy some time away from their family. I, on the other hand, wish I wasn’t here at all. There is only one place I want to be, and that’s wherever Tamson is.
I try not to think about her. She doesn't fit into this part of my life. At least I don’t want her to. I don’t want her to see the person I am now, the person I have to be.
“Another?” Peggy, one of the waitresses asks, pointing her manicured finger at my almost empty glass.
Nodding, I finish the last bit of beer and slide the now empty glass over the bar top. Peggy takes it and refills it from the tap.
“Thanks,” I mumble when she returns my beer to set it in front of me. Wrapping my hand around it, I let the cold seep into my skin.
More patrons come into the space, filling the bar with random conversation and carefree laughter. I do my best to drown the voices out, turning them into a low hum of background noise.
I’m just about to take another sip when a hand descends on my shoulder. My whole body stiffens. I turn my head just enough to see Dante standing next to me.
“Hey, big guy. Your dad wants you in the back,” he announces.
I give him a small nod before getting off the bar stool. Dante walks in front of me as we make our way to one of the private rooms in the back. We step inside to find Vinnie and Paul sitting on the couch. Vinnie is leaning over the coffee table snorting a line of coke off a mirror.
“There you are,” Paul shouts like he is excited to see me. The rapid tapping of his foot and the twitching of his shoulder tells me he is already high. That doesn't stop him from taking the rolled up twenty-dollar bill from Vinnie’s hand to snort another line.
I walk into the room and take a seat on the other couch. Paul picks up the mirror and hands it to me. I take it from him and place it on the corner of the coffee table in front of me. Part of me wants to come up with an excuse not to get high, but another, more desperate part, wants to feel good and forget about all of my problems for a bit.
Picking up the rolled-up bill, I bring it to my nose and lean over to snort one of the lines of white powder. Ignoring the burn in my nostril, I close my eyes and sink back into the leather cushions. The drug takes effect almost immediately. A warm, pleasant feeling spreads through my body. My worries and fears float away until they are nothing more than an afterthought.
Sucking in a deep breath, I open my eyes again just as Dante takes the last line of coke. He sits down next to me. Lifting one of his feet, he props his boot up on the coffee table.
“I think we’re going to have a lot of fun tonight, boys,” Dante says, rubbing his hands together.
“What’s the job?” I ask, hoping it’s nothing too bad.
“I don’t know, but boss man promised I was going to enjoy today, and your father knows me pretty damn well,” Dante explains with a slimy smile.
As if my father heard us talking about him, the door opens, and he appears on the other side. He steps inside the room, getting straight to the point. “Are you guys ready to head out?”
“Fuck, yeah,” Dante yells first.
“Always,” Vinnie adds.
“For sure,” Paul says.
My father’s gaze falls on me expectantly. “What about you, son?”
“Of course I’m ready. I’ve been waiting all day for this.” The lie rolls off my tongue easier now that the cocaine is in my system.
My father’s lips turn up into a satisfied smile. “Perfect. We’re paying our old friend Frank a visit at his home today.”
No.
