Page 29 of Harbor Lights

Shiv shuffled back on the couch and made more space for Con. “Most of them hide their identities really well. We’ve done plenty of anonymous whistle-blowing, but it’s not taken seriously without hard evidence and visible accusers. And these people don’t mess around.”

“But you got exposed?” Con was enjoying the physical presence of another person for the first time in years. It didn’t feel awkward that her arm was still around Shiv. If anything, she was leaning into the comforting embrace. It was a shame the conversation topic was a little harrowing.

“I remained off-grid for so long, traveling alone or with other activists. I was self-sufficient, only worked in cash, black bloc when we protested. I was pretty untraceable until I got arrested.”

“Is black bloc when the protesters all wear face coverings and unremarkable clothing?”

“Yeah, usually counter protesting at some rally that’s about taking other people’s rights away.”

“But then you get criticized for looking like a mob.”

“It’s protection to make us less identifiable by those far-right groups. They use technology to trace and doxx us. Or threaten our families.”

“But you’re also less easily identified by law enforcement?” Con had mixed feelings about activists who went to extreme lengths. Surely, extremism in all its forms was dangerous. Shiv seemed a little edgy to mention that right now. Maybe it was a conversation for the future.

Shiv hadn’t responded to her question, so she asked the one she really wanted an answer to. “Why did you go to prison?”

Shiv turned and backed out of her embrace. “I told you the other day.”

“You said you stopped someone getting hurt, but what did youdo?”

Shiv’s eyes narrowed. “What did I do, or what was I convicted of?”

“Both, I guess.”

“I saw a guy corner one of the younger protesters and drag her down an alley. I had to push my way through the crowds and when I got there she was on the ground, and he was stamping on her.”

“What did you do?” Con wondered if she actually wanted to know.

“I rushed him to get him away from her. I hit him hard, and his head bounced off the wall.” Shiv rubbed her face. “He was in a coma for six weeks and he has permanent brain damage.”

“And the woman?”

“Barely a woman. She was an eighteen-year-old student. Couldn’t have been more than a hundred and thirty pounds. Her face was so swollen she couldn’t even open her eyes for a week. She still won’t leave the house alone, a year on.”

Con didn’t think Shiv could be any more than a hundred and thirty pounds, even if a lot of that was muscle. “So, you probably saved her life?”

“That’s not how the judge saw it. He said whatever the mitigating circumstances, the severity of that shithead’s injuries deserved jail time. He gave me the minimum sentence of one year for aggravated battery, and I served it all in jail.”

“But you’ll have a criminal record for life?”

“I’d never been convicted before.”

Con noticed she didn’t say she’d never been in trouble with the law.

“There’s a first offender scheme that meant my case was sealed after I served my sentence. So, technically, I don’t have a conviction on my record. Turns out, though, these things follow you across continents.” When Shiv laughed bitterly, a wave of guilt swamped Con for her interest in the gossip that had been shared before.

“So, you had to run when you got out? To keep your mom safe?” Shiv seemed to be in the mood to share and Con was keen to understand her situation and what had brought her to Inishderry of all places.

Shiv frowned again. “I wasn’t running. I was protecting my mom and her husband. The guy I injured had links to another far-right group. His dad is a senior member. They went all out to publicize my trial and expose the ‘extreme left’ and ‘Antifa’. How my radical beliefs had destroyed the hopes of this clean-living, ex-college football star.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm and disgust.

“So, you went to your estranged grandfather to lay low. And he sent you here.”

“I jumped at the chance, if I’m honest. My mom told me such wonderful stories of her childhood vacations on Inishderry. Before everything went wrong.”

“And are you glad you came?” Con wanted the answer to be positive.

Shiv’s thin lips twisted into a smile that brightened her face for the first time in a while. “Yeah, I love it. I hope I’ve built some relationships that will last.” When their gazes locked, Con felt the intensity of Shiv’s words. Shiv laughed lightly and broke the contact. “And my cousins are pretty okay, too.”

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