Page 71 of Jig's Last Dance
His mouth forms a thin line, and he stalks away with his hands behind his head. “Fuck.”
With a wretched smile, I say, “Yeah, fuck. Look, it was my bad to call him the first time, but now . . . Now I don’t know. He’s not the man I remember. He’s a scary fucking monster.”
Bastion shifts beside me, and I glance at him, my stomach sinking at the darkness I see when I meet his stare. I guess we all have a monster in our past, so why is he judging me for mine?
Does it matter? We’re all screwed in the end.
Clenching my hands in my lap, I raise my eyes to Jig. “I always thought my dad would save me from the bogeyman, but all that time, it was him and Castinetti who were the monsters hiding under the bed.”
Jig’s face falls, but I turn away and bat my eyes, willing back the emotion pricking at my lids. The time for crying is done. I have to see my way clear of this, assuming it’s even possible.
When I meet Rain’s gaze, she raises a brow, and I say, “Look, Sal didn’t mention you in relation to John.”
“We’re not exactly close,” she says dryly.
Shuddering, I nod. I get that loud and clear, but I don’t know all the facts, and I’m starting to wonder if this is all related.
“Is there a connection I’m missing?” I ask.
Rain looks away, gazing into the distance before she shakes her head. “John and I, we have unfinished business, but I don’t see how Castinetti would care.”
“This is so fucked up,” I moan, pulling on the roots of my hair. “Why would John have my dad’s key? Why would Iris say it was Jig’s? Something’s missing.”
Jig drops his hands and looms over me. “What does Castinetti want you to do? Collect his money?”
“I don’t know. He seemed shocked about the keys but then insisted this was my punishment for being nosy.”
Jig eyes me like he’s never seen me before and then exhales, waving his hand in the air. “You don’t go near him alone? Got it?”
“Jig—”
“Got it?” he says, and I slowly nod, but he’s missing the point because I can’t exactly bring him in if I’m supposed to be avoiding him. What’s Castinetti’s game?
“Let’s go,” Cyn says, rolling in with a scowl. His expression is so prohibitively cold, I suppress a shudder, spying Rain approach him from the corner of my eye.
She moves into his arms with a sigh, and he wraps her up, his eyes slamming closed. The tortured look squeezes my chest, and I look away with horror because my heart burns at the sight. I’m jealous. Ridiculous.
Shoving the emotions aside, I follow them to the door, dread suffusing my bones. I don’t want to go home. Home. Ha. But I don’t know where I stand, and I’m not about to beg.
Ever.
When I go to walk down the drive, Jig wraps his arms around my waist.
“Where are you off to, sunshine?” His teasing lilt is back, and while I enjoy it most of the time, his eyes are still black. He’s hiding behind the mask once more.
I have the urge to wrap myself around him much like Rain did Cyn and tell him to let it all go, but I don’t have that right. I don’t want it. He doesn’t want it.
Damn.
“Home,” I mutter, and he picks me up and swings me around.
“Jig,” I shriek.
His eyes light up, and my heart thumps at the sight. I want to see him smile like this all the time. Where does he go when he loses his shine?
He drops me in the backseat, and I slide in the middle, watching bemused as Cyn and Jig eye each other at the door before Cyn sighs and moves to the front.
Rain chuckles, and I hide my smile before it fades under my reality. Enough. I can’t get used to this because I have a feeling whatever Jig is hiding is something that will tear us apart in the end.