jxnsinclair

But despite all of the complications that came with that situation, what angered Leon the most was the fact that a Sinclair had laid hands on his family. They’d beaten Luca. 

Leon was having a difficult time controlling his anger. He’d learned to be levelheaded over the years, learned to favor strategy over impulse in situations like this. But whenever it involved his family – Leon wanted blood. 

He walked into the Blue Door, fists clenched as he spotted Jack at the bar. Leon made his way over to the space beside the Sinclair patriarch. The bartender eyed both men cautiously.

“Your father put his hands on my brother.”

The word father was spat out as if it were an insult. Johnny Sinclair was a pathetic excuse for a man – an awful leader, a horrible parent. 

Leon didn’t need years of experience to know what happened next. It was in his blood.

“Someone’s gotta pay.”

Jack clenched his jaw as Leon Costello approached and sat down next to him. He was quick to get to the point which Jackson could appreciate. 

“Your father put his hands on my brother. Someone’s gotta pay.”

Jackson wasn’t about to hand over Johnny on a silver platter; his father may have sealed his fate but making Leon’s life easy wasn’t one of Jack’s priorities. “I think we both can agree that this is personal, not business,” Jack said, taking a sip of his drink. “And you’re right. Someone’s gonna pay.” 

He paused, contemplating his words carefully. “After what happened, I’d gladly leave your brother alone with my father and tire iron and I’d let Paityn watch. You, however, don’t get to play executioner in this scenario.”

He couldn’t imagine how hurt Paityn was; if Johnny said that shit when Charlie was pregnant, Jack was sure he’d put the man in a coma. Now, Jack needed to clean up his father’s mess.

Meeting with Leon Costello was a necessary evil. They needed to discuss the future.

They agreed to meet at a neutral location in public to keep things as civil as possible. Though, given the fact that Johnny almost killed Leon’s brother, he doubted there would be much civility at all. 

The Blue Door had a back alley, should it come to throwing fists.

Jackson sat at the bar and ordered two fingers of whiskey, neat, as he waited for Leon to show. 

@leocostello​

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August 1, 2020. 7:00PM. Sapphire. Come dressed as the VIP pass says or you will not be admitted to the event nor permitted anywhere near Sapphire. 

xx

“I am keeping her safe,” Luca snapped. “And nothing’s going to happen to her again. I won’t let it. That’s why security’s there all the time.” 

This wasn’t good. It was escalating. Paityn wouldn’t like this. 

“She’s your little sister. I get it, man, but I’d die before she gets hurt again. She’s happier now. I’m looking out for her. Even if you think I’m doing a shitty job.”

Luca could say all the right things, but Jack wouldn’t buy it; he couldn’t ever trust this kid with his sister’s life. Not fully. Jackson finished off his drink and lit a cigarette, exhaling the cloud of smoke in his brother-in-law’s face before ashing it out in the empty glass. 

“You better hope you’re dead if she ever gets hurt again. Otherwise, you’ll have me to answer to and I promise you’ll wish for death when I’m done with you.” Jack had an issue with smug assholes like Luca Costello. 

For Paityn’s sake more than her husband’s, Jackson turned to walk away. Any more interaction with Luca would probably send him over the edge without Charlie around to tell him to back off. 

“She is safe. We’ve got security here,” Luca said, nodding towards the men at the back. “They don’t take their eyes off of her. She’s having a good time. I’m having a good time. We’re good, man.”

Jackson took a slow sip of his whiskey as Luca pointed out the hired guns to keep his sister safe. He shook his head and laughed slightly. As if he was going to trust Costello security with Paityn’s well-being. “If that helps you sleep at night,” Jack said, eyeing guards. His sister was laughing, talking with Felicity, a wide smile on her face and Jack felt lighter. Paityn deserved happiness; Jack just wished it came without the Costello in her bed.

