by Emelia Blair
I know he has a temper.
Last night, I saw him punch a patron at his restaurant who insisted on touching the female server in a very inappropriate manner. I saw the wild look of fury in his eyes, and it didn’t scare me. He is always so gentle with me.
There is a part of me that somehow feels safer around him.
Even now, as he curses at someone in Gaelic, his hand plays with my brown hair, which is bound in a loose braid. He curls it around his hand, and his face is set in a scowl as the volume of his tone increases.
I offer him a bite of the pasta, still snuggled in his lap, and he accepts it, taking a break between yelling to chew it properly.
Then the shouting match continues.
A few minutes later, he ends the call.
“Problem?” I ask, curiously.
He frowns at the blank phone screen for a few seconds. “A site that I was scouting for a restaurant was broken into. They wrecked the place pretty badly.”
I study him. “But weren’t you going to tear down the building and get another one constructed there?”
He shakes his head. “That was the second site. I liked the foundations of this one. I had just wanted to fix the place up and remodel it, maybe, a little bit. It had a great setup inside.”
I purse my lips and then, putting down my bowl, I put my arms around him. “I’m sorry.”
He stills at the sudden hug, and then I feel his arms slowly wrap around my waist as he asks hesitantly, “What for?”
“I’m sorry you had a bad break. And I’m sorry you’re upset,” I say taking in his natural scent of sandalwood and pine.
His arms tighten around me, and he doesn’t say anything for a moment.
When he pulls away, he looks slightly bewildered. “When I think you can’t throw me off any longer, you go ahead and do something like that.”
I cock my head in confusion. “Did I do something weird?”
He studies me before reaching out to brush his fingers against my cheek. “No. I needed that. Thank you.”
“What are you going to do about the site then?” I ask, leaning into him, letting him toy with my hair.
Fergus’s brow knits. “The contractor is an old acquaintance of mine. He told me to stay put and let him do a thorough damage check. But he’s not hopeful. There’s a chance I’ll have to tear down the whole place. From what he’s seen, they were pretty precise in attacking the foundation and supports of the building.”
My lips thin. “So, it was targeted at you? First the attack on you, and now this.”
“You’re reading too much into it.” He shakes his head. However, I don't miss the flicker of uncertainty on his face.
I try to get off his lap, but he holds me to him by raw strength, his hands on my hips. “What’s that look?”
“Nothing. You’re not the only one who’s allowed to sulk,” I gripe.
He gives me a look. “I’m a man. I don’t sulk; I brood.”
“All right, princess. Whatever helps you sleep at night.” I give him a sweet smile.
I artfully dodge the oncoming swat to my bottom, then he pulls me into him, and I let him rest his chin on top of my head.
“It is a good place. I really like it,” he admits, his tone heavy.
“Do you want me to go with you when you go to take a look at the damage?” I ask, fingering the button on his black shirt.
“What will you do there?” he asks, curious.
“Well,” I drawl. “You’ll need someone to cheer you up, and I’ve heard that I’ve got a knack for that when it comes to you.”
His arms tighten around me like bands of steel, and his tone holds a hint of awe in it. “You’re like this precious gift to me that I didn’t know I needed or deserved.”
I pull my head back to stare at him, my cheeks flaming. “I’m not that great.”
He laughs, pressing a kiss to the top of my nose. “Yes, you are. You just don’t know it.”
We stay like that for a few moments, until he makes a disgruntled sound. “It’s eight. I have to leave.”
He rolls me off of him until I am lying on my back on the couch, staring at the ceiling. “Where’re you going?”
“To the bar. It’s been a few days, and I need to have a word with the manager.”
“Can I come?”
He gets up and runs his hands through his hair. “No.”
“Come on,” I wheedle. “I won’t bother you.”
“It’s not safe, Sarah.” Fergus frowns at me.
