Page 9 of Dublin Devil

That’s a relief. The Quinns don’t need to be tied to any more violence involving the McGuire children. Declan being dead is bad enough—fuck you very much, Aiden.

“And when things got bad, you crossed the bridge to escape?”

A knock on the door pops the bubble of our private moment, and Piper’s look of terror returns. I hold up my hand to keep her from bolting and drop the bloody cloth back into the pot. “It’s either Tag or the Doc. Those are the only two people who know we’re here.”

She swipes at the tears now streaming down her blood-soaked cheeks. “Take your gun out. Be ready, just in case.”

She’s serious. Who the fuck spooked this girl bad enough that she thinks they’d follow her into our territory, and I’d need to shoot them to stop them from getting at her.

Still, there’s no harm in humoring the girl.

Reaching to the small of my back, I slide my hand under the fall of my leather Devils cut and draw my SIG Sauer. When I show it to her, she relaxes a little.

Not a lot of the girls I know would have that reaction to me carrying, but I suppose Piper McGuire isn’t like many other girls.

Another knock rattles off the door and I hustle over. A quick glance out the front window tells me it’s Doc Kelvin. I holster my gun and let the good doctor in.

“Hey, Doc. Sorry about that. Our patient is a little jumpy.”

Kelvin finds Piper on the sofa, and he lets off a long whistle. “Shit. They really did a number on her.”

“Yeah. Look, she’s understandably shaken up, but you need to assure her that no one will hear of this.”

He pegs me with a look. “Since when has that become a concern with me?”

“It hasn’t. I just want you to assureher.”

That settles him down a bit, and I walk him over. “Piper, this is the Doc I told you about. He’s good people and you can trust him.”

She frowns. “I told you I don’t need a doctor. I’m fine. I just need to be left alone.”

Kelvin offers her a sympathetic smile. “Sweetheart, maybe you don’t realize how bad off you are. You’ve been beaten, and by the look of things, the guy wore a ring. Your arms and legs are diced to shit?—”

“She went through a glass table,” I say.

“And by the way you’re curled to the one side and holding your ribs, I’m going to guess you took a couple of blows there too.”

“He, uh… kicked me a few times.”

Fucking hell.The thought of this sweet young thing falling prey to that kind of violence makes me homicidal.

“Hey, Sean.” Kelvin’s tone breaks through the rush of fury buzzing in my head. “Could you put that away and give us some privacy?”

I follow the doc’s gaze to where my gun is clenched in my hands. Wow. Okay. Truly homicidal. I didn’t even realize I’d drawn it from my holster.

“Uh, yeah. I’ll be in the kitchen making everyone tea. Let me know when the coast is clear.”

CHAPTER THREE

Piper

Sean leaves me with the Quinn doctor, and I try to reason with him and stop what I know is coming next. “I really am fine. I’d tell you if I wasn’t. Sean shouldn’t have bothered you.”

Kelvin runs a hand through his ginger beard and sits on the coffee table opposite me. He’s got a smattering of freckles covering his nose and cheeks, and kind eyes filled with understanding and a fair dose of pity.

“I understand that having me examine you is at the top of the list of things you don’t want to do, but I answer to the Quinns, not you. Sean asked me to check you out, and that’s what I’m here to do. Now, the quicker you let me do my thing, the sooner it will be over and I can give you something for the pain.”

“But I don’t want this—not any of it.”

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