Chapter twenty-five Waylaid in the Hallway #2
I turn to her and regardless of everyone else in the office, cup my daughter's face. "You never have to pretend to be okay when you're not. It's my job to make things okay. I will always do whatever it takes to keep you safe."
"Kieran too, now, right?"
"Yes." God help him if he lets my girls down. "But you need to tell me right away when things happen. I'll pull you from school on a moment's notice if you ever feel unsafe."
The secretary starts to sputter something, but JoAnn hushes her.
Sadie rolls her eyes. "Thanks mom, but you can stop the whole mama bear routine now. Everything is okay now. Fitz is going to meet me and walk me to classes today."
That eyeroll is a victory I savor. I'll take preteen sarcasm over stress any day.
"If that's what it takes for you to feel safe that's great. But Kieran would assign a bodyguard for you if you wanted that too."
"I don't think that's nece––"
It's my turn to cut off the secretary. "Whatever I deem necessary for my daughter's safety is what will happen."
"Thanks mom," Sadie says with a forgivably smug look toward the school secretary. "But I'm happy to walk to classes with Fitz. He's a good friend."
The way she talks about him has a lot of hero worship, but she doesn't blush and stammer like a girl with a crush so I hope that the twelve-year-olds' friendship remains just that for a long time.
Friendship. I'm not ready for my daughter to grow up and start having boyfriends.
Not that I have a feeling Kieran is going to be keen on her dating before she's thirty.
You'll be the reasonable one, my inner snark queen quips. You'll only expect her to wait until she's twenty-five.
Fitz is waiting for us outside the office when we exit and after hugging me and promising she's really okay, Sadie leaves with him.
I don't know what his homeroom teacher thinks about him being so late, but neither do I care.
The school and its staff can make some accommodations where my daughter is concerned after how badly they let her down.
I'm walking past the entrance to the bathrooms in the now empty corridor, when a hand grabs my wrist and yanks.
I react without thought, sliding into the moves Ellie drummed into me during self-defense training.
Anchoring my weight on my back right foot I twist my wrist so my thumb is pointing to the spot between my assailant's thumb and forefinger.
I yank as hard as I can, breaking his hold as I kick his shin with my sandal clad foot.
Boots would have done more damage, but Kenneth Shaughnessy makes a satisfying sound of pain as I'm turning to run, my mouth open to yell.
He's too fast though, grabbing my hair and yanking me back toward him, his meaty hand clamping over my mouth.
I bite down hard on the fleshy part and he does my yelling for me.
But he doesn't let go. "Settle down, áine," he snarls. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to talk to you."
I bite him again, this time drawing blood. Eww!
He yanks his hand away and shakes me. "I said, settle down!"
"Let me go!" I yell.
To my surprise, he does, backing up a couple of steps, his hands raised in the universal sign of surrender. "I just want to talk."
He's between me and the front door. I could turn and run back to the office, but he's fast. If I scream, someone will come. But I want to know what he has to say. It could be something Kieran needs to hear.
I back up several steps so he can't grab me again and fix him with a disgust filled glare. "So, talk."
"Don't take that tone with me, bitch. Just because your boyfriend got a promotion doesn't mean you're anything more than a rat's whore of a widow."
I'm neither a bitch, nor a whore, but I don't care what this man thinks of me, so I don't bother telling him that. "Start talking or I start screaming."
"Dating one of our soldiers doesn't keep you safe from Mick Fitzgerald if I tell him you're a rat like your husband."
Mick wouldn't believe this pile of crap if Kenneth told him what year it is. "I'm not a snitch and you know it."
"You keep it that way. You don't talk to anyone about what you saw and heard working for my family. Not even your assassin boyfriend. There's plenty he doesn't know about Brogan's business and if Mick finds out you've been talking out of turn, he'll do you just like he did Troy."
"I don't know anything." Isn't that the truth? "I didn't even know Kieran was in the mob until you spilled the beans at the restaurant."
"He came to get you for Mick, what did you think he was, you stupid bitch?"
"Call me a bitch again and I'll—"
"What? Slap me?" he mocks.
"I'll tell Kieran. He doesn't like people being disrespectful to me." I'm guessing here, but considering his attitude about other things, I think it's a safe bet.
So does Kenneth. I take his flinch as my due.
"You didn't know he was in the mob?" Kenneth shakes his head like he can't believe how ignorant I am, but he doesn't call me any names.
"No. He didn't know my dead husband was a traitor when he came to get me that day either." Mick wants Kenneth to believe that I didn't tell Kieran anything about my deal with him to prove my loyalty to the mob by working for him and Allison.
"He knows now."
"You made sure he did. You and your son, the bully. She told Kieran what Kenny Jr. called her."
Kenneth's eyes narrow. "I bet Wraith didn't like hearing that."