I sit up. “Look, I won’t be asking any questions. I’ll take a book with me. Besides, Agatha said she’d be there tonight. And I want to hang out with her.”
“You and her get along, don’t you?” Fergus asks as he fixes his shirt.
I nod. “She’s the first real female friend I’ve had. Plus, she’s funny, and I think a little homicidal.”
“I think the term you’re looking for here is ‘crazy.’” Fergus’s body vibrates with laughter.
“I’ll tell her you said that,” I warn him.
“Snitch,” he says, affectionately.
Then he looks around his apartment. “I’ll be gone the whole night, and it’s the weekend tomorrow, so you don’t have to go to work. Okay, fine. You can come. But keep a low profile. I don’t want you getting in trouble.”
I look gleeful, and I am about to grab a book when he blinks. “Don’t tell me you’re going to read a book in the bar.”
I hesitate. “Is that odd? To read a book there?”
His sensual lips curve into a smile. “No, not for you.”
The bar is crowded, and Agatha sits to my left, studying the small bracelet that Fergus gave me. It was the first gift that I found on my bed. Foolishly, I accepted it, not knowing what was to follow.
“Good choice,” Agatha tells me. “Where are the earrings?”
“She won’t accept them,” Fergus mutters as he fixes a drink.
Agatha shakes her head at me. “If a man throws jewelry at you, Sarah, you take it. Then you sell it and get enough money to invest in a small enterprise of your own. That’s how you become rich.”
Ian sits on her left, nestling a beer in his hands. He eyes her, warily. “Remind me never to get you jewelry.”
“That’s it, Agatha. You’re demoted to the end corner of the counter,” Fergus tells her. “Don’t fill my girlfriend’s head with your ideas.”
“I’m your girlfriend.” I beam at him, suddenly realizing my status. “I picked up the bartender.”
When I laugh at my joke, Fergus puts an apple juice in front of me, grinning. “And don’t you forget it.”
Feeling my phone vibrate in my pocket, I take it out and glance at the caller ID.
“Who is it?” Fergus asks as he wipes a glass.
“Seth.” I purse my lips. “I didn’t tell him that I am staying at your place.”
Agatha frowns. “Why would you have to tell him that?”
I move my shoulders in a shrug. “He’s an old friend. He helped me out a lot initially when I left foster care, and he took Bryan under his wing.”
Agatha sips at her drink. “Doesn’t mean you need to tell him where you are every waking moment.”
The bar is quite loud, so I choose not to answer the call, instead replying with a quick message. When I tell him I am out at a bar, his reply annoys me, and after a quick few messages back and forth, I tuck the phone back into my pocket.
Spending all this time with Fergus puts my relationship with Seth into perspective. Although he is a sweet guy, he is a little controlling at times.
Jerk.
However, I can’t hold on to my anger, knowing how he helped me through Bryan’s drug addiction when he was a teen, the patience with which he held my hand throughout.
Seth is family.
“So, I have some news.”
I look over my shoulder to see Zayn standing there, the expression on his face, grim.
11
Fergus
; Zayn looks pissed off, and I wonder what happened.
I gesture towards Felix to take over and lean over the counter. “What did you learn?”
Zayn tucks his hands in the pockets of his leather pants, his white shirt with not a single wrinkle in it. His faded leather jacket has a tear in it, and I wonder who he got into a fight with.
“The deal with your brother is that he didn’t steal from the leader of this gang. And he didn’t just try to leave the gang. He threatened the man.”
Sarah freezes. “Bryan’s not that stupid.”
Zayn’s icy eyes study her. “That’s not all. This whole thing is seemingly over a woman.”
Sarah grasps my hand, her face pale. “Ruby. That’s why Bryan was so insistent that she stay with her brothers in Nebraska. This is over Ruby?”
Zayn glances at me before turning his attention back to her. “I don’t know who the woman is. Is Ruby his girlfriend?”
Sarah nods, the gesture fierce. “She’s pregnant with his child.”
