It was nearly five o’clock and it was a gray cold day as she went to the market wearing only her baggy jeans and black cable knit sweater, her long hair hanging loose down her back.
As she walked down the sidewalk a small blue car pulled up beside her and she got inside, the man in the gray pickup followed behind.
Working at his computer Gavin frowned in agitation as his cell phone rang and snapped hello as he answered.
“Gav hey it’s Charley” the voice said loudly “Gavin can you hear me?”
“Yeah Charley I hear you what’s up” he said equally loudly
“Gav you know that little Irish girl of yours” she said as if he may not remember
He cursed, “She’s not mine, anyway what about her?”
“Well Gav I think you should get down here I think she may be in trouble”
“And why would that have anything to do with me” he shot back even though he went searching for his boots
“Wow sorry, I guess I just thought after the way you spoke to Kev about her the other day that you cared for her” Charley shot back at him angrily
“Damn it Charley does that Irish dog tell you everything” he fumed
“Pretty much Gavin but you know what just never mind ok” and she hung up
Great he thought not only could he not concentrate on work but now he had upset Charley over something that shouldn’t have bothered him in the first place. Collecting his keys and leather jacket he went out the door.
Entering the bar where Charley worked he heard the loud voices coming from the back where the pool tables were and headed that why. Charley met him halfway.
“What’s going on back there” he asked nudging his head in that direction.
Charley looked worried, “She came in with some guy a couple of hours ago. They were playing pool and she was drinking Guinness” she explained, “He’s one of the guys that was here when you two came in last week and after a few beers he started ordering shots of Irish whiskey, then some more of them showed up and they all keep buying her shots, she’s drunk Gavin and they’re all handling her and passing her around and I just know something bad is going to happen”
Gavin was furious as he approached the pool tables to see for himself what was happening. Eddy was surrounded by half a dozen or more bikers all egging her on as she downed another shot and turned staggering towards the pool table waving the cue in her hand as she bent to take a shot. One of the men stepped behind her and rubbed her bottom suggestively as another pulled at her sweater which hung low off one shoulder, the strap and top of her lacy bra showing. Her shot went wide and the cue ball bounced off the table, she laughed loudly and bent to pick it up and one of the men bent behind her and pulled her close to his groin rotating as he slid a hand up under the edge of her sweater.
There was an angry red haze obscuring his vision as Gavin stepped forward and swung her around by an arm as she straightened unsteadily.
“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” he ground out harshly
She swayed before him, “Gavin?” she asked as she tried to focus her drunken eyes, “It’s a hh-honor to ss-see ya” she stuttered as she tossed back another shot, “Gentle, gent, gentleman meet Gavin” she swayed again, “Meet my friends” she swung an arm out and nearly fell over.
“Come on” he drug her up by the arm, “It’s time for you to go”
“Nay Gavin” she pulled back from him and fell into the table giggling, “I’m havin a bit of fun with me new friends”
The men had mostly backed off due to the black look on his face except for one who was nearly as drunk as she was.
“Look bud” he puffed up his chest, “I don’t think the lady wants to go”
Taking a handful of the shorter mans shirt Gavin pulled him and bent until they were nose to nose, “And I think that if you value your rotten hide you’ll back the fuck off” and he let go with a shove and turned only to find Eddy at the other side off the table downing another shot.
“Put that down” he shouted for all the good it did him as she ignored him.
She laughed merrily as she danced away from him as he rounded the table, “Nay Gavin, I’m a striapach now just like ye made me and I’m out for a good time”
A gasp from behind him made him turn to look at Charley who stood looking at him aghast, “She said you made her a whore Gavin!”
“Son of a bitch” he muttered darkly as he went towards her again as she danced drunkenly away, “Damn it Eddy come here” he shouted
The men had lost interest in perusing her now but found it great entertainment to watch him chase her around the pool tables.
“I shant go with ye Gavin Blackhawk yer not a nice mon” she said as her accent grew stronger and her words more slurred and difficult to understand
“I’m warning you Eddy I’m very angry and you are making it worse by the second, now come here!” he ground out between clenched teeth
“Nay Gavin I’m aangry with yyyou and I will na go with ye” she danced away again but he caught the edge of her sweater and tugged her around to him and to his shock and amazement she rounded on him with both fists flying and caught him in the jaw with one of them.
“Shit” he cursed and grabbed her around the waist and anchored her against his frame. She kicked wildly and screamed what he was sure was a sting of obscenities in her native tongue as he held her, reaching up to claw at his face with her sharp little nails. “That’s enough” he roared and picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. She kicked and screamed as he headed to the door, Charley close on his heels with Eddy’s purse.
“Be still” Gavin cursed and landed a hard swat on her bottom momentarily halting her struggles until he tried to put her in his truck.
