Page 41 of Cowboy
My heart sinks. The thought of being separated from Saoirse, even for a few days, is terrifying. "But what about Saoirse?" I ask, my voice trembling. "I can't leave her alone."
Jerry steps forward. "Don't worry about Saoirse," he says reassuringly. "We will look after her while you're in the hospital. She'll be safe here, I promise."
I hesitate, torn between the need to take care of my own health and my fierce protectiveness of Saoirse. "Can... can I think about it?" I ask.
Gráinne nods. "Of course. But please don't wait too long. Your health is important too, Caoimhe."
As if on cue, a wave of dizziness washes over me. Jer and Gráinne lead me to a seat, and Gráinne busies herself making me a hot drink.
“Seriously think about it,” she tells me softly. “You need to recuperate. Your body needs to heal. You need a full check up, Caoimhe, and that’s not something I can give you here.”
“I’ll think about it,” I promise her, knowing she’s right. I do need to get checked out, but I can’t leave Saoirse.
The front door opens and I tense as I hear deep voices. There aren’t any I recognize.
“It’s okay,” Gráinne tells me. “It’s my boyfriend, Connor. You’re safe here. We won’t let anything happen to you.”
Even though I know she believes that, I can’t trust her. I don’t think I can trust anyone but myself. Once upon a time, Ciarán was the only one I trusted, but he’s long gone now. I’m alone. It’s just Saoirse and I.
14
COWBOY
“You good, brother?” I ask, sliding onto the stool beside Bozo. “Where’s Grá? I’ve not seen her today.”
I smirk as I watch his eyes narrow. “Why are you looking for my woman?”
I can’t help but laugh. “Just asking. Everyone knows she’s yours. I don’t poach my brothers’ women.”
“She’s working for Jer today. Jer called her early this morning saying he needed her.”
His woman was caught up with The Revenant. She overheard something while working at the hospital and The Revenant thought she was a loose end and wanted to kill her. Thankfully, she’s still very much alive and The Revenant is now dismembered. Most of the members are dead, and those that aren’t, well, they weren’t high on the food chain anyway; just low lying thugs or dickheads who wanted a piece of the action.
“Oh, it must be the women Jer found,” Tank tells us as he joins us.
“What women?” I ask, wondering what the hell he’s talking about.
Tank leans in, lowering his voice. "You haven't heard? Jer's men busted a human trafficking ring last night. Found a bunch of women locked up in a container on the outskirts of town. You’ve got to be a scumbag to be involved in that shit."
My gut clenches, my thoughts once again turning to Caoimhe. It’s been a year without any idea where she is or if she’s even alive.
"Shit," I mutter. "No wonder Jer called Grá in. Those women are gonna need medical attention, not to mention some serious psychological help."
"Any idea who was behind it?" Bozo asks Tank.
He shakes his head. "Not yet. Jer's men are still investigating. But Jer’s beyond pissed from what I heard from Jason."
Jason is Tank’s cousin and works for Jer. Of course he’s going to know the ins and outs of what’s going on.
"Fuck," Bozo growls. Just when we thought it was over.
I lay a hand on his shoulder, feeling how fucking tense he is. "We all know that this shit doesn’t happen here. Once the news hits Prez and the Gallaghers, I’m just going to say good luck to whoever the fuck is behind it."
At once, our cells buzz, which means it could only be one thing. Prez.
Prez: Meet me at Jerry’s. ASAP.
"Looks like we're about to find out more," Tank says, sliding his phone into his jeans pocket.
