“Hey, Jules, can I talk to you about something?”
She popped the cashews in her mouth, chewed, swallowed and answered, “Sure.”
“I’m worried about Darius,” I told her.
When I said that, her eyes scanned the crowd and mine did, too. What I took in was the fact that we were only an hour into the party portion of the festivities, but both Darius and Jane, who attended the nuptials and showed at Blanca’s, were gone.
I also saw Ren smiling down at a talking Roxie who was standing next to an also-smiling-down-at Roxie Hank. My brother (as usual) had his wife tucked close to his side.
Warmth (or more warmth; since I took my spot next to Duke to stand up with Tex, I was pretty suffused with warmth) spread through me.
“He’s bailed,” Jules noted, and I tore my eyes off my man and looked at her.
“Yeah. He always bails,” I said. “The question is, why? He’s safe here. The people here care about him. He cares about the people here. So why does he accept our acceptance but stay on the fringe?”
Jules didn’t even consider this question before she spoke.
“Vance told me about him,” she said softly. “He said his father was murdered because of something his brother-in-law was into. He had nothing to do with it. It was a warning.”
“I know,” I told her, and I did. I knew all of Darius’s f**ked up sad story.
“Vance also said that this Leon guy, Shirleen’s dead husband, offered Darius a chance at retribution, along with providing for his family, if he got involved in Leon’s business,” Jules went on.
“I know that, too,” I replied. “And he was young and made a stupid decision and got caught up in that. But now he’s not in that anymore, Jules, and hasn’t been for a while. But he acts like…” I shook my head. “I don’t know. Like he doesn’t belong when he does. He always has. When given the chance, and I’ll admit, he didn’t give us many—but he stayed close to Lee and Eddie—but when we had the chance, we always acted like he belonged. Shirleen slid right in. I don’t know why Darius won’t let himself do that. And that’s just it. He won’t let himself.”
A gravelly voice came from our sides, answering my question. “He hasn’t atoned.”
Surprised, I looked up at Duke. And I was not only surprised at what he said, but that he was anywhere near me.
“Can I steal Ally?” he asked Jules.
Oh shit.
“Sure,” Jules answered, eyeing us both.
Duke curved his fingers around my bicep.
I looked at Jules and asked, “Can you just keep a professional eye on Darius? I’m trying to figure out a way to get in there and maybe you can help.”
“No problem,” she said on a smile. “Happy to.”
Duke let me get that in then led me away—far away from the happy, laughing, talking, boisterous crowd to its very edge by the fence gate.
When he stopped us, he took his hand from my arm.
I took a deep breath and looked up at him.
“Duke—”
“Dolores and I had a son,” he announced, and I snapped my mouth shut.
I didn’t know that.
No clue.
Oh f**k.
I didn’t like how this was starting.