(Ridge)
I left Mira in our section and walked to the bar.
Needed a drink. Needed five minutes where nobody needed anything from me.
The main room had gone quiet. Most of the brothers were with their women or checking on family after what happened to Beth. Chairs were pushed in. Glasses left on tables. The kind of silence that only came after a bad day.
I poured whiskey and drank it. Then poured another.
“Mind if I sit?”
Dad.
“Yeah,” I said. “Sit.”
He took the stool beside me, poured himself a drink, and looked out over the room without saying anything. That was one thing about him. He never talked just to hear himself talk.
We drank in silence for a minute.
Then he said, “You look worn out.”
“I’m fine.”
“No, you’re functioning. Different thing.”
I looked at him. “You come over
