They were all silent as JD examined the stones for markings.
After a few minutes, he sighed and set the star brooch and the loupe down on the cushion. “Nothing.”
“Where does that leave us?” Julian asked.
“With a very expensive . . . copy,” Nick answered, voice gone soft with defeat. His eyes were locked on Paddy’s.
“Well,” Paddy said, and he clapped his hands together.
“It seems our meeting has come to an end.” He climbed to his feet, and they all stood with him. He reached for Nick’s hand, shaking it warmly, and a moment later he pulled Nick into another hug. For an infamous mob boss, he sure did seem fond of the police.
This time, Nick returned the embrace a bit more sincerely.
“Thank you,” Nick said, almost inaudible.
Paddy tapped Nick’s cheek with the tips of his fingers.
“Don’t be a stranger, kiddo.”
“Don’t hold your breath, old man.”
Paddy barked a laugh. “This make us even?”
“I got one more left,” Nick told him. “Mark it in your damn book so your boys know it.”
Paddy was still chuckling when the door closed behind them.
“One more?” Mikey asked Nick as he led them to the elevator. Nick was silent, but Kelly wished like hell Mikey would press him for details so Kelly wouldn’t have to later.
Mikey stopped him in the middle of the hal , standing in front of him with his hand on Nick’s chest. “You telling me Paddy owed you a solid? Owed you two solids?”
A slow, crooked smile spread across Nick’s face. It was his only response.
“Jesus f**king Christ, you f**king f**ker,” Mikey said affectionately, and he stepped aside so they could continue on to the elevator. Kelly punched the button. Mikey pulled Nick into a hug, squeezing him tightly. “You be careful out there, huh? You left Boston to save your f**king life and then spent every f**king day trying to die.”
“Watch your f**king mouth.” Nick patted him on the back of the head, and then they released each other. “You get in trouble, you know who to cal .”
“Anybody but you.”
“That’s right,” Nick drawled, and stepped into the elevator with the others. Mikey stood there grinning, his hands in his suit pockets as the doors closed.
“How the bleeding hell do you acquire not one, but two favors from the Irish mob?” Julian demanded on the way down.
Nick remained silent. For one, he kind of enjoyed frustrating Julian. And two, you acquired favors from the Irish mob by keeping your damn mouth shut about how you did it.
They reached the bottom floor and Nick led the way to Alibi, the restaurant situated amidst the remains of the old jail cells on the bottom floor. As in the lobby, the walls were brick and the iron bars were still set into the windows and doors where the cells had once stood. The room was littered with little pods of comfortable chairs and love seats, and the tables were just big enough to set a few glasses and a plate of appetizers on.
They took up residence in a corner, where the lights faced away from them and no one would look their way.
“That’s funny,” JD said as soon as he sat down. “Alibi.”
They all stared at him.
“You can’t tell me that’s not funny. I don’t care,” he insisted. “Irony.”
Nick finally chuckled.
“I lied,” JD blurted, and though he kept his voice at a whisper, it was obvious he had been desperate to say the words.
Nick looked up from his menu, eyes pinning JD before he could speak again. JD met his stare and flinched. He was astute enough to see the distrust in Nick’s expression. He looked wounded, but he continued. “The star,” he said quickly.
“It did have something on it.”
“What do you mean?” Kelly asked.
“The diamonds inside the clover, there were symbols etched on them.”
Nick sat back, a mixture of relief and irritation flowing through him. “You didn’t want them to know.”
“No, I figured the less people who know about this, the better. Especially people who steal priceless treasures and hoard them in suitcases.”
“Fair enough.” Nick cleared his throat. “Do me a favor and never Google your real name, okay?”
“What? Why?”
“No reason.” Nick raised his hand for a waitress. “I need a f**king drink.”
When the first round came, JD took one of the napkins from beneath his glass and drew the cross and clover on it.
Inside each leaf of the clover, he wrote the symbols he’d seen.
Kelly had his phone out, frowning at the screen.
Nick leaned toward him. They were sharing a love seat, so he scooted closer, sliding his hand between Kelly’s thighs so it would look like they were merely lovebirds on a date rather than a group of men who’d just met the most notorious criminal in Boston and were now here drinking so Paddy and his boys could slip out the back of the hotel without being seen. “What are you doing?”
“Looking up what circles mean.”
Nick tightened his grip, squeezing his thigh and pul ing him closer. He whispered in his ear. “No beginning. No end.”
Kelly tried to turn his head, but Nick nudged his cheek with his nose, refusing to let him move just yet. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against Kelly’s temple. “Like a wedding ring. Represents eternity.”
Kelly finally leaned away and turned to meet Nick’s eyes.
Nick couldn’t tell what color his eyes were tonight in the low light of the restaurant. He thought they might be gray.
Nick kissed him before Kelly could speak. “I love you,” he whispered. His words came out almost desperate and he wasn’t entirely sure why. Kelly had just seen a part of him he’d hoped no one would ever see. He didn’t know what Kelly would do with that.
“Do you two need to go to your room?” Julian asked with a long-suffering sigh.
“Soon,” Kelly answered, his voice hoarse and serious.
He gave Nick a barely perceptible nod and they both sat up straighter. Kelly cleared his throat. “This says the circles can represent anything from eternity to fidelity to the meeting of the spirit and matter.”
“Spirit and matter?” Julian repeated. “Why?”
“The solid line encircling the inner part that’s made of nothing,” Kelly summarized as he read what he’d found on his phone. He clicked it off and put it away.
“The sideways arch?” JD asked.