“Aye,” Lachlan continues.
“That’s enough. We don’t need to give her any more information than necessary, for Christ’s sake.”
We drive in silence, and as the time passes, the view out our window goes from the glittering rocks that line the coast of Ballyhock to dilapidated streets of Stone City.
Lachlan whistles. “Never been here,” he mutters to himself.
“Well good for you,” Sheena says.
“Sheena,” I begin. I’ve had it with her mouth, but I don’t get very far when someone runs straight out in front of the car so quickly I come to a screeching halt.
“Mother of God,” I mutter, as two teens dressed in all black laugh and jeer, running away from us.
“Pull the car over,” Lachlan fumes in the back. “I’ll teach them to be so feckin’ stupid.”
“No time, brother.” He’s got a temper he keeps in check with effort, which sometimes proves useful. Other times, not so much.
“Careful, Nolan,” Carson says. “Pull ‘round the shops here, and to the left. To the right’s where the dealers are. Likely to be more crowded this time of night.”
Sheena looks over her shoulder at him, frowning. “How do you know anything about this city?”
“Don’t answer her,” I tell him. He’s silent, and she huffs out a breath, but before I can respond, she points a finger.
“There,” she says. I glance quickly at her. Her face has paled, and she bites her lip. When she speaks, her tone of voice carries more than anger, though. Hurt? “I’d thank you to keep your nasty comments to yourself.”
“Nasty comments?”
“Aye,” she says, reaching for the handle of the door. “Not all of us were raised in a mansion, Nolan.”
Touchy, seems like. I didn’t say a word to her about where she came from. I have to admit, it surprises me, though. There are few places more run down than Stone City, and I didn’t peg her coming from a place like this.
She opens the door and leaves. The rest of us follow.
“Christ, brother, good luck with that one,” Lachlan mutters.
I give him a wry smile. “It isn’t luck I need.”
Carson smacks me on the back. “Aye, Nolan’s up for this job.”
I go round the car and beckon for Sheena. She walks to me without giving me trouble, and takes the hand I hold out. It feels strangely intimate.
“Didn’t know you’d be introducing me to mum and dad already, did you?”
She lifts her head high and doesn’t respond at first. Her nostrils flare and her cheeks redden, before she tosses her hair and shrugs. But she’s acting again. I needled her. It’s easy to do.
“Right then. Be sure to make a good impression, will you?”
I snort. “Aye, lass, I always make a good impression.”
“Really?” she asks. “Don’t know about that. First night I met you, you tied me up and punished the hell out of me. Did you forget?”
I squeeze her hand a little tighter. “Of course not. But it seems, doll, that I’m not the only one who hasn’t forgotten, eh?”
She looks away, abashed, when someone crosses our path. He’s tall thin, with a shaved head and beady, angry eyes. My body instantly tightens when he takes the stance of a guard dog ready to defend its territory.
“Back again so soon, Sheena? But you brought a few of your quick lays with you?”
My fingers roll into a fist. For fuck’s sake, I didn’t come here to knock someone’s teeth out, but he may leave me no choice.
“Fuck off,” she says.
Jesus, she doesn’t know how to handle bullies. You don’t mouth off to them or needle them. That only feeds them. You either ignore them or take control, and if they attack, you knock them out or slice their throat, whichever the situation calls for.
But I’ve no patience for a dumbass prick barring our way, so it’s my turn.
“Move aside,” I tell him. “We’re here for a reason and you’re in our fucking way.”
The dumb bastard’s looking for a fight, because he yanks his hand out of his pocket and a blade snaps open in his hand. Sheena gasps, but within seconds, Lachlan, Carson, and I all have our weapons drawn.
I take a step toward him, my gun trained on him.
“One more word, motherfucker.”
Moonlight glints in the man’s eyes, and he widens them almost comically when he sees the ink on my neck. “Feckin’ mafia, Sheena? Are you out of yer fucking mind, you—”
I cock my gun. “Finish that sentence, it’ll be your last,” I tell him, and I mean it. I’d just as soon splatter his brains on the sidewalk as I would look at him. I’d have a clean-up crew here before his body hit the ground.
He lowers his hands as if in surrender, but the next thing I know, he lunges at me. I duck the blade just in time. Shots ring out but we’re on the ground, fists flying. He catches me in the gut and I can’t breathe, but I roll over and get the higher ground. I’ve been trained in this, how to incapacitate and kick someone’s arse without letting myself get hurt. Again, and again, my fists fly. He’s beneath me, bearing my weight and the vicious strikes I deliver, one fucking blow at a time. Bone snaps, and his face is a bloody mess. Lachlan and Carson stand by, prepared to help, but I don’t need them. The prick’s easily beaten and damn near crying. I give him one last vicious blow before I stop.