“Grand, I’ll keep track of everythin’ on my laptop anyways. If somethin’ comes up, we’ll know about it.”
“No bother.” Monster pushes to his feet. “Get me somethin’ within the hour. I want to call church and have everyone on the same page about tonight.”
Once he’s gone, Tye and I get to work. We need to find the bastard, and we need to find him quickly.
For the first time in a long while, I’m excited about what’s to come. I have a future, and I’m not walking away from it now.
TWELVE
TYE
From the momentwe cross into Ballycastle, everythin’ feels different. The city is far behind us, while the small town we both grew up in sits before us. The silence is overwhelmin’, and fer a moment, I’m convinced we’ve made a mistake comin’ home.
The thought hits me. Home. The only time I have ever considered this town home was when she was here. Einin was the one I looked to when I thought of that word. Havin’ her back has been a godsend, even though I’ve given up prayin’ a long while ago.
Tonight the club ride out to the docks, but Monster insisted I leave. He wanted me and Einin to work on trackin’ Bragan while we were up here. He knows what it means to find love, to capture it and hold it in your hands, and never want to let go.
Einin is new to this life, and puttin’ her in danger wasn’t an option. Also, we are more useful behind the screens than in a fight. We can see who’s comin’ and what’s goin’ta happen before it does. I’ve got surveillance on the whole pier, and whatever happens, I’ll know if the brothers are in danger before they even leave the clubhouse.
I pull up to the graveyard. It’s not changed since the last time I walked around, lookin’ at familiar names. Growin’ up in such a small town, you know everyone’s shite. From who’s havin’ an affair, to who hates who.
Einin holds on to my shoulders as she swings her leg over my bike. Havin’ her behind me was distractin’, and I’m pretty sure her roamin’ hands felt exactly what she does to me.
“It still looks how I remember,” Einin whispers when we’re standing in front of the two heavy metal gates. The entrance has never been locked. I’m not sure why they even have gates. Is it to keep people out or keep them in?
I take her hand and lead her into the grounds. The grey headstones peek at us from the ground. Rows of them, and I’m sure more are added all the time. When we reach Einin’s ma’s stone, we stop.
I release her hand from mine and allow her a moment of silence. She missed the funeral. She didn’t even know her ma had died. Anger once again slithers over me. I wanted nothin’ more than to keep Einin safe and I failed her.
Monster understands the rage I feel. When I spoke to him the day before we found her, he gave me advice and calmed me down, but each time I think about it, I can’t help but feel as if I want to kill.
There’s a long road ahead of us. I know this. For Einin, it’s going to take months, maybe years to heal from the past. She drops to her knees and places her hands on her thighs. Her shoulders shake as she looks at her ma’s name engraved on the slab of granite.
I crouch behind her and place my hands on her shoulders. In the silence of the kirk yard, she cries. Crows squawk overhead, remindin’ me of the times I would watch them shimmer in the sun. Their ink black wings glintin’ in the daylight.
“Do you think she was in pain?” Einin asks me suddenly, bringin’ me back to her. She glances at me over her shoulder, and the pain in her eyes tightens my chest.
“I’m not sure, darlin’. I don’t think so. Maybe we can chat to my da and see if he knows anythin’.” Knowin’ him, he would have checked in on her ma, which means he can give Einin more insight than I can.
Einin nods, then turns back to the grave. I push to my feet and take a step back, allowin’ her to say what she needs. Death comes to us all. It’s inevitable, and those who are left behind are the ones who need to come to terms with it. Speakin’ to the dead is somethin’ I’ve only ever done a handful of times.
When my ma passed on, I hated the world. She was the first and only person to teach me to be soft, as well as strong. Her words replay in my mind so clearly, “Ye treat those who deserve it with love, affection, but ye can also stand up fer yerself. It saves you from bein’ taken advantage of through yer life.”
She taught me that violence is a choice. I may be a lad, but respondin’ with ye fists isn’t always an answer. And I’ve always lived that way, but the man who took Einin, deserves what’s comin’ to him.
“We can go now,” Einin says as she stops beside me. “Thank you for bringing me here.” Her smile lights up her face, and her teary stare is a punch to the gut.
“Ye sure?”
“Yes.” She nods before takin’ my hand. “I’ve said what I needed to.”
We head back to the bike, and once the engine rumbles to life, I pull onto the road that leads up to Da’s place. I no longer consider it mine. After I left, I put it behind me. He was more in love with the wee cottage than I was. It overlooks the ocean, which is the only thing it’s got goin’ fer it.
Pullin’ up to the place I grew up in, I turn off the engine and take Einin’s hand before makin’ my way up the short path that leads to the front entrance. Before I can knock, Da opens the door. He still looks good for his age.
“Now what do we have ’ere?” A smile cracks on his face when he glances behind me and sees Einin. “Ye’ve grown into a beauty, wee one. Come inside. Let me look at ye.”
He takes her hands and brings them to his face. An affectionate kiss on her knuckles makes her smile. My da always loved Einin as if she were his kin.