Page 84 of Dublin Brute

If I move out, I’ll lose access to his files, his phone calls, everything that could help protect Brendan and his family from false charges.

My mind is still whirling with that thought when I realize there is no more talking below. My father is finished his call. Will he come upstairs and find me in here listening at the vent?

I push up from the carpet and pad across the room, listening at the door before I release the lock. When I’m reasonably certain he’s not coming up the hallway, I zip out of the room—avoiding the area in the hall that lets off the loudest creaks of protest.

Please don’t be up here. Please, please, please.

Heart pounding, I make it back to my room.

I close myself in, lock my door, and sink to the floor with my heart pounding so hard my pulse is rushing in my ears.

I really would make a terrible spy.

Once I catch my breath and have thought about the situation every which way I can and still can’t think of another way, I pull out my phone and dial Kate’s number.

“Hey, roomy! I’m almost at the Pearsall’s place now. Are you on your way?”

“Kate…” My voice cracks, and I close my eyes against the sting of tears. “I’m so sorry. I can’t do it. I can’t sign the lease.”

“What?” The other end of the call goes dead silent and the break in my heart cracks open a little wider. “What do you mean you can’t sign? We’ve been planning this for months!”

“I know.” Tears burn behind my eyes. “I just…I can’t move out right now. In a month or two I might?—”

“Are you serious? We found the perfect flat! I told that nice old man we’d take it. What happened to freedom day? What happened to getting away from your controlling father?”

“Please understand?—”

“Wait. Is that what this is? Did your father find out? Is he threatening you?”

“No. It’s not that.”

“Then the only thing I understand is that you’re bailing on me at the last minute and without an explanation. That flat won’t wait for us, Nora. Someone else will snap it up.”

“I know, and I really am sorry.” The words taste like ash in my mouth. “I’m so sorry, Kate. I just can’t do it right now.”

The line goes silent for a long moment. When Kate speaks again, her voice is tight with hurt and anger. “Fine. Whatever. I’ll figure something else out. Something that doesn’t involve an unreliable, back-stabbing ex-friend.”

The call ends with a sharp click. I sink onto my bed, phone dropping from numb fingers as the tears finally spill over.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Brendan

“Are we ready for this?” I exit the change room and tilt my neck side to side, stretching out my trap and lat muscles.

Bryan rises from a squat and adjusts his sweatpants. “Aye, as ready as we can get without the street kids we’re supposed to be training.”

I check the clock on the wall. “Piper said two o’clock, right?”

It’s eight minutes after the hour and the only people in the gym are us and two of the belt hopefuls Martin’s been training.

I’m about to pull out my phone and call Piper when the door opens and eight teenage girls file into the gym.

“Apologies, sirs.” Mr. O’Toole gives us a nervous wave and urges the girls forward. “A bit of an incident during the pickup stops. Set us back a few minutes.”

The attention of the group falls onto one girl. She’s a tough little tiger cat with black spikey hair and a burgundy leather choker. She shrugs but has her defenses locked right and tight. Whatever happened, it isn’t open for discussion.

Bryan claps his hands and brings the attention back to us. “The change room is on your right, down that hall. The jacks are on the left. Get yourselves sorted and then get your butts back here. We’ve got lots of ground to cover.”

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