Jackson didn’t want to start a fight; not in public with his sister’s husband. Though, he couldn’t hold his tongue. “At the end of the day, it’s your job to keep her safe,” Jack said, voice low and stern. “If anything happens to her again, it’s on you. Again.”

He’d go back and get Paityn a shot later. He took them both, setting the glasses down on a nearby table, before he walked up to Jack. 

“You don’t seem like a pool party kind of guy.”

@jxnsinclair​

When Jack locked eyes with Luca Costello, he resisted every urge to tighten his fist and scowl. He forced a neutral expression on his face as he approached, more for Paityn’s sake than for her husband. 

Tristan ashed his cigarette on a nearby tray, listening as Jack explained that his family was in California. Truthfully, Tristan hadn’t seen much of them. He saw Charlie a little more frequently because she tended to business at the Black Cat sometimes. “That’s good. Went to California on vacation with my family once. I still wanna go back and get surfing lessons. You ever surf?”

Jackson wasn’t surprised to hear Paityn helped Tristan out finding a place. He even smirked at the mention of Sinclair clout. Though, he supposed it was Costello clout now, when it came to his baby sister. 

He exhaled a cloud of smoke when Tristan mentioned surfing. “Way back when,” he admitted, thinking back to the days before he was a father. “Was a great way to pick up girls working in San Diego.”

Just then, the headlights shone through the windows of the Black Cat. “Looks like your ride’s here.”

Tristan nodded. He’d try, as much as possible, while still respecting Paityn’s privacy. Tristan gladly accepted the pack of cigarettes. He popped one out, placing it between his lips. He didn’t have much of an update to provide Jack. Nothing that a mob boss would really care about. He lit the cigarette, took a drag, and exhaled away from Jack. 

“Uh, life’s pretty good. Nothing exciting,” Tristan finally said. “Just looking for a new place. Think it’s time I finally upgraded my living situation.” Tristan reached for the drink, finishing the rest of it off. 

“Feel like a grown up and shit. It’s pretty cool, I guess. How ‘bout you? How’s the family?” Tristan asked, rather awkwardly. He wasn’t sure what subjects were off topic for Jack, but Tristan didn’t have any ill intentions whenever he asked. He was just trying to make small talk with a fucking mob boss while he waited for his ride. 

Jack smirked into his vodka as Tristan made small talk. He wasn’t oblivious to how intimidating he was; he was in a position of power. Jackson knew he had to keep an air of coldness to him, but he always had much more of a level head than his father. Though, that wasn’t necessarily saying much considering Johnny Sinclair’s entire persona.

Tristan was a good kid; he cared about Paityn and worked hard at his job. Jackson was happy his life seemed to be on track. “Pait mentioned something about an apartment tour,” he said, before he moved on to his family. 

Charlie was expecting their fourth child, and the three kids they already had grew more each day. Jack adored his family, loved them more than life itself. He was happy they were out of town for a while, despite how much he missed seeing them everyday.

“The family’s in California at the moment,” he replied. “Happy, healthy, out of harms way for now.” Jack shrugged. “Can’t ask for more than that, right?”

Looking over to Jackson, he gave him a once over and then looked to the bottle he was holding like it was one of his own kids. Part of Bash wondered if this drinking decision came from boredom or necessity. It hadn’t been an easy couple of last months for the family, after all. And despite Chicago being the place where all the action was happening, having his family not within immediate reach was probably troubling for the man. But Bash wasn’t going to turn down free liquor just to stop and talk about feelings.

“So how long they gonna be out of town for? Can I count on this being a nightly thing?”

Jackson pulled up a bottle of tequila from the bar and poured a double shot for his cousin, leaving the bottle on top of the counter. “Few weeks,” he replied to Bash’s question. Jack knew what it was like to grow up with an alcoholic father; Johnny smelled like booze from dawn til dusk and never had an issue taking his anger out on his children. Jack’s learned the kind of father he needed to be from experience. 

His kids wouldn’t have the same childhood he and his siblings had. 

