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preferred.
    It was…comforting.
    “What happens at The Dump on New Year’s?” Her question was the first thing she said in a long while.
    “Nothing terribly exciting. Mugs will bring in a live band. I’m scheduled to play a round of darts. As far as New Year’s parties go, I think it’s all very boring. For some reason, he packs them in. I’m still baffled as to why he draws in such a huge crowd,” I lied.
    The real reason The Dump was the place to be was the same reason I was there undercover. For years, Mugs had been successfully running drugs for one of the bigger crime families in Chicago. Although this was only one of the things they dabbled in, this part of their long list of illegal debauchery was about to end for the Polittos—thanks to me.
    “Eve said he’s an institution in this town.” She turned toward me and smiled. “I already told you, he scares me.”
    “He’s harmless. All bark, no bite.”
    “Have you ever seen him laugh? Is it true?”
    “I’ve worked for Mugs for six months now and no, I have never seen him laugh.”
    “I can’t imagine going through life without laughing. Sometimes, it’s the only thing that gets me through.”
    “I’m not sure I could laugh if I was married to Marcy. That woman is scary.” A giggle escaped her making me smile. “You have a great laugh. Please stay away from Mugs, I wouldn’t want him to kill it.”
    “No argument from me.”
    I pulled up to Eve’s townhouse a few minutes later, and I wasn’t quite ready to say good night.
    “Um…thank you for the ride. It was very nice of you, Nick.”
    “It really wasn’t a problem.”
    “Yes, it was.” She nervously pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “I’m sure after you finish a long shift, you’re anxious to get to bed.”
    If she only knew…
    “Um, I mean to sleep,” she revised after she heard her own words.
    “Sleep is overrated. I can survive on a few hours a night.”
    “Me, too,” she responded enthusiastically. She released the car handle she was gripping and added, “Ever since I was a kid, I found it to be such a waste of good time. I’d go on adventures in my house when everyone was asleep.”
    “What kind of adventures?” I immediately regretted asking her when she stiffened at my question. The only sound came from the heater. After a short pause she smiled and turned to face me again.
    “My brother and I would pretend we were hunting monsters in the basement. My mom said they couldn’t hurt us if we weren’t afraid of them. So we decided to become the hunters instead of the hunted.” A faraway look settled over her features. After a few seconds she shook her head as if clearing the memory. “Silly childhood games.”
    “They aren’t silly at all. You remembered them, so they must have meant something to you.”
    “Or I made them up.”
    “You’re a pathological liar?” She laughed at my question.
    “No. Sometimes I confuse memories with stories I made up. I have a vivid imagination. My brother would throw me a look and say, ‘That so didn’t happen.’ I personally think he only said that after an embarrassing story about him.”
    “What’s the age difference?”
    “Two years. He was both my best friend and my worst enemy.”
    “Was?”
    “Is. I haven’t seen him in a while. Anyway, I better get inside. I’ve wasted enough of your night.” With a hand on the door handle, she thanked me again and darted toward the front door. It happened so quickly, she left me no time to respond or ask when I would see her again.

Chapter 5
    Nick
    New Year’s Eve usually had me feeling out of sorts. Having the year stretched ahead of you without knowing what it held was daunting. My time in Chicago was about to end, and this year I couldn’t wait to begin my life in New York. The light at the end of my tunnel was not only shining, it was winking at me.
    The early celebrators were already causing a ruckus in the bar. Their ticket price included