Someone stirred in the kitchen with a slight sound and she jumped, startled. Deidre peered around the corner and saw Desmond with the morning paper spread out across a work space. She took a deep breath and pasted what she hoped was a carefree smile on her face. “Good morning.”
“Good day to ye,” he said. “There’s tea made and scones left if ye’re hungry. If ye’re hungry enough, I’ll fry bacon but if not, I won’t.”
“Scones will do, thanks.”
“Quinn up yet?”
She shook her head. “No. He didn’t sleep very well.”
“I wouldn’t think he would. Do ye want part of the newpaper?” He handed her the front section and they sat, drinking tea and catching up on the world outside. The quiet moment soothed some of the uneasiness in her soul and Deirdre savored it. She had begun to nibble on a second scone when a clatter at the back door opening onto the alley brought both she and Desmond to their feet. He reached into the nearest utensil drawer and pulled out a pistol, then held it down at his side. “Who’s there?” he called, a bite in his voice.
“Eileen.” Quinn’s sister answered, her voice high and cross. “Why ever didn’t ye answer the bloody phone? I called to see if you or my brother would come fetch us over, but no one picked up.”
Des replaced the weapon and glared at Eileen. “I didn’t hear it, that’s why. It’s early yet. I planned to come at eight or so. How the hell did ye get here?”
“We took a cab. Neal’s comin’ right behind me with the kids. So ye don’t answer the phone now? Have ye gone deaf in yer old age?”
“The ringer’s off and has been,” Desmond said. “I get tired of the bloody thing ringin’ off the hook.”
He glanced at Deirdre and shook his head. He mouthed, “Don’t say a thing” and she realized he’d turned off the phone so no one, whether it was the women who’d asked about her or someone else, could get through.
Neal entered, Nuala in his arms and the other two children in tow. “I told her to wait but no, she had in her mind to come now and there’s no stoppin’ her. I tried to get her to have an American breakfast at the hotel, but she wouldn’t do that either.”
“Oh, we’ve enough food to feed the lot of ye,” Desmond said. “But pipe down, would ye? Quinn’s still asleep.”
Eileen’s eyebrows lifted toward her hairline. “He’s still asleep? Jaysus, how much did he drink last night? He’s normally up with the dawn.”
“Aye and he’s up now since ye made such a feckin’ racket,” Quinn said as he joined them. Bleary-eyed and unshaven, he glared at his sister with fierce eyes. “Is there tea?”
“Yes, I’ll get you a cup,” Deirdre said. His expression softened as he nodded in her direction.
“Thanks, love.” He leaned against the counter and sighed.
“Ye look like something dead the cat dragged home,” Eileen said. “What’s with ye? Ye look pig sick, no doubt about it. Are ye?”
Quinn snorted through his nose with force. “I’m fine.”
She didn’t lower voice but she gentled the tone. “Do ye have the flu, Quinn? I can see now ye’re not hungover but ye look awful.”
“I didn’t sleep for shite, that’s all,” he said and sipped the tea Deirdre handed him. He cradled the mug in both hands. “What are ye doin’ here so early anyway?”
Eileen picked up the discarded ads from the morning paper and rifled through them. “I thought I’d like to do a bit of shopping. This Black Friday thing has me intrigued. So I came to see if Deirdre might want to take me. Would ye?”
Deirdre cringed. She hated the crowds and the craziness, but she wanted to build a good relationship with the woman about to become her sister-in-law. But between sighting the hit man and Quinn’s dark premonition, her instinct warned she should stick close at home. “I don’t know, Eileen,” she said, groping to find the words to refuse with grace.
“Bloody feckin’ hell!” Quinn shouted and threw his mug across the room. It shattered against the freezers and the shards littered the floor. “Ye can’t take the bloody stuff back to Ireland with ye so why in hell’s name would ye want to go shopping? And I suppose ye want to go to the mall at that!”
Unfazed by his outburst, Eileen stood, arms folded against her chest. “I can tuck a few odd bits into my bag,” she said. “Ye must be ill, indeed. Ye’re crabbit as a cat this morning.”
Des intervened. “He’s reason enough, Eileen, so let it lie. Do ye want rashers of bacon this morning?”
