Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 126485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Lack of sleep was catching up on me and I felt my eyes falling shut on occasion. Maybe whoever had followed Aislinn lost interest.
I jerked awake. I had briefly fallen asleep. I only caught the hint of Aislinn’s hair as she turned a corner and disappeared from view. Damn it.
I pushed away from the wall. The street was busy and eventually I just crossed it, causing cars to sound the horn and to hit the brakes with screeching tires.
Jogging or running made you look suspicious. That’s the last thing you needed when you trailed someone. Still my quick walking could hardly be considered actual walking. When I rounded the corner, I still didn’t see Aislinn. This part of Dublin had many smaller alleys branching off each other. A scream rang out followed by a metallic bang. Fuck. I began running.
I felt elated. My job interview at the Italian restaurant was really good. They even invited me to work a shift next week to see if I was a good fit. The first hint of progress since my move to Dublin.
I glanced over my shoulder as I left the restaurant. Maybe my time with Lorcan made me paranoid but I had felt like being watched these last few days. At first, I’d hoped it was Lorcan but now I thought my mind was just playing tricks on me.
I was still disappointed that Lorcan hadn’t tried to see me, which was completely idiotic of me. He didn’t want anything to do with me.
Steps crunched behind me. I glanced over my shoulder once more and for a heartbeat, I was sure I caught a glimpse of a familiar tall and muscular figure. Then a sound made me turn back around and a shadow fell over me, causing a scream to rip from my throat. A tall man grabbed me and jerked me to the side, into a narrow alley without any street lights. That definitely wasn’t Lorcan. He didn’t smell like him. This man smelled like cigars and sweat. I struggled against his hold but he shoved me against a wall. My head hit the stone, sending a stabbing pain through my skull.
Light from the main alley caught on a blade and fear shot through me. Was this a rapist? A contract killer? Maybe from the Devaneys? Maybe this was Lorcan’s form of a divorce.
A muscular arm hooked around my attacker’s throat and jerked him back, away from me. Now that my eyes had gotten used to the dim light, I could make out two tall men wrestling. Lorcan was one of them, and he had my attacker in a headlock. The man still had his knife and slashed it backwards.
“Lorcan! The knife!” I screamed.
Lorcan reacted before I even finished my words. He shoved sideways so the man’s arm smashed against the wall. A sickening crack sounded, and the man howled in agony. I was frozen against the wall. Lorcan tightened his hold around the man’s throat and slowly my attacker sank to the ground. Lorcan seemed immune to his elbow jabs that he sent backwards with his uninjured arm. The man choked and eventually he became slack. Lorcan dropped him, and he fell to his side motionless. Lorcan kicked his ribs hard then picked up the knife. I braced myself for him killing the man but he simply closed the knife and put it in his pocket.
Lorcan’s gaze hit me. His eyes scanned me then he stalked toward me. Now that the first adrenaline spike was over, I realized how hard I was trembling and something warm ran down my neck. Lorcan cupped my cheek, surprising me. I leaned into the touch without thinking. His brows furrowed as he tilted my head. “You’re bleeding. You might need stitches.”
“Is your vision blurry or do you feel nauseous?”
I shook my head. Hundreds of questions raced through my head but none left my lips.
“Are you hurt anywhere else?”
I shook my head again.
My eyes moved past Lorcan to the unmoving man on the ground. “Is he—?” I didn’t think he was dead, but I needed to ask.
“No, not yet. I’ll need some answers before he’ll die.”
I nodded. Of course. It made sense. Maybe. Right now, nothing really made sense anymore.
“I’ll give my brother a call, then I’ll take you home.”
“I can’t go home like this. Mum will be worried sick if I show up with blood on my head.”
“I’ll take you with me and treat your injuries, then you can go home,” Lorcan said, his voice was tight with an emotion I couldn’t decipher. He took a step away from me, and I almost asked him to come back, but instead I wrapped my arms around myself.
“Balor, I caught the guy. Send someone over so they can keep an eye on him until I have time to question him.”