Zayn’s eyes harden. “Then you need to warn her to keep a low profile even in Nebraska. We don’t know how far this gang has its tendrils.”
“Who is this leader?” Agatha asks, reaching out to put a comforting hand on Sarah’s knee.
Zayn shakes his head. “I can’t tell you because I don’t know myself. But I do know that he personally recruited Bryan and oversaw his initiation himself.”
“So, it’s someone Bryan knows?”
Zayn raises a brow. “Not necessarily. He could have just taken a liking to Bryan and taken him under his wing to groom him. These things aren’t uncommon in gangs.”
Sarah turns to give me a horrified look. “He said ‘initiation.’ Don’t gang members kill people during their initiation?”
My heart hurts for the crazed grief in her eyes. “Different gangs have different methods. We don’t know what Bryan did.”
Sarah covers her face with her hands, her breaths coming out in short spasms.
“Give her some brandy,” Agatha orders, and a second later, a short glass is handed to her.
“Come on, A ghrá,” I beg. “Drink some. It’ll make you feel better.”
With trembling hands, Sarah throws the drink down her throat and winces at the burning sensation.
I grasp her hands and force her to look at me. “Listen to me. Don’t think about what Bryan did in the past. Let’s focus on getting him back first. We’ll deal with one problem at a time. And I’ll be standing right next to you. We’ll get through this.”
As I speak those words, I realize I mean them.
I want to be her shield and her sword.
I want to stand between this kind-hearted and loving woman, and the harsh cruelties that reality wants to throw at her. I want to protect her.
But while there is no protecting her from the truth, I plan to stand by her side and help her through this. The kind of gang Street Serpents is, it is difficult to assume that Bryan did n’t bloody his hands. But I do understand why Sarah tried to delude herself.
Zayn and Agatha share a look, and then Zayn says, his voice low, “That’s all I could find out for now. But your brother is alive. I know that much as well. The Street Serpents have him, but I haven’t managed to figure out the location yet.”
Ian looks at me and then at Sarah. “His bank account was emptied the day after he disappeared. He withdrew very large sums, and I think he was going on the run. But I followed up the credit card transaction, which was two days after that. One of our people got the gas station manager to hand over the security tapes. That was where they got him. The video showed Bryan going in, bulking up on snacks and camping equipment. Minutes later, two other guys showed up. Bryan tried to make a break for it, but they dragged him out. Their faces aren’t very clear on the camera, so we don’t know who they were.”
He lets out a growl. “The manager swore he’d never seen them before.”
Zayn makes a small sound. “There’s something else.”
He takes out photos of individual men and hands them to me. “Do you recognize any of them?”
My eyes narrow. “Yeah, these are the men who hung out with Dominic. And I think one of these is the one who jumped me that day. Can’t be sure, though.”
As I hand the pictures back, I ask, “Why do you ask?”
Zayn tucks the pictures back in his jacket. “They’re all dead. Seemingly accidents.”
Sarah looks shocked, her voice bleak. “All of them?”
“Perhaps this isn’t the best place to discuss this,” Agatha interjects. “Let’s move this into the back office.
Zayn shakes his head. “That is all I have. I have to be somewhere else right now. You should warn Ruby that she might not be safe.”
Sarah twists her hands, worry etched into her pretty face. “I will. Thank you.”
Zayn blinks at her and then shrugs. “Anything for Fergus’s girl.”
I watch him leave and then turn my attention back to Sarah, who is staring down at her drink, her expression torn.
“It makes sense that he went head to head with the leader of a gang to protect his family,” Sarah mutters. “But Ruby is a nice girl. She isn’t the kind to get involved with gangs or whatnot.”
“Maybe she’s related to the guy in some way? Or he wants her?” Ian suggests. “Either way, the fact that Bryan is alive means there’s still hope.”
