The Eraser (Houlihan Men of Dublin Book 1)

Chapter 9

One year later

”What”s the plan?”Mallory asks me, her hands nestled on the swell of her stomach.

She”s six months pregnant and she”s alone. The father lives in America. For their eighteenth birthdays, Mallory and Chloe traveled to New York to have the trip of a lifetime. Both of them found someone they fell for, and they had the best time ever. Mallory came home, whereas Chloe traveled on to Chicago where her family lives. When she was there, she was taken and tortured. Receiving that news was devastating. Thankfully, it was Maverick who let me know. He came to the house and explained everything that was happening. He also swore he”d keep me updated and he did.

Chloe”s safe and happy. She”s back with the man she loves and he”s planning on moving here to Ireland to be with her. She went through hell in Chicago. Mallory and I cried with her when she told us what happened. I held her hand through it all, hating that she had been subjected to so much pain and suffering. She”s healing, and I love that she”s surrounded by people who love her, who”ll help her when times get tough.

”I don”t know,” I reply as I reach for my coffee. I turned eighteen last week, and just as I predicted, Dad was pissed when the date rolled around. He”s made it clear that if I leave, he”s coming to find me. He”s told me that I belong to him. I”m his to do with as he pleases, and he”ll be damned if I mess up everything he”s worked hard for. I”ve no idea what the hell that means, but I have no doubt that it”s not something pleasant.

”You didn”t get to enjoy your eighteenth like Chloe and I did,” she sighs. I had planned on going with them once I turned eighteen. It would have been a joint birthday trip. But Dad put his foot down and said I wasn”t allowed to go. He even called Auntie Nicola to scream at her, calling Callie irresponsible for allowing her daughter to travel around the world alone. Of course, when he found out what happened to Chloe, he was preening like a fucking peacock. I”m surprised Maverick or Denis didn”t kill him for the smugness he had.

”Why don”t you go out tonight, let loose and have fun? Your dad isn”t in town. You can lie and say you”re staying at my house. You”ll have so much fun,” she tells me with a smile. ”Please, Jess. You”ve been through so much and you never get the chance to let loose and have fun, to be a teenager. You”re eighteen now, and I know you”re scared of what your father will do, but you have to live once in a while.”

She”s right, I do. I need to be able to do what I want and not be scared by what my dad has planned. Thankfully, he”s stopped hurting me like he used to. I”m not sure why, but I”m thankful. Instead, he”s chosen something even more sinister to do to me. He makes me watch as he kills the women he fucks. It started a year ago, the night I returned home from the dance studio later than I had anticipated and he was waiting for me to return. The woman was so pretty. I see her every night in my dreams. She pleaded with me with her eyes as he hurt her, as he forced himself onto her and did horrendous things to her body. I cried. Tears tumbled down my face as she cried out in pain at every single thing my dad did to her.

He”s sadistic. He finds new ways of torturing me. It”s as though he lives to cause me pain and I have no idea why.

”Earth to Jess.” Mallory laughs as she waves her hand in front of my eyes. ”Are you listening to me?”

I shake my head, giving her a soft smile. ”Sorry, miles away,” I reply. ”But I think you”re right. I should go out and have fun.”

Her smile is wider than I have ever seen it before. ”Yes,” she practically yells. ”I”m so proud of you. I have the perfect thing for you to wear.”

Mallory knows about the scars I hide beneath my clothes. I dread anyone seeing what my dad has done to me. I know that it”s hideous. There”s no hiding it. The scars are rough, and plentiful. They cover my entire back, ass, and thighs—both sides of my thighs. Some days, I can feel the pain of him putting fire on my body. I can smell the scent of burning skin.

”Okay. I can”t wait to see it.” My stomach flips. I”m nervous, but I need to do this. If I don”t, I”ll never live for myself but always in the shadow of my father”s anger.

She claps her hands. ”I”m so damn proud. It”s going to be an amazing night.”

I really hope she”s right. I”m determined to have fun tonight.

* * *

Mallory was right. I”m having the time of my life. I”m buzzed, and I don”t think I”ve smiled so much in my life. ”Love you,” I tell her and watch as she sucks in a sharp breath, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

”I love you too. I hate how much you”ve suffered.”

I shake my head. ”Not tonight,” I ask her softly. ”We”re having fun.”

