“Spraying their markers?”
“Yeah. They were just kids. It wasn’t anything major, we figured. But we didn’t know they were armed.” He wrinkled his nose. “We asked them to move on.”
“Polite as ever,” I mocked, knowing Eoghan would have gone in there, guns cocked.
“Of course,” he replied, eyes glittering. “One of the little cunts fired before we knew what he was doing.”
“You get him back?”
If his eyes had glittered before, that was nothing to now. “What do you think?”
“Where is he?”
“I brought Paulie with me; had him take the fucker to Dad’s.”
I grimaced at that. “Not a good day for that little bastard.”
Eoghan’s teeth gleamed white. “Nope.”
Within twenty minutes, Donny was as cleaned up as could be expected. I’d moved away and grabbed him a shirt to cover up, and after we managed to get that over his head, Eoghan had to help him off the bed while I steadied them both, because Donny was wasted. He was even whistling one of the hymns we had to sing at church—All Things Bright and Beautiful.
As if anything was like that in our world.
Well,I thought,there was something bright and beautiful in mine now. But it only hit me when I saw Aoife fretting in the hall as I helped them to the elevator.
“You need me to get him in the car with you?”
Eoghan shook his head. “Nah. Thanks, though. Sorry to wreck your evening, Aoife,” he called out, arching his throat, so he could see over my shoulder.
“No worries,” she replied, but her voice was shaky.
Eoghan heard it and shot me a wince. “Sorry, brother.”
“Had to happen at some point,” I mumbled under my breath, though I wished he’d gone across the way to Conor’s place before he’d come to me.
He sighed but nodded. “True that.”
As the doors closed, separating us, I sucked down a breath and turned on my heel to face the music.
I didn’t expect Aoife to hurl herself at me, tears in her eyes as she clutched me in her arms.
“Hey, hey, what is it?” I asked, hugging her back and trying to figure out what the fuck was wrong. For her to hug me when I was covered in blood? Jesus.
“That could have been you!”
Her words were muffled against my stained shirt, and I closed my eyes, pressing my lips to her temple to kiss her there.
“Would you care?”
She stiffened in my arms, then pulled back to stare at me with confusion. But I didn’t back down. I needed to know.
I’d dragged her into this life kicking and screaming, and though I thought that had changed, though I knew she hadn’t agreed to become my wife because I’d coerced her, I still needed to know she gave a damn. If she didn’t. . .I couldn’t say I’d let her go, but, I’d rethink the situation.
This wasn’t a regular courtship.
We hadn’t started with candlelight and a supper at a fancy restaurant. I’d bribed her, then fucked my way into her life.
I fully deserved for her to hate me, but the idea of this woman loathing me brought me to my knees.