Page 61 of Reckless

Patrick opened a drawer.

“That’s a list of our special customers.” He handed me a piece of paper. “There are some high-profile men on it. They will spend a lot of money and will expect to be threated accordingly. And this is a list of the fighters.” He examined it with a frown. “You are now their new best friend. If someone needs medical assistance, you call this number.” He pointed at a number written on the papers. “If someone dies, you cover it up until the clients leave and you call Kieran. If you have any questions, you call Kieran.”

So Kieran wasmynew best friend.

I glanced over my shoulder. Kieran had the facial expression of a soldier on a mission. No one could say what he was thinking but the determination to get the task done was written all over him. Body tensed. Jaws clenched. Eyes narrowed at his father. Like he was watching his every move.

Patrick leaned back in his chair as if he was waiting for me to stand up and leave. I folded the papers, got up and stuck them into the back pocket of my jeans.

“Just out of curiosity, do we expect someone to die? Or it’s just some inside joke I am not aware of yet?”

Patrick sent me a death glare, then pointed behind my back to his son reminding me again who was the person that I had to turn to with my questions. I nodded and left the room. Kieran followed. We strolled down the long corridor and fell into step. Now that his father wasn’t around his face eased a bit.

“How old are you?” I asked.

“Old enough.”

“Which is…?”

“I turned twenty a month ago.”

“Aren’t you a bit young for such an important task?”

A smile formed on his lips. “My only task is to keep an eye on you.”

“Your father said to call you if someone dies.”

“If you do a good job, you won’t have to make that call.”

The little prick reminded me of Clem in her moody years and I wondered if I could really make a friend out of him. I would certainly use one in their organization. We reached the staircase that would lead us back upstairs, to the main entrance.

“I’m going back to the bar,” I said. “Come have a drink with me.” Kieran shot me a look that said he wasn’t interested at all. “I’m not the most reliable person in the world. It’s safe to assume that I will fuck up eventually, but I would very much like that not to happen on the first night.” I pulled the lists out of my pocket and waved them in the air. “Maybe you could tell me something useful about these people.” He waited with a blank expression on his face, and I smiled. “What’s wrong with wanting to be on good terms with the person who will save my ass when I need it?”

His dark chuckle filled my ears. We were at the main entrance now. Patrick’s thugs were nowhere in sight. Apparently, I was leaving on foot. I didn’t think Hayes would appreciate me requesting an Uber ride from his front lawn.

“My father has no interest in saving your ass. He wants to make money. The moment you become a liability, he will replace you. My job is to save his ass, not yours.” He glanced back at the staircase. “He only cares about himself, so don’t think he will come to your rescue, if you fuck it up.”

“So he’s not my partner then?” I tried to make a joke. Kieran didn’t get it.

“He doesn’t have partners. He hires people and uses them to take the bullet for him when the time comes. Sometimes in the form of jail time, sometimes in the form of an actual bullet.”

The kid obviously had issues with his father. I didn’t hear any loyalty in his words. That encouraged me to ask the question I had been wondering upon these two weeks I waited for the reopening.

“What if I want out of this agreement?”

I was worried about Chloe and Liam. What would happen to them if I turned out a liability to Patrick Hayes before I made sure they were provided for.

“There is no way out. The only way he will let you out is if you are in a body bag. Patrick Hayes is a scumbag.”

“Aren’t you afraid I’m going to tell your father you called him a scumbag?”

“I have called him worse to his face,” Kieran shrugged and pointed at a red Lamborghini with his chin. I stepped outside and he followed.

“Coming for that drink?” I asked. He nodded. We drove in silence, until we passed the gates. Then Kieran loosened up a bit.

“Just do your job,” he said. “Don’t cause trouble. And if you fuck something up, pray you end up in jail for the rest of your life and not in that basement you were just in.”

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