Dead Man's Hand: A Small Town Romance (A Good Run Of Bad Luck Book 1)
Page 30
I quirked an eyebrow at him. “No, I’ll kill you.”
He laughed, but quickly realized I wasn’t joking. “Yeah, I got it. You aren’t joking. Someone needs to tell your family to lighten up.”
“You driving tonight?” a man asked as he walked up.
“Jack,” Eric nodded. “Yeah, I’m driving.”
Jack nodded to the beer. “I’d watch how many of those you drink. I’d hate for you to get pulled over for driving while intoxicated.”
“It’s one beer, Jack. When the fuck are you going to stop this?”
Jack turned and looked at me, his eyes shooting daggers. “Well, I was feeling like maybe it was time to move on, but then this guy showed up.”
“What the fuck did I do?”
He sneered at me. “You’re one of them. Seems the whole town is being overrun by criminals. Somebody ought to take care of that.”
“And I suppose you’re going to do that,” I said.
He shrugged slightly. “I’m just watching out for the town. I figure you’ll eventually kill each other off.”
He nodded and walked off. “Fucking prick,” I grumbled.
Eric sighed. “He’s just hurting.”
“I just got here. I haven’t done a damn thing to him.”
“Jack lost everything when his wife died,” Eric said solemnly. “I don’t condone the way he’s acting, but he’s left to raise his son all on his own. This is just stirring up bad memories for him.”
I grunted, but I didn’t like it. And it was wrong that he was taking it out on Carly’s husband’s family. If anyone was responsible for what happened, it was me. And I never let anyone take the fall for me. I stalked toward him, catching his eye as I headed toward the furthest corner of the room where we could talk in private. As I suspected, he followed.
“What the fuck do you want?” he asked when we were alone.
“You need to fucking stop.”
“Don’t you dare tell me what I need to do,” he spat. “My wife is dead because of your family.”
“Yes, because of my family and our choices, but that had nothing to do with Carly or her husband. And definitely nothing to do with his brothers. You need to cut the shit. If you want someone to blame, take it out on me. Give me all the fucking tickets you want. Make my life hell, but leave them the fuck alone.”
“You don’t get it! Her death is on me. I brought her into this shit the moment I helped your sister.”
For the first time in my life, I truly saw the pain in someone else’s eyes, knowing that he felt the guilt and shame of something that he had no right taking responsibility for.
“No, it’s not. Trust me,” I said as kindly as I could. “I know what it’s like to be responsible for the death of someone you love. This is not on you. You’re right, my family caused a lot of pain, and that’s something I have to live with. Her death is on me and the decisions my father made. You want someone to blame? You put that on me, but leave Carly out of it. She never wanted anything to do with that life. She did everything she could to escape, to survive. This is on me.”
“You think I don’t know that?”
“Let me ask you something…Before your wife died, did you like Josh and his family?” Jack looked away, not wanting to answer, which told me everything I needed to know. “It’s not good to carry around so much hatred. Trust me, I know a thing or two about that. It’ll make your life hell, and you’ll only end up hating yourself.”
“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?”
I shook my head. “Not at all, but I can promise you this. I’m out of that life. It’s gone for good. All I want now is to settle down with Ciara and get to know my sister again. I’ll stay out of town as much as possible and away from you, but let this shit go with the rest of them. They don’t deserve it.”
I walked away, hoping my words had the intended effect on him. I already knew that I was a terrible person. I didn’t want the rest of Carly’s family feeling that way. I took my seat at the poker table, surrounded by Josh and his brothers. I barely paid attention to introductions, just wanting to head home. But then Ciara took a seat on my lap, wrapping her arm around me. Warmth filled my chest. I might have to suffer through this, but I would be fine with her by my side.
The first cards were dealt and I picked up my hand, laughing when I saw I was holding a pair of black aces and black eights, the Dead Man’s Hand. If that wasn’t a sign of bad luck, I wasn’t sure what was. Ciara laughed, leaning to whisper in my ear.
“Just fold. That’s just bad luck.”
I pressed my lips to hers and grinned. “I think I’ll take my chances.”
Also by Giulia Lagomarsino
Thank you for reading Dead Man’s Hand! I hope you enjoyed Ciara and Antonio’s story, but it’s not over yet. In fact, you’ll see them in the rest of the books in the series, but look for them next in Book 1.5, Drawing Dead.
Are you a new reader? See where it all began with the For The Love Of A Good Woman series. And continue with some of your favorite characters in the Reed Security series and The Cortell Brothers. Or follow the individual links down below!
Did you start in the middle? We’ve all done it! Find your place in the series and start from there! There’s no need to question which book to start with. These books are best read in order. All books are available in Kindle Unlimited! For The Love Of A Good Woman:
Jack , Cole, Logan, Drew, Sebastian, Sean, Ryan
Not ready for those characters you love to disappear? You can catch them again throughout the Reed Security Series! These men and women are strong, sexy, and willing to fight for those they love. Sometimes, they fall right into love, while others need a little more convincing. Don’t miss out on this exciting series!
Sinner, Cap, Cazzo, Knight, Irish, Hunter, Whiskey, Lola, Ice, Burg, Gabe, Jules, Sniper, Jackson, Chance, Phoenix Rising, Alec, Storm, Wolf, A Mad Reed Security Christmas, Rocco, Coop, TNT, Nightingale, Parker, GoodKnight, The Reed Security Relationship Manual
And don’t miss out on meeting all of Derek’s brothers in The Cortell Brothers:
Maintenance Required, Collateral Damage, Wanted Dead Or In Love, Textbook Approach, Priceless Ink, Tangled Web