While the old man prepared bacon and eggs, Deirdre and Quinn vanished into the rear dining room and settled in a booth. Deirdre thought some distance from his volatile sister might help defuse the situation. “Do you want more tea?”
Quinn shook his head. “Thanks but no.”
“Would you like a scone or a few rashes of bacon with an egg?”
He made no answer, sighed, and buried his head between his hands. Deirdre twisted her lips together in frustration. “I take it you don’t.”
“No.”
Deirdre pondered his curt answer for about thirty seconds, then made a swift decision. When she slid out of the booth and stood up, Quinn lifted his face. “Where are ye goin’?”
“I’m going to sweep up the mess you made and get some more tea. Maybe you’ll chill out if I give you a few minutes alone.”
“Ye’re angry with me.”
“Frustrated is more like it, Quinn.” He started to protest and she held up one hand to stop him. “I know you have a heavy premonition. I understand you’re worried and a little scared. I’m very scared. But it’s not going to help to fight with your sister or throw mugs or refuse to eat. It’s not.”
“Deirdre, love…”
He wasn’t the only one tired and anxious with emotions laid raw. Right now, she needed something to do and some space. “It just makes things worse, Quinn, and harder for everyone. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
In the kitchen, any conversation died when she entered. Deirdre fetched the broom, cleared up the mess Quinn had made, and poured a fresh mug of tea from the pot. Des glanced up from the paper and nodded. “He ran ye off, did he?”
She shrugged. “I came to get tea, that’s all.”
“I won’t make excuses for him, but he’s worried, dear, for yer sake and all.” Desmond turned to the funny pages after his statement.
“I know.”
Eileen, chalk pale except for two crimson patches on her cheeks, put down her cup. “There’s something none of ye are telling and I’d like to know what it is. Is the trouble that made ye run away and let Quinn think ye dead come back to haunt ye?”
Quinn had said not to tell and Desmond waved one hand in warning but Deirdre, weary of all the bickering, nodded. “It might be. I don’t know for sure. I haven’t exactly advertised the fact I’m back and I wouldn’t have gone in the first place if I hadn’t been in danger. I was, though, and so was Quinn. The people who were after me threatened him too. It’s the main reason why I left and went into the witness protection program.”
“Jaysus, Mary, and Joseph!” Eileen’s eyes widened. “Like in the gangster movies and all?”
“Sort of,” Deirdre said. “I left WITSEC on my own accord to come back to Quinn. There’s no going back to it, no matter what happens. Another television reporter was here, asking about me, though, and when we picked you up at the airport, I saw the man who threatened me after the trial.”
“Holy Mary! Did he threaten ye at all?”
“He winked at me, but it frightened me. If the organized crime people hold a grudge, they know I’m alive.”
“Why didn’t ye tell me?” Eileen asked, glancing around the room. “Uncle Des, ye knew?”
“Aye, of course I did. But I know when to keep me lips together.”
Eileen shook her head. “No wonder Quinn’s acting the way he is, then. He’s worried for ye.”
“For me and for all of us,” Deirdre replied. “Shopping’s a sore spot because when I left three years ago, th
e lie I told him was that I was going shopping. Then my car was found at the mall.”
Neal glanced from one woman to the other. “I can’t believe I’ve fallen into the middle of a bloody mess such as this. I’ll be glad when we leave for home tomorrow. Jaysus knows I wouldn’t have brought my family here if I’d known any of this. If we can get a flight today, we’ll go and gladly.”
Red suffused Eileen’s face. “Like hell we will,” she cried. “I’m not going home today nor tomorrow now. I can’t leave Quinn in the lurch in his hour of need. We’ll stay and see this through.”
“Woman, we can’t!” Neal raised his voice. “I’m due back at work come Monday and so are you.”
“Feck the jobs,” Eileen shouted. “Family comes first. Besides, I’ll call the arsewipes and tell them we’ve got a family crisis. They’ll not mind so much.”
“I wouldn’t be too bloody sure of that!”
“Well, I am. And I still think I’d like to see one of these Black Friday sales. There can’t be any harm in going to the mall among all the crowds.”
