Page 54 of Hostile Bond
“Look, without getting into it… Mammy and I need a driver to take us to the airport. Can you do it? I have a car waiting outside.”
He nods his head slowly. “You’re on the run?”
“Sort of. The less you know, the better.”
“And then what? Where are you flying to?”
“Sicily.”
“What about this place?”
“If you drive us there tonight, I’ll let you have The Rusty Shamrock.”
“Have it?” he repeats, his brows drifting upward. “Like buy it? Because you know I don't have that sort of cash.”
A smile tugs at my lips. “It’s a gift between friends. You’ll own it. I know you love this place, Liam. You practically grew up in the bar beside your dad. It makes sense for you to take it over.”
“Are you serious?”
“Deadly. Mammy and I won’t be back in Ireland.”
Mammy draws back her shoulders. “Right. That's it sorted. I’ll go upstairs and pack a few of your things, Sinéad.” She nods at him and pats his arm on the way past. “Liam, can you get everyone out?”
He nods back at her, watching as she crosses over the threshold to the bar. “You got it Bronagh.” Turning his head, he looks right at me and scratches his clean-shaven jaw. “You must be in some serious shit?”
I shrug. “You could say that.”
Liam glances at his wristwatch. “You don’t look too good, Sinéad. Why don’t you both lie low at my place for a few days until you're well enough to travel?”
His accurate assessment of me pisses me off. The last thing I want to portray is vulnerability, but his stare eats up my clammy skin and weary body. My spine automatically straightens, and I do my best to hold it together.
“I’m fine,” I mutter. “The time zones are fucking with my body, that’s all. I’ll sleep on the flight to Sicily.” Our eyes meet. Friendliness projected from mine and something else swirling from his. “I had to leave my husband behind and I’m trying to figure out what happens next.”
Liam continues to study me, his gaze cutting to the hand resting on my stomach and the slight wobble of my heavy legs as I sidestep the chair. There’s a flicker of emotion in his expression. A notable flare of one-sided lust in the way he licks his lips. It makes me uncomfortable, not because it’s him—because I’ll never be able to return that look to another man ever again.
“Do you love him?” he mutters. “Or was it one of those arranged marriages?”
I sigh as my heart aches. “I love him.”
That’s all I can say on the matter. What happened between Dré and me is our business.
“I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you.” He steps back to let me out. “If you need help… I could come with you. You’ll need people on your side who you can trust.”
“And that's why I’m giving you this place. I’m trusting you to look after it for me.” I smile tightly, hoping he gets the gentle hint.
“Okay, let’s do this. I’ll get rid of everyone and then we’ll hit the road.”
He follows behind me, his loud voice making me flinch as he calls time. “Everyone out. Haven’t you got homes to go to?”
My heart sinks to my stomach.
Home is where my heart is.
It doesn't take long for Liam to herd the last few reluctant drinkers out into the cold night air. Mammy appears beside me at the front door with a worn duffle bag and a resigned smile. “We had good times here, sweetheart. Life wasn’t always like this. This is a new chapter for us. A new beginning.” She holds out the keys between the three of us. “These belong to you now, Liam.”
“I don’t know what to say.” He takes them from her and jangles them in his hand. “I wish it was under happier circumstances. No matter what happens, you’ll always have a home here.”
My fingernails dig into my hands, trying hard to ignite the energy needed to stand. I feel like a damn corpse. He props the door open with his boot and waits for us to go outside first.
