Page 85 of Dylan
I’ve been furious since Ciarán told us how it all happened. The locker rooms don’t have cameras. I’m guessing that’s one of the reasons they knocked him out in there to take him.
I’m still trying to figure out how no one saw them carrying a kid out of the place. Heads are going to roll. When I find Arnold, he’s going to wish he never took his first breath. It was smart of him to run.
Fucking coward.
He was right to be afraid of Ciarán’s hands. In the last seven months, the kid has made a ton of progress. His dad would be proud.
“I had been fighting the underground scene to make some money,” I mutter.
“Are ya crazy? Ya could have fucked up your career with that shit. We have plenty of money, ya didn’t need to be in those fights …” Jamie trails off.
He looks at me like I lost my mind. I turn away, not wanting to read the look on his face. I know what’s coming.
“It was because of her. Da forbid ya from going home, but yer hardheaded ass was going to go back anyway, weren’t ya?”
“Yeah, I had to find her. I knew she would find her way back to me.”
“He would have had ya killed, ya eejit. Dyl, Da, Logan, Con, and Brooklyn don’t tell us everything for a reason, but what they do say, ya sure as fuck should listen to. That man was evil.
“I don’t trust that his death was the end of him. Just ya wait, his hate is bound to resurface sooner or later,” he says, his words ringing in the air with an eerie truth to them.
“Don’t worry. I’m listening now. Besides, she’s here. That’s all I ever wanted.”
“Yeah, well, I’m happy ya got the kid back and she’s okay. Now I get why ya’ve been throwing me all the meetings in the lairs. Yer ass can’t go in them,” he snorts as he rounds the counter to pull me into a hug.
I return the embrace. Jamie only wants to see me safe. It’s good to know he has my back no matter what.
“I love ya, kid,” he says and kisses my forehead as he releases me.
“I love you too. Now get out so I can go check on my girl.”
“Fuck ya. I’m coming over for breakfast. So get yer dick wet tonight and have my pancakes and bacon ready when I get here in the morning.”
“Whatever,” I scoff.
He tosses me a two-finger salute and saunters out of my apartment. I lock the door from my phone and turn on the alarm system before I head upstairs.
I find Ciara in Ciarán’s room, right where I knew she would be. They’re curled up together watching TV. Ciarán is wrappedup in the covers like a burrito. He peeks out at me with a small smile on his lips.
“Hey,” he says.
“Hey, buddy. How are you?”
“Better. That stuff Miss Taegan put on my wrists helped a lot. Just happy to be home. Sorry you guys missed that concert.”
My chest swells to hear him call my place home. Finding him in tears destroyed me. Ciarán is a good kid; he didn’t deserve this.
I wave him off and shrug. “True Life is family. If we call in some favors, we can work something out. No big deal. Jamie will get over it.”
He yawns. “Cee, I’m really tired. I’m going to go to sleep. You don’t have to stay. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“You sure? I can stay the night if you don’t want to be alone.”
“No, I’m okay.”
“Okay, if you need anything, let me know. No matter what.”
“I’ll be fine. See you in the morning.”
