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“Joey,” she repeated, cracking her knuckles. “I really hope he’s at home.”

Reaching over, I took one of her hands in mine and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She was trembling and it was making me feel murderous. “He’ll be there,” I told her, praying like hell that I was right. For reasons I would never fully understand, Shannon was close to Joey. In her mindset, he was as good as a god. I didn’t ask too much about it because I was scared of the answers. Some of the things she had told me about her childhood terrified me. I didn’t want to hear about what they had endured because I didn’t trust my reactions. It was the worst feeling in the world, feeling helpless, and I didn’t cope well with helplessness. Thinking that wasexactlyhow Shannon had felt for most of her life made my chest constrict.

The minute I pulled up outside the house of fucking horrors and cut the engine, the sound of screaming filled my ears. Jesus, what was wrong with their neighbors? I could hear the carnage from the garden wall.

“Uh…” Swallowing, Shannon tucked her hair behind her ears and moved to unfasten her seat belt. “Thanks for a great evening.” She gave me a bright smile and reached for the carrier bag she had placed in my car earlier. “I had the best time, Johnny.”

“Whoa, stop—” I reached over and closed the car door she had opened. “Don’t do that.”

“Don’t do what?”

“Pretend we’re both deaf and can’t hear what’s going on inside that house.”

Shannon sagged in her seat. “I don’t know what to say.” She pressed a hand to her forehead. “It’s nothing out of the usual for us.” Sighing heavily, she added, “It’s probably because of me.” She glanced over at the house and then down at her lap. “Because I went out.”

Yeah, fuck that.

Unfastening my seat belt, I climbed out of the car and walked around to her side. “What are you doing?” Shannon asked, looking all panicked, as she scrambled out of the car with her bag fisted tightly in her small hand. “Johnny?”

“I’m walking you to your door,” I told her, trying to keep the anger out of my voice. “And I’m making sure you’re okay.”

“I’m okay,” she hurried to say.

“And I want to make sure you stay that way,” I told her as I took her hand in mine. “So, let’s go.”

Shannon was a bundle of nerves as we walked to her house. By the time we reached the front door, she was visibly shaking. “Thanks for staying,” she said in a small voice before pushing the door inward.

“Anytime,” I replied gruffly, but my response was swallowed up by the loud shouting that greeted us.

“Where the hell were you?” Darren demanded, stalking from the kitchen toward us. His eyes shifted from Shannon to me and his feet faltered.

Leaning against the doorframe, I folded my arms across my chest and stared back at him.

Yeah, I’m here, fucker.

“I went to Claire’s,” Shannon explained, stepping inside and dropping her carrier bag on the floor. “Why are you all shouting?”

“Shannon!” her mother choked out, rushing from the kitchen. “Why did you do that?”

“Do what?” Shannon replied, tone harder than I was used to hearing. “I went for a walk to my friend’s house. There’s no law against it, Mam.”

Pride roared to life inside of me.

Go on, baby. Don’t let them push you around.

“And where does he fit into this walk?” her mother demanded, slurring her words a little. “And those clothes?”

I arched a brow and studied her closer. Bleary-eyed, swaying from side to side, and slurring her words.Christ, she was hammered.I squinted my eyes, taking her measure.Or is she high?

“Are you drunk?” Shannon asked, voicing my thoughts aloud.

“No,” her mother choked out. “I’m after my tablets.”

High, I mentally confirmed.High as a kite on Valium or some other sedative by the looks of it.

“Where are your kids?” The words were out of my mouth before I had a chance to filter them. Three pairs of eyes landed on my face, and being the absolute glutton for punishment that I was, I decided to go with it. “Tadhg, Ollie, and Sean.”

“Mychildren are in bed,” Mrs. Lynch hissed, glaring daggers at me. “Which is exactly where Shannon should be.”

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