Page 25 of Embriagado

“Are you close to your brother?”

Ariyan’s sweet voice burst into my thoughts, and I glanced at him.

“I am.”

“Is he the one with the red hair?”

I grimaced. “Hell no. That dick-face’s name is Ace.”

“Ace?”

“His real name’s Montgomery. He goes by Ace, thinking it sounds scary. What a dumbass.”

“I see.” He hummed. “Your brother, how old is he?”

“Nineteen.”

“How young…” Ariyan turned his head to look at the bar, where they were still partying like morons. “And I take it he’s mixing with the wrong crowd?”

“You bet.”

“Isn’t that the nature of being young, though?” He returned his eyes to me, leaving me baffled by their intensity.

“Stupidity?” I huffed.

“Making mistakes.” He clarified with a small smile. “Didn’t you make any mistakes while you were his age, Mr. Rivas?”

That made me snort, because I sure as fuck did. Looking down at the ground, I kicked some dirt. “How do you think I ended up in prison, huh?”

Just thinking about that night over three years ago made my gut turn. I wanted to blame it all on Ace and Ricky, saying they pulled me into that mess with the robbery and all, but I knew it was bullshit. That night, it was all my fault. They, as loud as they were, were just background noise.

“I see why you’re worried, then,” Ariyan said, pulling me back.

I lifted my gaze to see him staring at me, and the look in his eyes somehow reached my soul. I’d never felt such a strong attraction to a person while knowing so little of them, and yet Ariyan had that effect on me. At times, it felt more like a spell than an attraction.

Silence followed his words, and I struggled to think of a way to make him stay. I knew I needed to go in there and fetch Nacio, but my body ached to spend more time near Ariyan. But then, a burst of laughter coming from the bar interrupted it, and I knew it was time.

“Thanks for the ride,” I said, forcing a smile that Ariyan returned.

“Of course.” He glanced back at the bar, his stare locking in on the men sitting there. “Be careful, okay? I expect to see you at work first thing tomorrow morning.”

His words made my chest slightly tighter, and I nodded. “Count on me, boss.”

He replied with a smile, then put on his helmet. The bike’s headlight lit up the dark street, the roaring sound mixing with the noise coming from the nearby bars, and then he drove away, out of this place that didn’t at all suit him. I watched him until he was gone and then let out a deep sigh.

There we go.

“So it’s true.” Ace giggled as soon as he saw me walking in. “You really are out. Tell us, Santi, how long were you in for? Two? Three years?”

Ignoring his remark, I focused on my brother.

“Vamos, Nacio.”

“Ace was about to order more booze⁠—”

“I said, let’s go,” I repeated louder in Spanish.

Nacio cursed under his breath and started to get up, but Ace slammed his hand on his shoulder, keeping him down.