Even though she”s pregnant, she came out with me. She”s been drinking virgin cocktails while I”ve had two Cosmopolitans. We”re having the best time ever, and I hate that this is the first time we”ve done this, but I hope it”s not the last.

The night wears on and Mallory and I have fun. It”s been nice to relax, catch up, and not worry about what will happen once I return home.

”I need to pee,” Mallory sighs. ”God, this baby is wreaking havoc on my bladder.”

I laugh. I”m so excited to become an aunt, and while I know how scared Mallory is, she”s going to be an amazing mam. ”Go. I”m going to grab some fresh air,” I tell her. ”It”s getting late,” I say as I glance at my phone and see that it”s almost eleven thirty.

She sighs as she gets to her feet. ”I didn”t want to say anything,” she tells me sheepishly. ”You”ve had the best night and I don”t want to stop the fun.”

I shake my head. ”Not at all. We”ve had so much fun, and you”re pregnant, Mal. You need rest. I”ll meet you outside.”

She nods and smiles. ”Sounds good. We”ll get some food on the way home.”

Now that sounds like a plan. I wait until she disappears from view and then turn to leave.

The cold air hits me the second I step outside. There”s a crowd of people standing outside, many of them smoking, others bouncing on their feet to ward off the cold. I manage to find a spot outside a shop and wait for Mallory.

”The fuck are you doing here?” I hear a deep, familiar voice say.

I turn to my left, and I”m shocked to see Stephen standing there with his arms crossed over his chest. It”s been a while since I”ve seen him. He still watches me, but he”s careful not to hang around and let me see him. Over the past year, he”s not changed. He”s kept his distance, and I hate it. The kiss is still something I think about. Hell, Stephen is all I think about. He”s gotten deep under my skin. Whenever my father gets into one of his moods and decides it”s time to torture me, Stephen is who I think of. He”s the place my mind wanders to. He”s my safe haven.

”Well, it”s nice to see you too,” I reply tartly. He runs so hot and cold. I hate that he makes me want him so badly but walks away when things get hot.

”Little Dancer, answer the question. What are you doing here?” he snarls, his jaw clenched as he stares at me.

”I”m having fun. Don”t worry, I”m going home now.”

The muscle in his cheek twitches. ”Who the fuck are you with?”

”My friend. She”s in the bathroom.” I sigh. ”What is your problem?” I ask. ”Why are you such an asshole?”

”Jessica,” he grinds out. ”I”m always a fucking asshole. That”s never going to change. But why the fuck is your da letting you leave the house looking like that?” His eyes glance over my body, and the anger in his voice has my heart racing.

I glance down at the jumpsuit I”m wearing. It fits me perfectly. It hugs my curves and hides my scars. It”s the first time in my life that I”m actually happy with how I look. I feel pretty.

”My dad”s not here,” I reply, unable to keep the hurt from my voice. ”You can go, Stephen. I”ll be leaving any moment.”

I hear the sound of heels walking toward me and turn to see Mallory smiling as she glances between Stephen and I. ”Are you ready?” she asks me as she comes to stand beside me. ”Or do you need more time?”

”Not at all,” I reply, not looking back at Stephen. ”Let”s go,” I say, my heart hurting. But I”ll be damned if I show him that.

She links her arm through mine and we start to walk away from Stephen. With each step I take, the harder it is to keep the tears at bay. But I”ll be damned if I cry. It”s been years since I”ve shed tears and I won’t let anyone make me do so anymore.

”Damn,” I hear a low voice say in the darkness a little while later. Mallory and I are walking. Neither of us wanted to get a taxi, and we thought we”d be okay to walk home, but the further we walked, the darker it got. There”s hardly anyone around.

Mallory”s arm tightens around mine, and my heart races as I look to see where the voice came from. There”s a man standing close to an alleyway, his face barely seeable, thanks to the barely lit street. There are a few lampposts out of service, making it hard for anyone to see.

”Where do you think you”re going?” the man says as he steps into the light. ”Hmm? I want to have some fun.”

”How about you fuck off before I make you?” I hear the low growl of Stephen from behind me. ”The fuck are you doing here, O”Leary?”

My heart stutters. O”Leary, as in the crime family? I didn”t think they were in Dublin.

”Well, look who it is. Stephen Maguire, as I live and breathe. What you saying, boss? Do we have a problem?” he goads, moving toward Mallory and I.

