Nick looked at him curiously. “What is it?”
“What happened the night I beat up Cara’s father?” Jake asked seriously. Nick watched him for a moment, and could see that it was bothering Jake. Not much usually did, but when something did bother him it was obvious with one look into his eyes. What he didn’t understand is why it bothered him now, seven years later.
“You know what happened that night.” Nick said carefully, taking a sip of his beer, while keeping his eyes firmly locked on Jake’s.
“I know bits and pieces. I know I called you and the reason I called you was because I knew you’d help me, and I knew Luke had Ava to take care of. I couldn’t ask him to pick up after my messes anymore.” Jake said honestly and waited for Nick to respond to him. When he never did Jake took a breath and continued. “I need to know what happened after you told me to run, when the cops arrested you.”
“Jake, that was a long time ago, what does it matter?” Nick asked as he squeezed the back of his neck, cranking it from side to side.
“It matters to me. I should’ve asked you a long time ago.” Jake said, as he stared down at the ground. He shoved his hands in his pocket. Nick saw Jake, for the first time in all the years he knew him, look uncomfortable. He didn’t know why there was a sudden urgency on Jake’s behalf to know the truth that Nick had hidden. He knew he, himself, had made peace with the sacrifice’s he made that night, and didn’t really see the need to rehash the past. Both men looked towards the driveway as Sam pulled up.
This wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have in the first place, let alone in front of Sam. Nick let out a groan as she made her way towards them, catching Jake’s attention. He raised an eyebrow at Nick before turning to face his sister.
“Hey.” She said looking between the two men. “What’re you guys doing out here?”
Jake smiled at her before nodding towards his bike. “I wanted to run some ideas I have for my bike by Nick. Luke’s in the back grilling and the girls are in the kitchen, no doubt making a mess of something.”
Nick inhaled sharply as Sam’s blue eyes peered into his, her cold demeanor towards him paired with the icy look in her eyes, reminded him of a glacier.
“Well then I’ll leave you two to talk shop.” She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her brother’s cheek, before brushing past Nick, as if he wasn’t standing beside Jake at all, and she strode into the house. Once the door closed behind her he shook his head slightly, and let out a strangled breath he seemed to have forgotten he was holding.
“She’s relentless.” Nick muttered as his eyes fell back on Jake’s. He nodded in agreement.
“That she is. But there’s one thing I learned about my sister. She puts up a wall and this whole bitch routine she has been playing, is because something hurt her. She won’t give anyone or anything the chance to hurt her again.”
Nick scratched at his temple and wondered if Jake’s words made sense.
“She doesn’t really hate you, but she needs for you to think she does. Do you get what I’m saying?”
“How did I hurt your sister? By leaving? It’s not like I had proposed to her. We barely had anything other than a few stolen moments.” Nick knew that it was more than that, not only for her but for him too. He felt it, the pull that always had been there. He had spent years trying so hard not to look at her. The worst of it was when she looked at him, with such promise in those eyes of hers, making him want nothing more than to learn about all the mystery that lay in those baby blues.
“Why’d you leave?” Jake insisted. So they were back to that. Nick sighed and looked at Jake, knowing very well, the excuse he used the last seven years wasn’t going to be acceptable to him anymore.
“I was arrested and charged with assault.” Nick said flatly and watched as Jake let his words sink in. “You sure you want to go down this path again?” He’d only give him one more out, before he gave him what he seemed to be so hell bent on having.
“Jesus Christ, Nick, Just tell me already. At this rate, I’ll drop dead before you get to the point.” Jake said, exasperated but obviously on edge, with the story that loomed over them.
Nick nodded and brought himself back to the night in question. “They put me in a holding cell, until I could face a judge the next day…”
Nick sat on the cot in the holding cell, silently praying that Jake listened to him and got away. An officer banged his nightstick against the metal bars.
“Foti, you got a visitor,” said the officer.
Nick looked up from the cot, to face his mother. Lucille Foti, gave her son a cold hard stare. The cop went to open the jail cell, but she stopped him.
“Leave him where he is.” She said icily.
Nick rolled his eyes and shook his head. How typical of her. The officer nodded, and resumed his post.
“Your victim is alive, in case you were wondering.” She said.