Read Back to You: Bad Boys of Red Hook for Free Online Page A

it beats the hell out of having my ass flopping around for all the world to see.”
    Bree laughed. “Nicki and I are going to take a little walk and give you two some time to catch up, okay?”
    Pete nodded and watched something pass betweenStorm and Bree, a warning look and something else that had been brewing since they were kids. He’d always hoped they’d figure it out eventually, but then Storm had taken off.
    There were still so many unanswered questions, the least of which was why Storm had left so suddenly. In the long run, Storm had taken the right path. Pete just wished he hadn’t bolted. Leaving and running were two very different things. If Storm had left, it wouldn’t have taken him years to find his way home again. “Why’d you run?” Pete watched a wave of shock break over Storm’s face before an eerie calm replaced it.
    “Why are you asking me this now, Pop? It’s not going to change the past.”
    “You’d think after all this time you’d be able to tell me. I’m not getting any younger, and Lord knows, I might not get too much older either.”
    Storm blanched.
    “Don’t worry. I’m not bellying up to the big bar in the sky—at least not yet. But I gotta tell you, there have been times I would have killed to order a Guinness from St. Peter.”
    “You think there’s Guinness in heaven?”
    “Good God, I hope so.” Pete pulled his blanket up and cursed his inability to get warm. “If not, I’ll be spending a hell of a long time in purgatory.”
    Storm smirked and leaned forward in his chair, his elbows resting on his thighs, his fingers laced together. “You might not have much of a choice about that. Guinness or no.”
    “Was there a woman involved?” It was amazing how fast a smirk could disappear.
    “Yeah.”
    Well, shit. “Who?” When Marisa, Nicki’s mother, dropped her on his doorstep, she’d claimed Nicki was his granddaughter. As he looked back at his three sons eleven years ago, the first one who came to mind was Storm. Back then Storm had been antsy and impulsive. He’d run from something. Pete studied Storm and saw what looked an awful lot like pain, guilt, maybe even remorse.
    Storm closed his eyes, shook his head, and looked away. “I’m sorry, Pop. I can’t…”
    His son may have been gone a long time, but some things never changed. Storm was shutting down. It was time for a different subject. “Have you been by the Crow’s Nest yet?”
    Storm shook his head and then rubbed the back of it as if he had a headache. “Not yet. I flew in late last night.”
    “Bree’s done some fine work—classed it up a lot. You’re not going to recognize the old place.”
    “How long has she been working for you?”
    Pete knew an accusation when he heard it. “I never hid the fact that Bree worked for me, and you never once asked about her. She’s worked for me since she graduated college. I made her the manager and gave her the one-bedroom apartment above the bar that we always used for storage. She’s been with me ever since. Hiring Bree is the best business decision I’ve ever made. She’s worked hard and has become one hell of a businesswoman. I might own the place, but the Crow’s Nest is all Bree’s.”
    “What’s the story with Nicki?”
    “I knew her mother, and when she couldn’t take care of Nicki, she brought her to me. What can I say? Nicki’s a great kid. You’ll see when you get to know her.”
    “Yeah, Pop, I’m sure she is. I’m just wondering why you never called to tell me about her. What are you hiding?”
    Pete looked away and thanked God when Storm continued. He was tempted to cross himself when he realized Storm wasn’t waiting for an answer. “Taking in a kid is a big deal. Then again, so is heart disease.”
    “All you boys have lives of your own. I didn’t want the lot of you feeling as if you had to run home to meet Nicki—besides, it hasn’t been easy for her to settle in.”
    “She’s close to Bree.”
    “Bree’s easy