“Fuck you, Joe.”
I raised an eyebrow and looked at Joe, who wasn’t bothered by Shane’s outburst.
“Kevin’s friend.” He shrugged. “Helped him steal the money and was involved in a shipment goin’ missin’ tonight.”
I stepped back. This man wasn’t going to get a warning beating like Kevin. He would most likely die for what he did. No one stole from Brandy Daley and got away with it. Kevin was lucky he had a father who was close to Brandy; otherwise, he would mostly have the same fate as Shane. Joe asked Shane a few questions about the location of the shipment that was lost, and he answered none of them.
“Remainin’ silent will only lead to more bad shite happenin’ to ye’, Shane. Do yourself a favour and tell me where the shipment is. I know ye’ tried to jack it. I’ve eyes everywhere along the docks.”
Shane laughed, then spat in Joe’s direction. “If ye’ have eyes all along the docks, then why did none of them see where your shipment got to?”
Joe took out a handkerchief from his jacket pocket and wiped his face. “I don’t have time for games. Tell me what I want to know or me friend ‘ere will breaks your legs. Your choice.”
Still, he remained silent. One of the men who brought Shane into the room didn’t wait for an order from Joe before he advanced forward and threw a punch at Shane, who couldn’t defend himself. There was a lot of shouting, cursing, and screaming that followed in the next twenty seconds, and I looked away from the beating just as the other man who brought Shane into the room opened the door, and a gasp sounded.
“I took a wrong turn. I’m so sorry.”
My heart stopped because I knew who that voice belonged to. Just before the man could go after Aideen Collind, I stepped forward and moved in front of him.
“I’ve got her.”
He shrugged and turned back to Shane getting his ass handed to him. I looked at Joe, nodded and then left the room knowing I would never take another job offer from him again. I didn’t want to be involved in people getting hurt anymore. That part of my life was over, and I wasn’t revisiting it for no one. I jogged out of the room and followed the sound of heels clicking against the floor, as well as laboured breathing. I turned onto a hallway and silently walked up behind Aideen, who turned and walked head first into my chest.
“Ow!”
She lifted her hand to her forehead and rubbed it.
“You should watch where you’re going.”
I watched as she recognised my voice, and I wanted to laugh when her fear fled, and annoyance took root, but then I was reminded where she was and just how dangerous things could have been for her if I hadn’t been the one to come after her.
“What the hell are you doing back here?”
Aideen swallowed and looked from left to right. “I could ask you the same thing,” she replied with confidence I knew she didn’t feel.
I set my jaw. “No, you fucking can’t. This is no place for someone like you.”
“Someone like me?” she asked, offended.
I walked forward, and she backed up towards the wall. “Yeah, someone like you.”
When her back pressed up against it, she blurted, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
She sucked in a startled breath when I surged forward and gripped both of her arms with my hands.
“It means”—I leaned in close to her face—”that good girls don’t belong here. Understand me, baby doll?”
Her eyes were wide, and her plump lips were parted. She was scared, but she was trying her hardest not to be, and I admired her for it.
“What makes ye’ think I’m a good girl?”
I allowed my eyes to roam over her and felt my lips twitch. “I don’t think you’re a good girl, baby doll. I know you are.”
“That just goes to show ye’ really don’t know me because I do belong ‘ere... I’m ‘round ‘ere all the time. I’ve actually hung out in Darkness since before ye’ even moved here. I’m practically an OG of this place.”
I wanted to laugh.
“Oh, really? Then tell me something, OG, why do you look lost walking down these hallways?”
She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it because she had no clue how to answer me because she was lost. She was too stubborn to admit that, though, so instead, she said, “I don’t have to justify meself to you, Slater.”
I did chuckle then. “That you don’t, baby doll.”
She tried to pull free of my hold, but my grip tightened on her.
“Let go of me!” she demanded. “And what the hell is with this baby doll crap?”
I hadn’t realised I had called her baby doll, but I looked at her from head to toe and shrugged, “You need babying, and you look like a doll so... baby doll.”