by Vi Carter
“We’ll fix this,” I say and her attention comes back to me. Her eyes roam my face and it’s odd but I shift under her full stare.
“Why are you doing this?” She questions, her eyes flicker from my lips up to my eyes. “I won’t sleep with you.” She fires out before I can answer.
“Talk about shooting a guy down.” I grin at her. “You’re my friend.”
She shakes her head and looks away. “Be serious Darragh.”
I touch her shoulder gently and she looks at my fingers that I remove before she finally looks at me. “I am serious. You don’t owe me anything. I just want to help.”
“Why?”
“Why can't you just say thank you.” I couldn’t understand why she was resisting help.
“Because nothing comes for free, everything has a price tag.”
“Ciara if you don’t want my help, fine. But I’m just trying to be the good guy here.” I open my door and hope she gets out too. When she does the relief is immediate.
“Come on.”
She keeps her arms crossed over her chest as we walk into the hotel.
***
We’re in Liam’s office watching the footage from outside the hotel. Liam wasn’t happy when we entered his office. But he’s obviously willing to help Ciara since we are watching these two scumbags follow her and corner her. Watching her being manhandled has me looking at Liam.
“Do you have their names?” I ask him and he doesn’t answer me with words. We watch to the end and once Liam switches it off, I sit back down.
“I will forward the footage on to the police. They will drop the charges once they see it was self-defense. And you should go home.” Liam stands and when I try to protest, he raises a hand a warning to me that I heed.
Liam picks up his phone and orders a taxi for Ciara. I want to protest again, I can drop her home but I keep my mouth shut.
“If you need some time off, Ciara, that can be arranged.”
“No thank you. I’ll be back to work tomorrow. I really appreciate you sending on the footage.”
Liam nods and Ciara stands up.
“Thanks for everything.” Her words are directed at me, but I hate how Liam is watching me so I just give her a nod of my head. When I can’t resist any more I look at her, she’s staring at me and her eyes shine with hurt. Her lids flutter down cutting me off and she leaves Liam’s office.
“Why her?” Liam asks as he removes the footage from the recorder and places it in a plastic cover.
“What?”
“You left work to bail her out. Why?”
“She’s a girl, Liam.”
Liam shakes his head. “Who is broken beyond repair, no good will come from that Darragh. Leave her alone.”
“I bailed her out, I didn’t propose to her. Relax.” My neck itches with a fresh coating of sweat. Ciara is broken but so am I. I wasn’t going to sleep with her. I just wanted to help her.
“You’re lying. Maybe you’re lying to yourself. You need distance from her. I’ll assign you to someone else.”
I stand because this is Liam’s controlling bullshit. It isn’t about Ciara.
“No. I’m working with Ciara, Liam. I’m not working with anyone else. Me and her have a system,” I say.
“I know. You sit and watch her clean.”
I’m staring at Liam. “There’s camera’s in the rooms?” Of course there is. It’s Liam.
“You never know who will be using our services. You can go back to work now.”
I’m dismissed.
“I stay with Ciara.” My words don’t sound as strong.
Liam agrees. “For now.”
I head outside for a fag and ring Connor. He’s been churning around in my head and when he doesn’t answer my call I don’t blame him. I sold him out. We hurt each other all the time, but no matter what we had to forgive each other. That’s what made us O’Reagan’s. But wasn’t that the O’Reagans way, we hurt each other but no matter what we had to forgive each other and stick together.
I don’t put the phone back in my pocket but send a message to Connor, hoping it will break the silence. I have a job if you’re in.
***
When I arrive to work the next day, Ciara is already there, pulling a bed apart like it did something to her. “What did the bed do?”
She startles turning quickly. “Darragh you can’t creep up on me like that.” Her anger dissolves by the time she reaches the end of the sentence.
“I work here, too.”
She continues stripping the bed. I take a pair of blue rubber gloves from her tray and blow into them before slipping my hands inside. They barely cover my hands. The pillow I pick up has a white case over it that I yank off and let it join the pile that Ciara has made on the floor. I know she is watching me, wanting to ask me what I am doing but I continue removing pillowcases.
“That wasn’t so bad,” I say with a grin.
She laughs. “Now we have to remake it, polish, hoover, check the wardrobe, tea and coffee before we move on to the bathroom and then it’s the next room. When that’s done all the rubbish and laundry have to be sorted. So let’s see by the end of the day if it’s that bad.”
“Has anyone told you that you are very cynical?”
“No you’re the first,” she says it with a straight face.
Ciara takes out fresh sheets and spreads them out. They wave across the space and I grab my side. When the sheet settles, she’s looking at me smiling and my heart gives a thump.
“What?” I ask.
“You’re being very helpful lately. First you bail me out of jail, and then you get Liam to help me and now this.” She tucks the sheet down along the side.
“So you owe me,” I say balling up the sheet and stuffing it with all my force under the mattress. Ciara sees what I am doing and moves around to me. She pulls it out and shakes her head. “I’d hate to see your room,” as she speaks our shoulders brush.
“Is this reverse psychology because you want to see my room?”
She’s laughing again. “I told you. I’m not sleeping with you.”
