Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 69875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
I make my way to the shadowed figure and find it’s Miren. She’s not heard me approach. Her focus is on the sky. There aren’t many stars out, but the moon illuminates her as she looks up at it. I wonder if she’s praying to God.
I’m quiet for a long while as I watch her. Even though I can’t bring myself to look away, I know I can’t trust her. Not until I know who she really is. As much as I want to be a good person, to take her in and keep her safe, like I’ve done with all the other women who needed help, something about Miren doesn’t sit right with me.
I turn and take a step towards my bike when I hear her. “Where are you going?”
I glance over my shoulder to find her looking at me. “Donahue isn’t answerin’ his phone,” I tell her. “I’m goin’ ta have a chat with him.”
“May I go with you?”
She walks up to me, no fear in her eyes, which has me on alert. Most girls see me and there’s a hint of fear that shimmers in their gazes. I’m tall, broad, and a scary fecker. But Miren doesn’t seem at all perturbed by me.
“No.”
“Please? He helped me when he found me at Patrick’s house. He could have just sent me packing with those guards hunting me down,” she pleads, and I see the tears shimmering on her lashes. “I… I don’t know what I would do if something happened to him.”
When she blinks, the tears that had been hanging onto her lashes fall. They trickle down her cheeks, but she swipes at them. The conviction in her expression tells me there’s more to her connection with Donahue. Perhaps she’s related to the man. I know he has never been married, which confirms he’s probably never fathered a child. His brother on the other hand, isn’t a priest. Perhaps this wee girl is his niece.
Sighing, I turn to the bike and grab my helmet. “Put this on,” I tell Miren before swinging my leg over the bike and offering her my hand.
Once her body is nestled against mine, I start the engine. As much as I didn’t want her on the back of my motorbike, I can’t deny her wanting to see the priest.
He’s always been sound to me, and if my deductions of their relationship are true, she’ll want to see him. There’s no other explanation. She must be his niece. He would never have asked me to help her if he didn’t care for her. There isn’t any other conclusion I can come up with. If she were a stranger to him, he would’ve found a shelter in the city for her.
It feels as if this is the longest ride I’ve ever endured. I didn’t expect her to wrap her arms around me. But why wouldn’t she? She’s on a fast-moving motorbike. I can feel the warmth of her, and the softness of her moulds to me, which has my hackles rising. It doesn’t make sense that this stranger would ignite a fire inside me. I chalk it up to my self-imposed drought.
I got tired of the club whores who wanted a ring on their finger. I don’t want an old lady, but they didn’t get the hint. It brought me to a conclusion, every woman who slipped into my bed, no matter how much I told them it wouldn’t lead to somethin’ long term, wanted more.
I’m thankful when we pull up to Donahue’s house. Even though it’s in darkness, I notice the gates are wide open. He never leaves them unlocked. Usually, they’re shut tight when he goes to bed. I recall one late night, my sloshed arse stumbled up to his house, and I had to bang on the gates to wake him up. He allowed me to sleep on his sofa, sobering me up with coffee.
I kill the engine and help Miren to her feet before I follow suit. Her soft footfalls behind me are the only sounds besides mine against the concrete tiles. I’m pretty sure she’s holding her breath. I pull out my gun and unlock the safety before knocking on the door. But the moment my knuckles hit the wood, the door slides open.
My gut twists with anxiety. I know I’m about to find a dead body. There’s no doubt in my mind. I know because I’ve come across scenes like this too many times to count.
“Stay behind me,” I whisper as I step over the threshold. The entrance hall is empty, and I turn left into the lounge where I see him before Miren does. Immediately, I spin on my heel and stop her. “Stay right here. Do not come in this room.”
Her eyes are wide as she stares up at me. “What’s wrong?” Even though I can hear the break in her voice, knowing she has realised what we found, I shake my head.