“Absolutely,” Tristan said, glancing over at Jack. Paityn wasn’t just a girl that he’d liked – she was a friend, someone that he could trust, and he’d keep an eye out for her whenever he could. “I’ll always watch out for her,” Tristan promised. He took another drink of the Grey Goose. “I think she’s happy now. Despite everything. I’ve seen her a few times. She’s doing okay.”

Jack nodded, not wanting to press matters about his sister further. As much as Jackson wanted to keep his sister on a short leash, to ensure what happened to her never happened again, he had to let her live her life. He was her brother, not her father; he couldn’t lock her up in a tower and he couldn’t use her friends to spy. Not frequently, at least.

“Just keep me in the loop,” he said, finally. With Paityn out of the country on her honeymoon with her husband, and kids out of town with Charlie, Chicago seemed surprisingly empty. Though, to say he didn’t want to take the opportunity to make some more reckless decisions would be a lie.

There was a faceless enemy, even with a man behind bars, who wanted to destroy everything his family had worked for. Jack needed answers now more than ever; perhaps it was time again to sit down with Leon Costello.

He took a sip of his drink before deciding to light a cigarette. He tossed the pack to Tristan as an offer, unsure of the man’s smoking habits. “How ‘bout you? How’s life treating Tristan Sullivan these days?” he asked, eager to keep tabs on his loyalists. 

So tonight he was simply looking for something he knew he could count on and then work from there. Some would say it was a little too late to be trying to go to a bar or a club, 3am being the time most places shut down for the night. But that was exactly what made it perfect. No one else around to get in his way or try to catch him in the act of doing something bad. He had the law to uphold and defend now, after all. But Bash had been used to endless and sleepless nights while studying law for the past three years, so 3am felt more like his 10pm anyway.

Finding the window to the womens bathroom that had been unknowingly broken for years, Bash hoisted himself up and over, shimmying through the small rectangle until he was in like he used to when the place had first opened and he was a lot younger. Of course his name would’ve most likely let him in even if he hadn’t been of age yet, the fact that his family owned it was pretty much a guarantee, but sneaking in was just a lot more fun to do.

Laughing with triumph as his feet hit the bathroom floor, he adjusted himself and then made his way to the door and prepared for some free alcohol. What he saw on the other side of it made him laugh out loud even harder. His oldest cousin already going ham on what looked like a bottle of vodka. Bash would’ve gone for the tequila personally, but to each their own.

“Well shit, I guess I’m caught. Or maybe you’re caught.”

Hearing a noise from behind him, Jack turned around to be faced with the sight of his cousin. Sebastian had been out of town for school, though Jackson was familiar with his antics. He and Noah had a history of breaking and entering; Jack wasn’t terribly surprised to see him.

“Pull up a seat,” Jack said, not bothering to give a lecture about the use of doors. “Wife and kids are outta town, so I gotta kill time somehow.” He shrugged, taking out a glass for his cousin. “What’re you drinking?” Jack asked, taking another swig from the open bottle already in his hand.

He tossed back a sip as Jack changed the subject. Luca. 

“Yeah. Sorry if that caused any issues. He was just being… fucking insane. And he made me spill my cereal.” Tristan let out half a chuckle before shaking his head, eyes focused on the drink in his hand. “I might have to actually kick his ass if he tries pushing me again, though.”

Jack couldn’t help but picture Luca acting ‘fucking insane’ to the point of spilled cereal and getting a swift punch to the jaw. Kinda made him smirk, thinking of his brother-in-law squirm at hands other than his own. Paityn couldn’t blame him for it that way.

“If it comes to that, let me watch,” he joked before shooting back his drink. In a scenario of Tristan v. Luca, Jackson would always root for the former, even if he had to keep his thoughts quiet from his sister.

Tristan had an insight into Paityn’s life that Jack didn’t have; the wall she put up to keep him out was clear. “You’ll tell me if I ever need to worry about her, right?” he asked, a change of tone hitting the conversation.