“Yeah so you keep saying.” I’m not grinning now; she keeps saying it like it really will never happen. “My brother is getting married in a week.”
She shoo’s me out of her way so she can fix the other corner of the bed before she grabs the duvet.
“Which one?” She asks.
“Liam.” I answer. The disbelief on her face has me smiling. “I’m messing with you, it’s my brother Finn. We are twins.”
“Liam getting married just doesn’t seem possible. Can you imagine the pictures?” she says.
“Leave him alone. He just has a resting bitch face.”
She’s smiling again as she puts on the duvet cover. I let her work at that one alone. I don’t want to have a used duvet that close to my face.
“Anyway I need a date. So are you free?”
“Nope. Sorry.” Her answer is immediate, and she doesn’t even flinch.
This is so fucking strange. “You don’t even know what day it is.”
She throws a pillow at me that I catch. The force behind it tells me she isn’t as unaffected as she wants me to believe.
I take a step towards her and her lids flutter closed. “I don’t like weddings.”
“Me neither. But I need a date. I can’t go on my own.”
“I don’t own a dress?” She is bending.
“I can sort it,” I say.
She shakes her head, tightening the pillow to her chest. “I can’t dance.”
“Me neither.” I take another step towards her, I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing, but she’s getting flustered and I like it.
“Let me think about it.”
I pick up a pillowcase and give a quick nod. “By the end of the day,” I say.
She agrees.
We finish the bedroom in silence and once we start into the bathroom I’m not feeling as hopeful about her coming.
She’s s
crubbing the toilet with her back to me. “If I do say yes. I’ll need a bag and shoes.”
“So it’s a yes.”
She glances at me over her shoulder and my smile has her standing straight. She’s still clutching the toilet brush that she points at me.
“Put the weapon down,” I say holding my hands up.
She points it towards the ground. “I will go. But I swear Darragh. This is a favor. I am not sleeping with you.” Her conviction is stitched into each word.
“Why would you think I would sleep with you?” I cross my arms over my chest.
Her cheeks redden. “I don’t. But I’m just saying.”
“Why are you so adamant on it? I’m curious.”
“I saw you with those girls, and Sharon talks. It just seems that you would ‘do’ anything.” Her words are light but I fucking hate them.
“Don’t worry Ciara. I won’t do you-”
The hurt that flashes across her face has me stepping towards her. “-If you don’t want me to.” I quickly add.
Her face flames and she turns her back to me and starts scrubbing the toilet again.
“So you’re coming.” I need to confirm that I haven’t fucked it up.
“Yes. I’m a size 8. Shoe size five. Don’t get me anything too revealing.”
“Noted.”
My phone dings and I slip it out of my pocket. It’s Connor.
What do you need?
You’re the best Connor. I need to scare someone. You free tonight? I shoot back.
His response is quick. Yeah, I’ll pick up at the house at midnight?
See you then.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
DARRAGH
It’s freezing outside. I walk down the driveway keeping close to the bushes with my bat in hand. Looking back at the house, I hope I’m not as visible as I feel. Taking out my phone my heart deflates. It’s twelve fifteen, he’s not coming. The day back in the library has me understanding why he wasn’t coming. I had stood there while they told him never to come near the house again.
Car lights shine in the distance and when Connor’s car pulls in, I’m jogging over to the passenger door and getting in.
“Thanks for coming,” I say while placing my bat at the side of my leg.
“Beating someone up was what really got me.”
I smirk at Connor’s response. “So are we good man?” I gently punch his arm.
He reverses out onto the road. “Yeah. So where too?”
“Kells. We aren’t really beating anyone up.”
Connor slams on the breaks.
I hit the dashboard. “What the fuck?”
“Why aren’t you wearing your belt?”
I rub my head as I sit back and clip in my belt.
“You said we were hurting someone.”
“We are scaring someone. My friend DJ hit me and I owe him so I thought two guys with bats showing up in his room would be a lesson.”
Connor’s stares at me for a moment before he sits forward and starts driving again.
“So you all set for Finn’s wedding next week?” I ask.
“I can’t wait.”
I smirk. “Yeah it seems everyone is holding their breath. Finn invited Auntie Trish.”
“She’s still alive?”
I’m laughing as get my smokes and lighter out of my pocket. “Yeah I know. That bitch got nine lives.”
“Who else is coming?” Connor asks as we move silently down the road.
I spark of the fag and inhale deeply. “All our relations. It’s going to be one hell of a party.”
Connor glances at me. “What like even Michael’s side?”
I roll down the window and blow the smoke out. “Yeah I’m pretty sure.”
Connor focuses on the road but his hands have tightened on the wheel.
“What’s wrong?” My question has him loosening his hands.
“I just didn’t think they spoke.”
“Yeah well you know Finn. He’s goody two shoes. He’ll try to build bridges.”
“Should be fun to watch them all burn down.” Connor says.
I agree. Nothing good could come from this.
We roll up close to DJ’s house and I’m excited. I can’t wait to see the little prick’s face. We’ve our balaclava’s on and I pull Rochelle close to my side.
