9. Molly
Molly
F or the second time in as many hours, I was roused by mumbled voices.
She’s a runner.
When she wakes up, make sure she drinks an entire bottle of water and tell her to rest. She’ll fight you on it but be firm.
Remaining motionless, I took a mental inventory of my body.
Besides the raging headache, there were no new aches or pains, but when I tried to move my legs, I found my ankles were bound.
Whatever he’d used to restrain me bit into my skin, cutting off circulation.
My temples throbbed in time with my pulse as awareness dragged me out of the fog of my incognizant mind.
“Thanks, Fallon,” Keir said.
A door shut, and although I knew we were no longer at the strip club, I had no idea where we could be now. I was lying on a soft surface which molded to the shape of my body, and the scent of sweet tobacco mixed with dark chocolate surrounded me. At least I knew I was still in Keir’s custody.
A shadow fell over me, but I kept my eyes shut, wanting to prolong the peace. Keir swept the hair from my face, but when his calloused fingertips traced the length of my jaw, my muscles involuntarily tensed at the sensation.
He let out a tired huff. “You can stop pretending to be asleep, Jynx.”
His deep voice made a shiver run down my spine, and I opened my eyes to find him staring down at me.
He’d changed his clothes. A black T-shirt now hugged every single inch of his broad chest, the fabric clinging to the ridges of muscles stacked underneath.
My perusal ground to a halt when they reached his hips.
He was in gray sweats that sat low on his hips.
Fuck.
Me.
“Where am I?”
“The clan’s compound,” he replied, his eyes scanning my body. Thank Christ for the blanket, otherwise he would see how hard my nipples were right now. Nobody had the right to look so good in sweats.
“Why did you bring me here?”
He arched his pierced brow. “You were falling all over yourself, ready to ask for Finnan’s mercy. He prefers it when people beg in person.”
Through my gritted teeth, I snarled, “I don’t beg any man. I’m here to negotiate.”
His dark eyes flared with … anger, maybe? “Right. You’re here to negotiate.”
Glancing away, I answered, “When will I get to see him?”
“When he’s ready for you.”
“I need to see him now .”
Keir cocked his head to the side. “Why the rush?”
Because my sister and mam’s life depended on it.
“I want to get away from you,” I retorted.
He grinned, but the emotion in his smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I thought we were having fun, Jynx, playing cat and mouse.”
“I have my reasons.”
“Do those reasons have anything to do with why Grady attacked you?”
At the mention of his name, the blood drained from my face. Grady. My heart pulsed in my throat. “How do you know his name?”
“You told me.”
Had I? I didn’t remember doing that.
Possibly sensing my confusion, Keir pressed, “Why was Grady at your apartment?”
“I can’t tell you.” My voice broke.
“Why did you deliver the bullet?”
I shook my head, my hair rasping over the pillow. “I can’t tell you that either.”
Anger flashed in his eyes. “You pull that shit with Finnan, and I can guarantee he’ll put a bullet in your head.”
He was right. A man like Finnan wouldn’t take my word, I had to have proof. And that proof was…
“Where’s my phone?” I flung out the question like a lifeline.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the device. His thumb worked over the numerical pad to unlock it.
“How did you get into my phone?” I demanded, outraged at him invading my privacy.
He gave a bitch, please look. “Using your birthday as your passcode isn’t very smart, Jynx. I thought someone like you would have made it more difficult to find out what was on here.” He flashed me the screen, waving it at me with a smug smile.
“You know my birthday?” I asked, trying to keep the wonder from my voice. My mum forgot half the time, and she’d been there on the fucking day. Orla was the only other person in this world who celebrated my birthday.
“I know a lot of things about you, Jynx.”
The blood froze in my veins as I contemplated his words. He’d dug into my past. While I knew that on a fundamental level—otherwise how would he have known where I lived, or my phone number—what else had he found out?
“I know you’re not from Galway. You only moved here four years ago, when you joined the nursing program.
Before Galway, you were in Dundalk. I couldn’t find out why you went there when you were fifteen, but you stayed for five years.
You weren’t registered at the school, so I assumed you found a job. ”
In a way, he was right about Dundalk. I had stayed for five years, working full time to support myself, and since I hadn’t completed my Leaving Certificate, in the later years, I enrolled in FET courses to allow me to apply for college.
Nursing was my way out, and I did everything to ensure I could apply.
To protect myself as soon as I’d left home, I’d lived under a false name—the same name I had now.
As soon as I could, I made sure I got all the documentation to match.
It had cost a lot, but it had been worth every cent.
“Before Dundalk, however,” Keir continued, oblivious to my inner turmoil, “I don’t know…” His mouth curled at the corners as he trailed off, amusement splashed across his expression. He wiggled the phone at me. “I wonder what else is on here...”
I threw the blanket from my body, ready to launch myself at him, to wrestle my phone from his grip before he could find out anything else I didn’t want him to.
Then I realized I was completely naked, and vulnerability hit hard.
Keir digging into my past was brutal, but I wasn’t about to make it any worse by wrestling my phone from his massive grip while naked. I’d bide my time. “Why am I naked?”
“I had to make sure you weren’t armed.”
My brows shot into my hairline. “You bastard. You watched me shower so you know I’m not carrying.”
Amused delight spread further across his face. The asshole was enjoying this. “I don’t know, Jynx. Your cunt is pretty fucking deep. I bet you could hide something up there.”
I snorted. “My phone is private, you bastard.”
He shook his head, clucking his tongue. “Nothing is private when I’m around.”