Roberto pov
After my night with Kylie, the desire to put an end to this bullshit war clawed at me, gnawing at my insides like a relentless beast. I spent the morning chasing down James, and finally managed to pin him into agreeing to drinks tonight. Mickey’s, he said. Right in the heart of Hayes territory. I hesitated, but beggars can’t be choosers. The slight silver lining was that no one connected to the Connollys would see me there, and that was crucial. I doubted my father or Liam would back me on this. They were far too indifferent to the rising storm brewing around us—this impending war that felt more like an inevitable avalanche, crashing down on us whether I liked it or not.
I stepped into Mickey’s, pausing just inside the doorway to absorb the atmosphere. It had the usual gritty