“Nay” she screamed and used her foot on the side off the truck to push back nearly landing them both on the hard ground.
He had to let her go as he caught himself by holding the opened door and she fell on her backside with a thump before immediately rolling to her knees and becoming violently ill all over the pavement.
When her body finished heaving he picked her up gently wiping her mouth with some napkins from Charley’s pocket and sat her in the truck closing the door soundly. Charley handed him Eddy’s purse and fixed him with an angry glare, “You and I need to have a serious talk about this later” she huffed, “And you’d better take care of her Gavin!” she added before she stalked back inside. Raising his eyes heavenward for a ten count he sighed and went around to the driver’s side of the truck.
Deciding he could take care of her better at his house that’s where he headed as she sat huddled against the door pouting. When he pulled into his drive she roused herself, looking for the first time at where they were.
“Nay Gavin take me home” she said fiercely and struggled as he removed her from the vehicle ending up tossing her once more over his shoulder.
“Be still and shut up” he snapped as he entered the house glad that he had called his man Tom and told him he would take over for the next day or two.
Gavin lowered her to the floor in his living room and she headed for the back door, “Oh no you don’t” he dragged her back and she kicked him in the knee and went for the front door as he hopped around.
“Damn it” he lunged for the door as she turned the knob and he held it closed.
She screamed and landed a well placed elbow in his ribs making him grunt in pain before she tried to duck under his arm to go back the other way.
“I have had just about enough!” he shouted over her screams as he secured an arm around her waist and half dragged her through his room to the bathroom and deposited her in the shower turning the cold water on full before he closed the door and held it shut as the icy cold water drenched her and muffled her cries of outrage.
He waited until she quieted and sat curled in a corner before he opened the door. He stood her up and she stood docile while her removed her soaked clothing and boots and dried her. He rubbed he
r hair with a towel until it was no longer dripping and carried her to his bed tucking her beneath the heavy covers to warm her as her teeth chattered.
Gavin left the room and didn’t return until an hour or so later. She slept on one pillow while she held the other between her arms with her face resting on the corner. She looked almost angelic in her slumber, far from the hellion that had left three long jagged scratches down the left side of his neck earlier. He hadn’t wanted to bring her here but he hadn’t wanted to leave her by herself in her condition either, and though he was sorely tempted to crawl into the bed beside her which his hardened body screamed for him to do he instead crept quietly to the closet and got out a spare pillow and blanket and went back out to the couch.
Eddy woke slowly to a pounding headache. She looked at the clock beside the bed; it was 5:30 am. She stumbled to the bathroom to find her clothes and was dismayed to find them in a wet heap in the shower. Going back to the bedroom she went to the dresser and looked until she found a pair of sweat pants with a draw string and a sweatshirt and put them on. Creeping into the living room she found her purse and eased out the front door and began walking. Her bare feet were frozen and hurting before she was even halfway home. It took her well over an hour to get there and by that time she shivered uncontrollably and she crawled into her bed and went to sleep.
Eddy was dreaming of beating drums and hands that grabbed and pawed at her, voices called out to her echoing through her mind, and it was hot, so hot that she thrashed and tried to run to get away from it. She whimpered as her clothes were ripped away and seeking hands roamed over her body leaving cold trails in their wake that burned her heated flesh and made her scream.
When Gavin woke up and Eddy was gone he was angry all over again but resolved not to chase after her. He had second thoughts when he realized that her wet things were still in his shower but still he stubbornly refused to go after her. It wasn’t until two days later when Tom reported that he had seen neither hide nor hair of the girl that Gavin told him to take a break and he headed to her house using the excuse that he was returning her freshly laundered clothes.
When pounding noisily on her door bore no results he spoke to the old lady across the hall that kept peeking out of her door. He told the woman that he was a friend and concerned and she produced a spare key telling him to be sure and return it when he was through.
The place was eerily silent when he stepped inside and he knew immediately that something was wrong. A quick look around showed no signs of her so he walked back to the bedroom. She was sprawled across the bed wearing what appeared to be his sweat suit, the covers from the bed where on the floor and she was unmoving.
“Eddy wake up” he said from the doorway, he stepped into the sparsely furnished room which contained only two small plastic three drawer dressers, a book shelf, and the full sized bed which was only a mattress and box spring on the floor.” Eddy its Gavin wake up” he said again as he crouched beside the bed.
Up close he could see the fevered red slashes that stained her pale cheeks, and reaching out he could feel the heat emanating from her tiny form before he touched her forehead. She was burning up with fever and her breathing was low and shallow. Her lips where dark and parched and at his single touch she whimpered weakly and tried to move away from the cold of his hand.