”We”ll have more than a problem if you don”t leave her alone,” Stephen replies, and there”s so much anger and hatred in his voice that I flinch at how hard his tone is.

”Does she mean something to you?” O”Leary asks. ”She yours?” he questions as he steps closer to me, his hand reaching out and his fingers caressing my cheek.

Within seconds, Stephen”s on him, his fist plowing into O”Leary”s face. ”I fucking warned you,” Stephen snarls. ”Fucking told you to leave her alone.”

The sound of Stephen beating the man is something that makes my stomach churn. It brings back so many memories, reminding me of all the hurt my dad has caused me, all the times he beat me until I was unconscious.

I can”t take my eyes off the scene playing out in front of me. It”s as though I”m rooted to the spot, unable to do anything. Mallory weeps beside me, her tears falling thick and fast. I wish I could console her. I wish I could help her, but I can”t. I”m in a trance as Stephen beats O”Leary. The man”s on the floor, Stephen on top of him, throwing punch after punch. He”s not letting up. He”s killing him. I know he is. O”Leary”s no longer moving. He”s limp on the floor as Stephen unleashes all his anger on the unconscious man.

”Stop,” Mallory shrieks. ”God, will you stop it. Please,” she cries, her body shaking with fear.

Her cries seem to make Stephen snap out of his anger. When he stands, I see his fists are covered in blood, his eyes dark and narrowed.

”The fuck were you both playing at?” he snarls. ”Anything could have happened to either of you.”

Why is he yelling at us? Why is he making out that the creepy O”Leary guy was our fault?

I don”t answer him. Instead, I stay rooted to the spot. Everything that I had thought about him vanished at the sound of his fists beating against flesh. He”s no longer the man I thought he was. I was naive in thinking he was anything other than what everyone described him as.

”He”s dead,” Mallory says, her words just above a whisper. ”You”ve killed him.”

Stephen shrugs. ”Not the first,” he says. ”He should have listened when I told him to leave Jessica alone.”

”Why?” Mallory hisses. She”s angry, whereas I”m numb. ”It”s not like Jess is yours. You”ve made it perfectly clear that she”s no one to you. So why are you being such a fucking asshole?” she cries. ”Actually, don”t answer that. We all know you”re crazy as hell. But why don”t you just leave Jess alone?”

”Not happening,” Stephen growls. ”Not fucking happening.”

He makes no sense. He confuses me like no other. What does he want from me?

”Come on, Jess,” Mallory says softly. ”Let”s go home. You”re freezing.”

”I”ll take you,” Stephen says thickly. ”No fucking arguing. You both need to go home and it”s not safe out here.”

”I”ll call Maverick,” I say, not wanting to be around Stephen right now. I need to get away and breathe. I need some space between us. ”Besides, you need to sort that out,” I say, waving my hand in the direction of O”Leary”s lifeless body.

”I”ll do it,” he says, and I watch as he pulls out his phone and calls my cousin.

Mallory turns and pulls me into her arms. ”I”m sorry,” she whispers. ”I hate that you had to see that. I know it hurts, but you”re going to be fine. I promise you, he”s not going to hurt you.”

I don”t answer her. My gaze is on the lifeless, bloodied body of O”Leary. Every woman Dad”s killed in his quest to torture me runs through my head, their fear stricken faces staring back at me. It’s too much. I hate this. I hate death. My entire body is shaking. I”m so cold and numb.

Mallory moves back, and within seconds I”m pulled into Stephen”s arms. I tense against him, hating that he”s holding me with those bloody hands. I don”t know how long he stands there holding me, but soon, a car pulls up at the curb and I”m rushed into it.

”Hey, Jess,” Maverick says softly as he pulls the seatbelt over me. ”I”ll get you home. Everything”s okay.”

I nod, unable to say anything. Thankfully, Mallory slides into the car beside me and reaches for my hand. I grip hold of it as though it”s my lifeline. The car engine purrs to life and I turn to look out the window. Stephen”s standing at the curb, his gaze firmly on me.

Everything I felt is gone.

He”s truly a monster, just as everyone said.

Stephen Maguire is the devil, and I”m not going to be part of his plan any longer.

No way. I”ve dealt with death and pain for years. I won”t let someone else drag me into it further.