Then, in a bar fight, someone ripped the rosary in half. That same night Finn did a few hours in jail to sleep off the booze and bruises. When he left, he didn't have his rosary. The police lost it.
His next fight? Not only did he lose, he got his jaw broken and his left eye hit so hard he went blind. Last time I heard about Finn, he was back in Belfast, shoveling shit for almost no pay.
For some reason that just stuck with me. So, when I went to wait for Lacey, I took a new ring because I didn't want the bad karma from the previous one to fuck me. Even though I was only fucking myself out of money and into another broken heart.
I growled and grabbed the pencil and slammed it to a fresh piece of paper.
Dear Lacey,
I showed up. More than once. When I blurted out about meeting up, I wasn't fucking lying. It was my last chance at getting you back. I showed up there, though. Took a walk around. Went down to the abandoned house. Before you, that house was a party place for me and the boys. We'd get back from a fight and go sit there, laughing and howling all night. Like fucking fools, drinking whiskey to numb the pain.
I want to buy that house, Lacey. I'm going to buy that house. For you. I'm going to wait for you and then let you decide how you want it. Anything you want. Everything you ever dreamed of. I'll give you the reality that resides as a dream.
I swear on my life
I ripped the paper out and ripped it up.
That was all bullshit.
The only way I'd be able to give that her was to fight so much and win that my brain would be like mashed potatoes. I could just skip town and find another mechanic job. Or … well … call me fucking crazy, but Finn told me I should do tattoos. I'd always had a knack for drawing and enjoyed it. I kept that hidden, though, because the guys I dealt with were all about muscle.
"Fuck this," I whispered.
I gave up on the letter and pulled myself to my feet.
The gym was open, dark, quiet.
My cell phone rested on a weight bench.
I just needed the damn thing to ring.
I needed an answer from someone so I could give Pin his answer.
I grabbed a mop and started to clean up the floor some more.
Twenty minutes later, my phone rang …
"I'm sorry," a voice said on the other line.
"You're sure?"
"Yeah, River. I've been hanging with him for a little while."
"He's a nice guy?"
"Really nice guy."
On the phone was a guy named Hector. Remember that guy that did me a favor and I had to do him a favor? Hector was his guy and Hector was in New York, making friends with the guy Lacey was with.
I just wanted to know the truth about her. If she was happy. Settled. Living. Loving.
"Fancy kind of guy?" I asked.
"Suit and tie, yeah. Lawyer. He's got a hell of a future planned."
"Well, with an engagement ring … "
"Look, River, I'm just being as straight as I can. He was saying something about it when we were drinking and I thought it was just drunk love talk. But he showed me the ring."
"What kind of ring was it?"
"Huh?"
"The ring, Hector. What kind?"
"Engagement … "
"Fuck, man. What did it look like?"
"An engagement ring," Hector said. "Three big ass diamonds in the middle. Little diamonds along the band … "
"Did it look heavy?"
"Yeah. I mean, it's a nice ring."
"And it's big?"
"Yeah. You could see this thing in the dark, man."
A smiled flickered for a second. "She's going to hate it."
"What? What woman hates a diamond ring?"
I didn't respond.
Lacey was going to hate it. She wanted a small diamond ring. Nothing big and fancy.
Unless, of course, her tastes had changed. Sipping up the luxury life out there without me dragging her down. All the so-called bad boy stuff she loved about me could be replicated by some punk ass in a suit.
The smile faded and the anger rose up.
"When's he proposing?" I asked.
"Tomorrow night."
"Have you seen her?"
"Yeah."
"She look good?"
"Yes."
"She happy?"
"She's happy, River. She's getting engaged. I thought I was coming out here to find something important. Like someone stole something from you. I thought I was coming out here to knock some heads around."
"You think this guy really loves her?"
"I don't know. Why wouldn't he?"
"Maybe he's using her for money … "
"He's got a shit ton of money on his own," Hector said. "Believe me. I dug around. His family is worth millions. The last thing this guy needs is money."