“The two things aren’t connected.”
“No?”
“No, but we’ll get to that.”
“Okay.” Folk propped a shoulder against a cabinet Saint had built—cos he’d built the kitchens and beds in every brother’s house.
It was his thing.
Folk’s thing waspatience, waiting me out, like he had the rest of his fucking life to spare.
I tossed the tea towel over the tap to dry, like my ma used to. “It’s not unusual for old timers to go to Nash instead of me if they’ve fucked up. I’m not exactly known for being reasonable.”
“Makes sense.” Folk rotated his left wrist. “What was the outcome of the contact?”
“Nash called him a cunt and hung up. Which means if Doherty really wants this meeting, he’ll have no choice but to come to me.”
“Then what?”
“I haven’t decided yet. I wanted to talk to you first.”
“Why?”
“Because my instinct is to hear him out, in case he has something we need. The feds have latched onto ousted brothers in the past. But if you want to kill him instead, I’m here for it.”
Folk said nothing, which I took to mean he hadn’t ruled it out.
Jesusfuck. Just when life had quietened down. “Think on it. We can talk more if he makes contact again.”
Upstairs, Ivy took the plug out of the bath, sending water careening through pipes that still sang like they had in the nineties. It was a weird end to a possibly murderous conversation, but I’d had worse.
Got the feeling Folk expected me to leave.
I didn’t. I sat on the couch with Ivy and watched some hideous Netflix fuckery about cheerleaders. Then I helped her—badly—with her maths homework while Folk studied me from the doorway.
Eventually, Ivy’s bedtime rolled around and I still didn’t leave. “I’m staying over,” I told her. “House is too empty when I ain’t even got the cat to take the piss out of me.”
Folk sighed and walked away.
I took Ivy upstairs.
“Uncle Saint sleeps on my bedroom floor when he stays over.”
“Uncle Saint doesn’t have the spine of a ninety-year-old. You want to video call your big dad?”
Stupid question. I placed the call, hung around long enough that Decoy knew she hadn’t stolen my phone, then I left her to it.
I found Folk on the couch. Without Ivy to distract him, he looked wrecked. Older, maybe. Almost sick. I took a seat on the other end of the sofa.
He spared me a glance. “You want a pillow?”
“In a bit.” I’d stolen a vape from Nash earlier. It dug into my thigh. I fished it out and realised it was fucking weed. Damn it. “Hang on.”
I took the vape out to my hog and buried it.
Went back to face a less-than-impressed Folk. “Sorry.”
“Why are you here?”