Page 55 of Broken

Deserved a drink.

I'd hit three houses out of state last week. Small jobs but it had paid off great. Things had finally returned to some sort of normal for us.

"What type of club is this again?" I asked.

"I've heard it’s got a yuppie vibe to it." Astrid smiled and handed me the flask she'd tucked inside of her long jacket.

Accepting the flask, I drank.

Vodka with a hint of orange flavor flowed down my throat. "That's good."

"Right." She smiled.

Her phone started to jangle. She opened her own clutch and took the phone out, the screen illuminated with a missed call. She sighed.

"Who is it?" I asked, taking another sip, and then handed it back to her. "Not the kids, is it?"

"No," Astrid murmured. "It's Capone."

"I thought y’all were done-done?"

"We were," she said. "But he's been texting and calling here and there. Plus, he paid my light bill and water bill last week."

Rolling my eyes, I said, "Girl, he is not the one."

"I know, but I like money." She winked at me and began calling him back.

Inwardly, I groaned. I hoped this guy didn't get into her head and make her upset to the point she spent half the night on the phone arguing with him. The distant sound of ringing hit my ears as I focused my eyes on the driver's phone that contained the GPS coordinates. We were about five minutes away from our destination.

"I'm going out, tonight." I heard Astrid say. "I just called to tell you not to blow my phone up a million times tonight."

There was a pause that filled the air.

"I'm with my friend Nova....not that it’s any of your concern," she said. "And her brother and sister are taking care of Lexi. Again, not that it’s your business, you are not her father. Look, before this turns into a whole thing, I will try to give you a call tomorrow."

Another pause passed.

"Happy New Year, Capone," she muttered and hung up.

She opened the flask back up and drank the rest of its contents.

"This year…" She looked at me. "I think I'm swearing off men."

We exited the car and found there was a line coming out of the door. Above the building was a sign in neon blue lights filled the foggy air: Mirrors and Smoke. Eyeing Astrid, we went to stand in line. The cold Chicago air was cutting right through the fabric I wore. I found myself wishing I were at home in pajama bottoms with a cup of hot coco watching the ball drop in Times Square instead of standing in line being assaulted by Mother Nature.

The line moved quickly and the closer we got to the entrance, and the more music began to fill my ears. The DJ seemed to know what he was doing because the music wasn't exactly what I expected to hear.

After showing our I.D.’s to the bouncer who was dressed in a hooded coat looking like he wasn't getting paid enough to freeze half to death, we entered and headed straight for the bar. We had been lucky enough to grab VIP tickets, but Astrid insisted on saying hello to her school bestie, whose name I couldn't remember.

I ordered a beer and Astrid made a frown. "That's what you're drinking on?"

"Don't be judging me." I rolled my eyes.

"Bartender, two shot of vodka with an orange slice!" Astrid hollered over the music to some muscle-bound hottie.

Was he single? I watched him make a few drinks then start on mine. We made eye contact a few times and I think I found myself blushing. He was attractive, but something was gnawing at me.

He's not your dark and mysterious stalker that you hardly know.The thought tumbled into my head. As much as I wanted to scream at myself for even thinking it, he wasn't Liam. Quickly, I adverted my gaze. The drinks arrived, and we slammed them.