Not knowing precisely what to do he found her bathroom and went to her medicine cabinet digging around until he found some liquid cold and flu medicine that he could pour into her mouth. He filled a glass with water and found a basin and some hand cloths. Going back in he sat on the bed and pulled her over to him propping her up. After filling the measuring cup with the medicine, he poured it into her mouth and tipped her head back so that she would swallow and then held the cup of water to her lips and coaxed her to drink. Her struggles were weak and that worried him knowing the kind of fight she usually had in her. Flicking his phone open he made a short call and then went to work striping her down and bathing her with the cloths and cold water. This time she fought harder but still weakly as the cold touched her. He finished and pulled the covers back up on the bed and tucked them firmly around her.
When the doorbell rang he left her to answer it, “Come in she’s back here”
“How is she Gavin” Charley asked worriedly
“Burning up Charley, I did what you said but I don’t know” he said as he led her to the bedroom.
“Bless her heart” Charley said as she dug in her tote bag and produced a digital thermometer and stuck the end of it in Eddy’s ear until it beeped, “102.6 that’s not good Gav, how long has she been like this?”
Gavin looked shamefaced as he answered, “I don’t know possibly since the other day after the bar”
“Three days Gavin Jesus” she accused, “Tell me you did not just dump her off by herself”
Grimacing in frustration he snapped “Hell no I took her to my house and all hell broke loose, I got pissed and put her in the shower clothes and all and when I woke up she was gone, I didn’t even know she had left or how she left”
Charley had taken out a large bottle of rubbing alcohol and was wiping Eddy down with it, “From the looks of her feet I’d say she walked”
Gavin looked and sure enough her feet were cut and scratched, “But it’s like 18 miles to my house” he put his hands on his hips, “Of all the stupid…”
“Well Gav it says something when someone wants to get away from you so badly that they would do something like that don’t you think?” Charley said smiling at him with false sweetness.
“I am not her Keeper Charlotte!” he exclaimed
“Oh yeah that’s right you used her and discarded her like so much garbage” she fired back at him, “You know, we have been friends for a very long time Gavin Blackhawk and I have watched you use women and push them aside but this was uncalled for, she was a virgin by your own admission, someone you are supposed to be watching for a client for Christ’s sakes” Charley stood and looked him in the eye, “I am ashamed of you Gavin” and she stalked from the room.
“She is not my responsibility Charlotte” he yelled after her refusing to feel bad or at least that’s what he told himself.
Charley came back into the room, “Then why are you here, why don’t you just go Gavin, I’ll take care of her myself”
“Fine you do that” he said as he stomped out
For the next several days while Charley took care of Eddy, Gavin tried to work at home but could not concentrate. It seemed all he could do was think about Eddy though he stubbornly refused to call Charley to check on her, he spoke to Kev a couple of times but Kev never mentioned her at all.
On Sunday when Gavin showed up on their doorstep Kevin opened the door in his normal friendly manner and welcomed him in.
“How’s it going Gavin” he clapped him on the back with a grin
“Just thought I’d come over and watch the race with you” Gav replied referring to the NASCAR race on TV
“Sure, sure we can do that” Kev said as he closed the door, “I’m going to grab a couple of beers if you want to go on down to the family room, Charley’s down there”
“Charley is here?”
“Uh- huh” he answered
Gavin could have bitten his tongue off when he asked, “What about Eddy”
Kev looked at him and raised one copper colored brow, “She’s here to”
“Why is she here?” he demanded sharply
“You need to take it down a notch my friend” Kev warned, “Charley wanted her here and after seeing how the girl lives I agreed, at least until she’s well”
“What is wrong with the way she lives” Gavin threw up his hands
Kevin looked at him consideringly as he leaned back on the counter and sipped his beer, “Other than her having barely any furnishings, or that the amount of clothing she has would fit into two grocery sacks, all of which except for underclothes comes from Goodwill, or maybe that she lives off of canned soups and cheap microwave meal
s, or maybe that she doesn’t even own a TV, Radio, or telephone” Kev was becoming irate, “Christ Gavin the girl can’t even read or write English!”
Frowning heavily Gavin exclaimed, “That’s impossible you know very well that it’s mostly English that’s used in Ireland”
“Not if you’re from the country and your parents home school you, don’t get me wrong she is far from stupid she just can’t read or write like we do” Kev explained impatiently.
Sighing heavily Gavin scrubbed his hands over his face, “Still not my problem”
“Yeah whatever man, come on down if you’re coming” and he walked away
Gavin followed after a moment not sure if he was dreading or anticipating seeing Eddy again right now.
Stepping down into the family room that Kevin had added on to their home Gavin first saw Charley, and she was shooting daggers at him from her eyes. He looked around the room but didn’t see Eddy anywhere.
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