Page 7 of Desired

Chapter 3

Moira

Thecolorwashesoutof his face instantly. Suddenly, I forget about the fact that I just had sex with a man that I barely know, and I’m standing, pantiless and braless, wearing just my tattered dress, in his back yard. He places the call on speakerphone. “Maverick? What happened?”

“I’m not sure. I got a video from Trudy’s phone. It showed that asshole Mike Wilson standing behind her, and all I heard was a gunshot, and then the video ended.”

“Where is she?”

“It looks like she’s at the back lot of her office. And the only reason why I recognize it is because I’ve been staking the place out so much since that whole fucking paternity suit went down.”

“Are you on your way there now?”

“Does a bear fucking shit in the woods?” He changes tack. “Where the fuck are you, anyway? That was a shitty thing to do, you know, fucking hanging up on me like that, you asshole.”

“I’m sorry, Maverick.” He says remorsefully, grabbing his shirt, throwing it over his shoulders. “I’m on my way. Did you call the cops?”

“What the fuck do you think?!”

“Easy, easy.” He raises a hand, as though his brother is here to see it. “Look, I know that you’re upset, but fucking calm down.”

“Easy for you to say, asshole. The woman I love could be dead.”

“I get it, Maverick. I’m on my way.”

I don’t even hesitate. I know that if Trudy, one of my patients, was shot, my assistance would be greatly appreciated and helpful, so I dust myself off, put on my veritable doctor’s hat, and we hop into Declan’s truck, forgetting, for a spell, what we just did. Declan scrolls through his phone as we pull out of his driveway, and I glance at the screen. The call that he ignored came in seven minutes ago, and I realize that I’ve never fucked so fast my entire life, and never dreamed of that ever happening. It’s like it was so fast it didn’t happen, and I try to think that maybe it isn’t true.

“Do you know who shot her?” I ask. “Who’s this Mike lad Maverick was speaking of?”

“He’s some asshole that put her through a paternity suit when she was pregnant.”

“Jesus Christ.” I scoff mirthlessly. “Why on earth would he do that? Is the man mad?”

He nods. “Aye. We’ve been trying to locate him, but he went A.W.O.L., and now he’s just shown up, evidently with guns a blazing. I didn’t think the fucker had it in him, to be honest. He seemed more like the type that doesn’t want to get his hands dirty. Let the lawyers and rented cops deal with it all, you know. I never dreamed it would resort to this. It almost makes me feel bad for...never mind.” He says with a shake of his head.

I lean forward, trying to gauge his expression. “Never mind what? What did you do, Declan?”

He waves, averting his gaze to the road. “Nothing I won’t pay for later, I assure you.”

“What happened?”

He draws in a deep breath and releases it. “Let’s just say that I took one of our security guys off the job to deal with something personal. And I’m sure that my da figured it out that he’s a newbie and hasn’t gone through the channels yet.”

“Well, then, if he’s a newbie, why does it matter? He wouldn’t technically be on the job, anyway.”

We pull onto the highway, and Declan seems to be focusing on driving as fast as he can, without getting pulled over. I decide to drop the issue, as we have bigger fish to fry right now. As we pull off the highway, and up a street, we can already see the flashing lights ahead. “Shit.” He curses under his breath, as he rakes a hand through his hair, and I get it that he looks freshly fucked, even though I’m trying not to think about that. His hair is a mess from me...well...messing it, and he’s got a hickey on his neck, which I don’t remember giving him, but that doesn’t surprise me.

He glances at me quickly, and I know that he wants to say something about my appearance, but he refrains. After all, he’s going to be the one that is known here, not me. Despite the fact that I’m not wearing a bra or underwear, I know that I look okay. My hair always feels funny when it’s disheveled, and it feels normal. The dress isn’t revealing, and the material is discreet enough that I could get away without a bra if I wanted to, anyway. “I’ll take you back to the restaurant as quickly as I can.” He says.

“It’s okay. If she’s been shot, I can help. I can always call into the office and have my appointments moved, Declan. This is more important.”

“Aye.” He nods. “Thank you.”

The place is surrounded by cops. I see one rolling yellow caution tape around the perimeter, so we just made it. But what I see is not what I expect. Trudy is standing by one of the cop cars, talking with three officers, and Maverick is by her side. “She looks alive and well.” I comment, as we walk towards them.

“Maverick. What happened.” Declan asks as we draw nearer. His brother looks our way. That’s when I notice an older man, standing by another cop car, speaking with three other officers. There’s an ambulance parked next to the back doors, and what looks like a body, covered with a white sheet, on the ground.

I walk to Trudy and give her a hug. “I’m so glad that you’re okay.”

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