I walk around the counter and pull her into my arms, offering her the warmth and comfort she needs right now. “We’ll find him, Sarah. We’re using every resource available. Look, within a week, we managed to find out this much. That’s good.”
She agrees slowly, her soft brown hair caressing my jaw. “You’re right. I didn’t even have this much before.”
I plant a kiss on top of her head and watch as Agatha and Ian try to distract her from her worries. I also note how Ian watches Agatha when she isn't looking, and my eyes narrow.
However, Agatha formed a tight friendship with Sarah. By the time I return to my work, she is showing pictures of Philip and Charlotte on their honeymoon to Sarah, who looks engrossed in them.
I have some paperwork to do as well today, but I decide to bring it home instead of leaving Sarah alone at the bar. There is a certain fragility to her right now, and I want to be around her.
As I cater to a few customers, my mind is distracted by how strange this whole scenario is. This mysterious figurehead, these deaths, Bryan’s girlfriend. There is something that I am missing, but I can't quite put my finger on it.
There is a niggling thought in the back of my mind, one I can't quite grasp. As I put down a coffee in front of Sarah a few hours later, I have a small frown on my face.
It is nearing twelve, and I am thinking of taking her home in a while, considering she is drooping in her seat.
“Is this milk coffee?” she asks, yawning, and I notice how she has been stuck on the same page for the past half hour.
“How are you doing?” I hum, not understanding where my fascination with her hair stems from. I can’t stop myself from playing with it.
She sips at the coffee and then gives me a strained smile. “I’m trying to convince myself that I can’t stop living my own life. And that patience is key in this whole mess.”
“Atta girl.” I kiss her forehead.
Finding myself reluctant to move away from her, I ask, “How about I make you a snack when we get home?”
She curls her small hand in mine. “If you keep feeding me like this, I’m going to turn into a balloon. And I’ve seen Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. You do not want that.”
I roar with laughter at her reference and steal a kiss from her lips before getting back to work. The bar is emptying early tonight, probably due to the heavy snowfall outside. We still have a few stragglers left.
I let the staff out early after checking the forecast, and once the last drunkard leaves, I start locking up. The morning staff can come and do the clean-up. I glance towards where Sarah sits, a
nd I see the blush on her cheeks. She is completely engrossed in her book, and I wonder what she is reading.
Treading quietly so as to catch a glimpse, I stand behind her and peek at the content. I smile with a smirk when I see what she is reading.
“That’s an interesting position,” I remark, casually. “Not very practical, though.”
“Fergus!” She sounds mortified, snapping the book shut and glaring at me, completely embarrassed.
I lean next to her, blocking her escape route, and grin. “Whatchu reading?”
When she huffs at me, I can’t help myself. “Isn’t that a little dirty for a kindergarten teacher to be reading?”
She hits me with the book. “Oh, grow up!”
Delighted, I dance out of reach and then grab the book from her, opening to the page she was reading. I have a height advantage, and she makes a face at me when I start reading aloud.
“You’re not funny, Fergus! Give that back,” she growls at me, trying to snatch the book back.
It is some period romance, and she was in the midst of a hot and heavy scene between the stable boy and his mistress.
“He’s very focused on foreplay,” I comment, holding the book out of reach.
“You could learn a thing or two from him,” Sarah hisses at me.
So shocked am I at the implication that she manages to get the book back and she promptly stuffs it into her purse.
“What is that supposed to mean?” I gape at her. “I distinctly remember you screaming my name this morning. I had to get you water afterward because you said your throat hurt from all the shouting.”
Sarah blushes but doesn’t give in. “Nothing. I was trying to distract you.”
However, my pride as her lover is hurt, and I am nothing if not determined to make her eat her words.
“Come here.”
She sees the glint in my eye and takes a step back. “Oh, I don’t think so, you pervert.”
I make a grab for her, making her lunge out of the way.
However, I am faster than her, and in a few moments, her pretty ass is parked on the bar counter, with me standing between her legs.