Page 14 of The Chief
Jynx hardly weighed a thing. Even unconscious, I barely had to strain to lift her.
As soon as I’d walked into her building, I’d known something was wrong. My thighs had burned as I raced up the steps to the fourth floor, and when I’d seen her door hanging by its hinges, a sense of rage had overtaken me. Not because Molly had been attacked, but because I needed her alive to take back to Finnan.
Yeah, that had to be it.
There had been a man standing at the foot of the bed, his jeans loose around his knees, and his shirt rucked up like he wanted to watch his abs flex as he fucked her. What a fucking asshole. As he shifted, I caught a glimpse of a raven tattooed on his hip. Fucking hell. The piece of shit was a member of Clan Fiach. What thefuckwas he doing here, and how did Molly know him?
Stepping in closer, I saw Molly on the bed, her panties in tatters and discarded nearby.
“That’s right,” the guy—Grady, I’d learned—said. “You’re going to take my cock, Molly, then you’re coming back with me. There you can be our clan whore. You’ll pay me for my silence with your cunt, arsehole, and mouth.”
I quickly filed away that last sentence for later—information was king, after all—then took out my Glock and raised it. The decision to shoot this fucker in the back of the head had been the easiest one today, even though he was a member of an enemy clan. As soon as he fell, I knew Molly hadn’t really been in the room. She’d mentally withdrawn, hopefully to a better fucking place.
Once we were outside her building, I bundled her straight into the Rover, thankful the area was empty. Getting into the driver’s seat, I checked Molly’s pulse, then called Brianna.
“Chief,” she answered. In the background, I heard pool balls clacking. She and her brother, Seamus—her partner in the clean-up crew—must’ve been down at that dive bar they loved so much, hustling the patrons.
“Got a job for you.”
“Where?” she replied, suddenly all business. They may have enjoyed their downtime, but when there was a job, they were the best in Galway.
I relayed the address, telling them to hurry. Brianna replied they were already in the van, and I hung up. I hesitated a moment. It physically hurt to call the next person on my list.
“Keir?” she answered, and I rubbed my sternum.
“Fallon, where are you?”
“I had a class, it’s just finished.”
Thank fuck she was close. “Meet me at Velvet. I need your help.” Before she could ask any more questions, I hung up and started the engine.
Velvet was a strip club the clan owned, an asset which brought in nearly a quarter of our income. However, to avoid any unwantedquestions or attention from Mary, the clan’s Pull, I entered through the back door of the club. I knew the girls wouldn’t look twice at me, or the fact I was carrying a bloody, unconscious woman in my arms. Rhapsody, a stripper with long blonde extensions and huge blue eyes, saw me and sashayed my way. She’d been Grayson’s girl once upon a time, but that was before Sloane stole his attention and his heart.
“New girl?” Rhapsody asked. She studied the other woman for a moment, before reaching over and brushing some hair off Molly’s face. “She’s pretty. Good body for dancing. Needs to eat a little more, though. Most of the lads don’t like girls who look anemic like that.”
“Don’t fucking touch her,” I warned. “You can tell the other girls, too. This one is off-limits.”
The stripper backed up a step, knowing my warning was real. “You got it. I’ll spread the word.”
Turning my back on the girl, I walked down the long hall which led to the private rooms. Each was identical—a semi-circular black leather lounge wrapped round a shiny podium and pole. I wasn’t sure how Molly would feel waking up here, but it was the safest place for her right now.
After arranging her on the couch, I went to the hidden cupboard along the wall and pulled out a blanket, draping it over her. She’d probably be asleep for a little while longer. As I rose from my crouch, I winced at the pain which lanced through my thigh. Making sure my stride was smooth as I crossed the room, I locked the door behind me and walked back down the hall to the bar.
Caolan was leaning against the polished black surface, his attention fixed on something across the room, but Mary, who stood behind the bar, narrowed her eyes when she saw me. “You’re bleeding,”
“No shit,” I muttered back. “Can I get a whiskey?”
She gave me the side-eye, then bent to grab a clean glass, filling it with amber liquid. Caolan hadn’t acknowledged me yet, and I followed his line of sight to Kitty, who was on stage grinding to a song with a heavy beat. My gaze shifted to Mary, who simply shrugged.
“Who was the woman?” Mary asked.
I stopped mid-sip and placed down my glass. “What woman?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, I saw you on the security cameras. You brought a woman in with you. Unconscious by the look of it.”
“She’s nobody,” I replied stiffly. Sure. I could’ve thrown my rank around and made her stop talking, but Mary held a lot of respect within the clan. She kept the girls here safe, and being the clan’s Pull, she was adept at diffusing aggressive or violent situations within the ranks, as well as being a master negotiator.
“Okay. Do you want me to make sure thenobodyhas water and food sent to her room?”
