Page 19 of Smoke

I’M ABOUT TO STEP INTO MY APARTMENT, WHY, HAS SOMETHING HAPPENED?

NO, JUST CHECKING THAT YOU GOT HOME OKAY. DID ANYONE SEE YOU LEAVE THE COMPOUND? DID YOU NOTICE ANYONE FOLLOWING YOU?

JESUS, SMOKE. ANYONE WOULD THINK THAT YOU CARED!

DON’T FLATTER YOURSELF, SWEETCHEEKS. I’M SIMPLY KEEPING AN EYE ON MY INVESTMENT. WHAT GOOD ARE YOU TO ME IF YOU’RE DEAD BEFORE YOU’VE GOT THE INFORMATION I NEED.

INVESTMENT? I’M NOT SOMETHING YOU CAN PLAY WITH ON THE STOCK MARKET, AND I SURE AS HELL DON’T REMEMBER ANY MENTION OF MONEY CHANGING HANDS.

I’M INVESTED IN YOUR REIMBURSEMENT FOR YOUR TOTAL DISREGARD FOR OUR PRIVACY. YOUR DISRESPECT FOR BOTH ME AND MY CLUB. THE COST, DOING EXACTLY WHAT I’VE ASKED.

HAVEN’T WE ALREADY GONE OVER ALL THIS? I TOLD YOU, I’LL TRY CONTACT HIM TO SET UP A MEET.

WELL, YOU BETTER FUCKING TURN ON THE CHARM SUGAR AND MAKE THIS WORK.

I GET IT. NOW WILL YOU BACK OFF AND GIVE ME A BREAK SO I CAN THINK ON HOW I’M GOING TO PLAY THIS.

A sudden flash of apprehension, along with a tinge of regret hits me. Paddy Dunne is a dangerous man and I’m in no doubt that putting her within his orbit is risky and dangerous.

BE SMART TENLEY. LOCK YOUR DOOR AND STAY ALERT. CALL IF YOU GET IN TROUBLE.

AWW. YOU DO CARE.

SURE. WOULDN’T WANT YOU DEAD BEFORE YOU’VE PAID YOUR DEBT.

I expect a comeback and the little bouncing dots tell me she’s working on it. But she must think twice about it when they disappear and after ten minutes or so, they don’t come back.

And I’m the stupid shmuck that sits there watching the screen and waiting.

Chapter

Thirteen

Tenley

The urge to stay in bed this morning and bury my head under the covers is real. Even my cat Alfie, only half cracks open an eye and shoots me a dirty look when I push up on my elbows to see what time is showing on my alarm clock. I fall back onto my pillow when I see that it’s already well past eight.

I’m surprised that my ginger ninja hasn’t been pestering me to get up to feed him, but then I remember I had overindulged him in cat treats last night when I couldn’t sleep.

What the fuck have I got myself into?

I spent the night hours into early morning wracking my brain. I go over various scenarios on how my impending liaison with the leader of the Death Valley Irish here in Nevada might play out.

Although it started off quite civilized, my dramaticimagination soon had things veering off into a much darker and dangerous side.

I’m aware that Paddy Dunne is far from a dashing, law-abiding, straight-up guy. He’s anything but. I’ve done my research, pulled up information as far back as his childhood upbringing in Ireland.

He is dangerous, and although not confirmed, it’s pretty clear that he’s linked to an Irish Militant group. He also seems to have the luck of the Irish when it comes to avoiding the law and prosecution.

At 3am this morning, after exhausting both my energy and any further viable options, I decided that the best way to handle my predicament would be to just call the guy and then ride it out by the seat of my pants.

The one thing that’s clear, I don’t know enough about Paddy Dunne or his personality traits, but like any man I’ve come across, he’ll be as unpredictable as the US Senate.

But before I do anything, I need a shower, coffee and a cherry pop tart.

Reluctantly, not wanting to leave the comfort of my bed, I get to my feet and get my naked ass to the bathroom. Turning on the shower, I allow the water to run through nice and hot while I stand in front of the basin and brush my teeth.

I look at my reflection in the mirror before me, watching as I work the brush around my mouth. My thoughts turn to the text banter between Smoke and me last night. I can’t help but wonder if he was concerned about me at all or if he was just a control freak checking up on me. Maybe he was worried that I might have goneon the lam despite my assurance that I would go ahead with this crazy as hell deal.

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