Neal exploded. “Ye’re being a selfish bitch, Eileen. Ye’re not thinking. I know how ye care for yer brother but ye’ve three wee ones here who need to be at home across the ocean, safe. I’m calling another taxi and going back to the hotel for the moment, the wanes with me. If ye want to risk yer arse, go ahead but ye won’t put them in harm’s way. Desmond, where’s the phone?”
“I’ll take ye if ye want to go,” the old man said. “Ye might want to book another night or two, though. I’ll pay the cost if ye want. I’ve money saved and little enough to spend it on.”
“Let’s go, then,” Neal said. He buttoned the two older children’s coats and crammed knitted hats onto their heads. Then he wrapped a blanket tight around Nuala’s shoulders. “Eileen, we’ll sort it all out later.”
“Aye, that we will.” The way Eileen spit out the words, Deirdre thought it sound more like challenge than acceptance.
“Ye should go with them.” Quinn spoke from the doorway, his voice quiet and too even. It reminded Deirdre of the eerie calm before a storm unleashed nature’s fury. “And Neal’s right, ye all should go home. I don’t want any of ye hurt.”
“I can’t leave ye like this!” Eileen cried.
“Ye can and should, sister. Put yer family first, not me.”
“Quinn, god knows I don’t want to fight with ye…”
“Then don’t,” Desmond said. “Neal, let’s go. Eileen, lass, won’t ye come with yer man for now and figure the rest out later?”
Stubborn, Eileen shook her head. “No, go on then. I’ll decide later what I want to do.”
She flew across the room, kissed her children and after a moment’s pause, she kissed her husband too. Neal put his arms around her in a brief embrace. “I hope ye know what ye’re doing,” he muttered. Eileen nodded but made no other answer.
Within minutes, the kitchen cleared and loomed empty, so quiet Deirdre heard Des start the van’s engine outside. She turned to Quinn. His woebegone expression erased her irritations and she crossed the few feet to him with speed. He opened his arms and she walked into them.
“I’m sorry for how I’ve acted,” he said as he cradled her close. “I’m too worried to see straight and I couldn’t bear for anything to happen to ye. Can ye forgive me for being such an arsehole?”
“I will if you promise not to be one again,” Deirdre said. Beneath his shirt, his heart hammered a rapid rhythm. “I know you’re concerned, sweetheart, but you can’t take it out on everyone around you.”
“I know,” Quinn replied. “Eileen, I’m sorry for being so mad and harsh with ye.”
“And I apologize, too. Ye know what a quick tongue and temper I have,” his sister said.
“Aye, I do. Neal’s right, though, ye should go home and soon.” Eileen opened her mouth to protest, but Quinn shook his head. “Ye don’t have to decide this very minute but think about it, would ye?”
“Oh, all right, I’ll think it over,” she said. Deirdre doubted she would, though. “I’m takin’ my tea to the bar and sit for a quiet minute or two, then. Ye two look like ye need time alone.”
Quinn tightened his arms around Deirdre. “I’m sorry, love.”
“It’s all right. I understand,” she said. “I know you expect the worst but here we are, all of us at each other’s throats over something that hasn’t happened yet. We don’t even know what will.”
“Aye, I don’t. But I have no doubt it will be bad, mo chroide.”
“Maybe not.” She could hope his fey insight might be way off target but though she tried hard, Deirdre couldn’t quite convince herself it was.
“I should pack the lot of ye up and head for someplace safe,” Quinn muttered. “If I knew of a bunker somewhere, I would. Maybe I should take ye back to Arkansas.”
She hoped he joked about that. “I don’t think so,” Deirdre said. “If trouble’s coming, it will find me no matter what. I doubt staying here makes any of us safer, does it? After all, they know I’m connected to you and this is your pub.”
Quinn’s body stiffened against her, taut with tension. “Ye have a point,” he said, in a croaked, cracked voice. “I never thought of it so.”
“So maybe we should take Eileen shopping.”
“Do ye want to?” He sounded incredulous.
Deirdre laughed. “I don’t, not really, but it would keep our minds from worry for a little while. She’d like it and you were awfully hard on her this morning. She has a point, about the crowds. As long as we’re surrounded by a lot of people, I doubt the organized crime people will try anything. You can drive us if it’ll make you feel any better.”
