Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
Nora
B rendan Quinn?
The noise of the crowd fades to a dull roar as my pulse thunders in my ears . I can’t breathe . Maybe it’s the three Knockout Punches I’ve downed, but the colored strobes of light are blurring into a dizzying whirl.
How can this be happening?
The sexy safety net Brendan wrapped me in over the past week is unraveling, even as I scramble to hold on to the fraying edges. He’s a Quinn. The room presses in around me, suffocating me.
I can’t think.
No wonder he looked so familiar. I saw my father’s file on Tag Quinn a few times and the family resemblance is undeniable. Right, so that would make the young hottie at the bar the youngest brother, Finn.
“Brendan Quinn?” I murmur, barely recognizing my own voice.
“Yeah,” Kate replies, eyes wide with excitement. “The Dublin Brute. He’s like Dublin royalty around here.”
Royalty? Yeah, the king of chaos. No. Tag is the king.
Brendan would be a prince of chaos.
The slosh of three Knockout Punches swirls in my stomach as Brendan’s words from Friday night come back to me in perfect clarity. He told me he worked for his family’s company—in the security protocols department.
I make sure people toe the line. Discipline those who don’t follow the laws…
The Quinn Laws.
My god, I’ve been dating a mafia enforcer.
My mind races as I watch him fight. My sweet and gentle Brendan—the man who held me close after my friend was killed, who sent me a care package, and who took me out for coffee to make sure I was all right—is gone.
This Brendan is beating on another human being in front of hundreds of people for money. My stomach churns. I knew I was flirting with danger because guys like Brendan aren’t Boy Scout altar boys, but this is more than I bargained for.
Much, much more.
So, why pretend to like me? What purpose does that serve? Has he been lying to me all along? A rush of anger hits me—it’s suffocating, twisting inside me like a knife. Is this some kind of game to him?
He was so gentle with me. It felt like he wanted to protect me from everything dark in this world—in his world. And maybe that’s it.
Maybe the shooter was after him and Tanya got shot by mistake.
Maybe he feels guilty that an innocent woman became collateral damage in his family’s war of power and corruption.
My father always said that danger surrounds people like him.
Oh, my god! What will Da say when he finds out?
The thought makes my blood run cold. Brendan is on my father’s radar, and that means we were doomed before we even got started. I may want to assert my independence, but I can’t associate with the element of society my father has dedicated his life to fighting against.
The sounds of fists to flesh and the grunt of men hitting the metal of the cage are too much. I can’t look. I don’t want to see him like that.
Brendan—my Brendan—might not be real, but he meant something to me.
I won’t let reality tear that away from me.
“People like him only understand violence,” I whisper under my breath, repeating my father’s words.
Kate shifts in her seat next to me, caught up in the energy of the match. “What was that?”
“Nothing.” I push back the dread gnawing at my insides, but all I can think about is leaving before someone recognizes me or worse—realizes there’s a connection between Brendan and me.
I swallow hard. “I need to go.”
Kate’s brow furrows as she glances back at the cage where Brendan dominates every inch of space. “But you’ll miss the Dublin Beast! He’s up next! And Bryan Quinn is even more brutal than Brendan.”
“More brutal than this?” My heart races even faster at the thought—they are animals. My father’s patronizing laughter rings in my ears. Don’t be so na?ve, Nora.
Dear old Da was right all along.
“I can’t do this.”
“Nora?” Kate turns from the fight and her words falter when she sees my face. “Mary Mother, what is it? Are you all right?”
“I will be. I need some air.”
“Okay, I’ll come.” Kate grips her clutch and begins to stand.
“No, I…I need to get home.”
“Then I’ll drive you.”
“No. You’re enjoying this. I’ll call a taxi.” I stand, hunching down to keep from disturbing the people in the row behind us. “You stay. Enjoy the rest of the night.”
“No way am I leaving you alone right now,” she insists.
“I’m fine.” My voice rises above the roar of excitement from the crowd as the match ends and the building erupts, cheering for Brendan. “I’m just a little squeamish. I’ll be fine.”
She hesitates for a moment but finally nods, and settles back into her seat. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come? We can go somewhere else. We’re looking pretty fabulous.”
Why ruin her night, too? “I’m sure. I’ll call you tomorrow and we can make plans for our training shift on Wednesday.”
I don’t wait for her response—I shuffle down the row and take off toward the coat check, wanting nothing more than to escape this adrenaline-fueled hellhole and the lies of Brendan Quinn.
Brendan
I can’t feel my body as I burst into the change room and yank on my gray sweatpants. The hits I took barely register. I’ve only got one thing on my mind.
Nora.
The look in her eyes when she realized who I was cut deeper than any punch I took tonight. And then she took off like her beautiful ass was on fire. Reaching into my locker, I unlock my phone screen and call my brother.
“Sean, I need a favor.” I lift my shoulder to hold my phone to my ear while I pull on my boots. “A blonde in a dark red dress. She took off a couple of minutes ago. Which way did she go?”
“What blonde? The blonde you?—”
“Later. Fuck. I just need you to find her.”
“All right. Don’t get your nutsack in a twist.” The only thing that keeps me from losing my fucking mind is the sound of fingers flying across the keyboard.
He’s cycling through feeds.
I grab my coat from my locker and pull it on over my bare chest. Then I book it toward the front door.
“Got her. She claimed her coat and left out the front door.”
“On foot?”
“As far as I can see.”
My heart hammers as I head for the side door to avoid meeting up with anyone. “Thanks brother. I owe you.”