Page 147 of Shadow Of Sin

Different mechanics, same result.

Cillian misses his third shot in a row and swears under his breath. My brain can help him too, but he just refuses to listen.

“You’re thinking too much,” I tell him.

“I’m not thinking at all. That’s the problem.” He grabs the rebound and tries again. It skims the top without going in. “This rim is crooked.”

“The rim is fine. Your elbow is jutting out.”

“My elbow is perfect,” he snaps.

“Your elbow has never been perfect.”

He flips me off and takes another shot. It goes in this time, and he celebrates like he just won a national championship.

“I need to tell you something,” I say, passing him the ball.

He catches the ball and tucks it under his arm. “I can tell. You’ve got that look.”

“What look?”

“The one where your brain is running at full speed, but your mouth hasn’t caught up yet.” He dribbles once. “Spill. Whaddya got?”

“I’m going to propose to Eva this weekend at the cabin.” I look at him. “And I want you standing next to me when I get married. You know, if she says yes.”

“If she says yes.” He snorts. “The woman drove a long way to yell at you after you got shot for her. She’s going to say yes.” He drops the ball, and it bounces away across the court. “And you’re asking me to be your best man.”

“Yeah.”

His face breaks into a grin and he crosses the court and grabs me, and my shoulder protests, but I don’t pull away because Cillian hugs the way he does everything. All in. No holds barred.

“How are you gonna do it?” he asks, stepping back. “Please tell me you have a plan and you’re not just going to hide it in her bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios.”

“I have a plan,” I say. “But that was an interesting idea, C. Nice work. But my plan is to take her to a clearing behind the cabin. It’s about a ten-minute walk through the trees and there’s an incredible view that goes on for miles. I’ve never shown it to her.”

“Good. That’s good.” He picks up the ball and spins it between his hands while he thinks. “Okay, here’s what you do. Don’t just walk her out there. Make it part of the day. Cook something. Sit on the porch. Let the afternoon be normal. And then when the lighting gets good, I think girls call it golden hour or some shit like that. It’s like, sunset. Ask her to take a walk with you. She won’t suspect anything if it comes out of a regular day.”

“I like it.” I nod my head. “That’s actually good.”

“I have my moments.” He takes a shot, misses, and chuckles. “And Wolfe? When you get to the clearing and you pull out the ring, don’t give her a speech. Just tell her the truth. Your brain is gonna want to write a script. Don’t let it. Just say what’s in your heart.”

“Sal said the same thing.”

“You already talked to Sal?”

“I asked for his blessing first. I wanted to do this the right way.”

Cillian’s grin softens into something real. “That’s the right move. That’s exactly the right move.” He bounces the ball across the court and over to me. “I’m happy for you, bro. You deserve this.”

“Thanks.”

“Now onto the first order of business as best man. Bachelor party.”

“No. Don’t even think about it.”

“What do you mean no? You can’t have a wedding without a bachelor party. It’s in the Constitution.”

“It’s not in the Constitution,” I say, letting out a sigh as I sink my next shot.