“Ah, feck it.” He sounded resigned. “All right but I need to shower and shave first. Go tell Eileen and I’ll clean up. But it’ll be one mall and one mall only so make yer choice.”
After a quick conference with Eileen, who was delighted to experience the mega shopping event firsthand, the two women poured over a few ads from the newspaper. By the time Quinn returned, shaven and clean, they were ready to hit the sales. His mood remained more than a little dark and his resignation radiated from him in waves. Because neither of them thought anyone would know her car, they retrieved it from the multi-level garage but Quinn insisted on driving.
They spent more than a hour at Bannister Mall and decided it was enough. Eileen carried a few small bags as they worked their way through the throngs to the parking area. “I had no idea it would be this crazy,” she said as she climbed into the back seat. “But I’m glad I got to see it for meself.”
“Are you two ready to go home?” Quinn asked. He’d trailed them from one store to another, disgruntled but without complant. “I am.”
“Oh, yeah,” Deirdre said with a sigh. She scooted across the seat to sit beside him, and he flashed her a brief smile. “Let’s go.”
Like shoppers in the stores, traffic jammed the roads in all directions. As they headed away from the mall, Quinn took I-70 and some of the congestion eased although the roadway remained busy. They were nearing the exit which would take them back into the Power and Light District when Quinn nudged her. “Scoot over where ye belong and fasten your seat belt,” he said, his voice sharp. “Do it now.”
“Why?” she asked, as she obeyed.
“Eileen, do the same,” Quinn said. “Now!”
“What’s the matter, Quinn?” his sister said. “Are ye in the throes of another premonition?”
“Shut it. There’s a black sedan coming up on us far too fast, and I’ve a bad sense about it. Hunker down and be quiet, the both of ye.”
Deirdre glanced back and gasped. The car barreled up behind them with speed and as she turned around, the driver crashed hard into the back of her Chevy with a crunch. Eileen shrieked and the car swerved. Quinn fought the wheel and brought it back, then floored it forward. The black sedan sped up and paced beside them. Deirdre recognized the driver as the same man who’d threatened her and winked. Besid
e him, another man lifted a semi-automatic pistol and prepared to fire.
“Get down, for the love of god,” Quinn cried. Then he swung the wheel and rammed into the other vehicle with force. Eileen babbled prayers from the back seat, her voice thick with terror and Deirdre twisted her head to see what happened. The driver of the other car lost control when Quinn hit it and swerved into the other lane, almost colliding with a delivery truck.
Quinn gained control and headed for the next exit. As they came down the off ramp, the sedan caught up and crashed into their rear again. Deirdre’s Chevy careened into a road sign pole with a harsh shudder. Metal crunched, plastic cracked as it broke, and the windshield erupted into cracks but the safety glass held. Quinn, who hadn’t fastened his seat belt, slammed forward to strike his head against the rearview mirror. Deirdre screamed his name.
The sedan idled and started forward again, but a passing patrol car pulled a sharp U-turn and approached, light bar flashing. When it did, the other car careened away. By the time the officers approached her car, Quinn had pulled himself upright. Blood trailed from a growing goose egg on his temple. “Are ye hurt?” he asked. “Deirdre, are ye all right?”
She nodded. “I’m shaken up and scared to death but I’m okay.”
Quinn turned around. “Eileen? Oh, Jaysus god, Eileen!”
His sister slumped in the floorboard, head down but when he spoke, she raised up. “I’ll live, Quinn,” she said in a choked voice. “I got no more than a bap on the head.”
“Thanks be to god,” Quinn said. His voice sounded odd and before Deirdre had time to answer, his eyes rolled back as he lost consciousness.
The thin, high wail of an ambulance approached and although glad because it brought aid, she shuddered. It reminded her too much of a banshee’s cry.
Chapter Twelve
Although Quinn wasn’t out for more than a minute or two at most, the EMTs insisted on transporting him to the nearest medical center. Since Deirdre’s car had been totaled, they allowed the women to ride up front with the driver, an exception to their rules. After a through check-up at the scene, both women were pronounced uninjured but Quinn, with a huge knot on his left temple, needed further testing to make sure he hadn’t suffered head trauma or a concussion.
Quinn's Deirdre Page 11