“He lives with his family. So we can’t be too noisy. He sleeps downstairs. So it won’t be too hard to get in,” I say as I tighten my hold on my bat and get out of the car.
We make our way around the back of the house and I try DJ’s window. It’s locked. Connor takes over and pops the lock on the back door. We are in.
We step in on wooden floors. So we have to really watch our steps as we make our way down the hall. The last bedroom on the left is DJ’s. I can’t wait to see his face. This will teach him not to touch me again. Pushing open the door I step in and Connor follows silently behind me. The room is empty. I glance around the room, the disappointment immediate.
We leave the house as quietly as we entered. I’ll just have to reschedule for another night. I hate how pumped I am, adrenaline still flows through me, no doubt through Connor too. We need to find something else to do. Connor closes the back door soundlessly. I’m ready to leave when low voices from the bottom of the garden have me smiling. I move towards the shed and Connor follows me across the grass. This was DJ’s hangout spot away from his family. The closer we get I start to recognize the voices. Fitz, Art and Mark are here. Disappointment courses through me again. Tonight wasn’t our night. I couldn’t do anything with everyone here.
“I’m not doing it man. I’m not hanging him out to dry.” Fitz voice is close and I move to the side of the shed, Connor is beside me, his eyes meet mine but I focus on the conversation.
“He is the one that got us into this, if you don’t sign the deal we all go down.”
“I can’t do this either.” DJ speaks up.
My heart stutters in my chest.
“I’m signing the deal.” Art’s words hold conviction. I know him, he will sign whatever deal he is talking about.
“I thought you and Darragh were best friends.” Fitz jumps to my defense.
At the mention of my name Connor moves towards the shed. Gripping his arm I shake my head. He doesn’t come back and my pulse spikes. If they see us, we can’t stop what’s happening.
“Fuck you Fitz. I’m not going to prison for him. The bank jobs were his idea. So if they offer us immunity for him. I’m all in.”
Fucking traitor.
I’m aware of Connor staring at me; no doubt the bank job part didn’t go unheard with him.
“You can count me out.” Fitz voice floats away as if he’s moving.
I sink further into the shadows. Someone shuffles around.
“You can’t leave Fitz.” Mark’s voice has me clenching my fists.
“Leave him alone Mark.” DJ jumps to Fitz defense.
“You are either with us or against us Fitz. Or I will make sure that your name goes along with Darragh’s.” Art, I didn’t expect him to betray me. “Same for you DJ I have no problem dropping you in it.”
“I’m not doing it.” Fitz makes me proud.
“You really are retarded. You’re going to get raped daily in prison.” Art sneers.
“Art, shut the fuck up.” DJ’s voice has risen.
Connor pulls on my arm. I know we have heard enough but I’m waiting for Art to say he’s made a mistake. That handing me over isn’t an option.
“Are you in DJ?”
“You know I’m in,” Mark says.
“I need more time.” DJ says.
“You fucking tell him and you’re a dead man.” Art’s threat has me clenching my fists.
“Two weeks. That’s all you have before we have to give our answer, if you don’t do this we all go down.”
Connor pulls me again and this time I leave with him. Once we are in his car, I pull off the balaclava. I’m waiting for Connor to rip in
to me over the bank jobs but he doesn’t.
“You need to tell Liam.” Connor clips in his seatbelt.
I light a fag as Connor pulls out from the roadside. His suggestion has me looking at him.
“What? You know he’s the one that will make this go away.”
He was right. But I didn’t want ‘this’ to go away. He would have them all clipped.
“Darragh this isn’t a walk in the park. You’re looking at ten plus years.” Connor reminds me.
I inhale deeply while blowing smoke out the window. “Yeah I know.”
Connor pulls the car in on the hard shoulder and I nearly hit the dash again.
“You need to listen to me.” He’s facing me now, and I’m listening. “They die, or you die. Which is it?”
It sounded so pathetic but they were my only friends. “They die,” I mumble while inhaling more smoke.
“You need to tell Liam.” Connor grips my shoulder enforcing each word.
Telling Liam made it so definite. “I will. Just give me time.” I glance at Connor and he releases me.
He shakes his head. “No. You do it now.”
“We have two weeks. Next week is Finn’s wedding. We don’t need this shit right now.” I say.
Connor slams his fist into the steering wheel. The horn rings loud across the open night. “You are the one behind the ATM’s.”
“Only two.” I shrug not sure what he wants. I don’t regret it. If I could I’d do it again.
“I wonder about you Darragh. You don’t need the money.”
“Yeah I do. They cut me off. I’m fucking cleaning rooms for my money.” I reel my anger in. Connor wasn’t the target here. I wasn’t sure exactly who was. Liam, Father, or me.
“I’ll take care of it. I promise after the wedding I’ll tell Liam. Or in the meantime I’ll find a way to convince the guys not to sell me out.”
Connor is shaking his head again pissing me off. I throw the fag out the window and roll it up.
“They will sell you out. Who else can they blame?” Connor starts the car and pulls back out onto the road. I know he’s right. If they don’t hand me over, we all go down. I wouldn’t fair too well in prison.