Page 36 of Dublin's Danger Dancer

Liam leans in until I can feel his breath drifting up the back of my ears.

“But when you’ve bought all the other rounds, you know what’s going to happen.”

He pulls back and grins at me intently displaying his large incisors that look like they’ve been filed down to make him look scarier.

“Why did you buy the fight? If you’re so confident in your fighter?”

“Things can always go either way. Life is a game of luck. You’ve got to make sure the odds are in your favour. House always wins,” he whispers in my ear.

By the middle of round four the crowd tired of roaring for their favourite. McCarthy predictably went down. I wasn’t sure whether the referee could verify whether he was actually KO, or even if he wanted to, but most of the crowd except Liam drew in shocked breaths that the heavyweight title champion had lost his first match in what the announcers were saying was a string of thirty-two wins.

I felt sorry for him but I’m sure Liam had given him a considerable sum. Given that the prize money tonight was advertised as €25,000.

As Clary pushes the winner’s trophy above his head. The fire safety doors of the arena are flung open and guards storm in wearing their blue jackets and hi-viz bullet-proof vests with garda emblazoned in the middle.

One of the policemen went into the ring as McCarthy was still laying there pretending or not pretending to be unconscious.

“Good evening folks. We are here to arrest Liam O’Shaughnessy. Liam O’Shaughnessy, can you show yourself to the guards?”

Liam looked at me and pulled my chin towards him for a kiss. His lips softly touch mine and his nose rubs mine. He whispers, “I’ll see you at the club tonight. But not on the main stage, ok?”

I want to pull him into the ring and strangle the life out of him with one of the ropes. Instead, I smile sweetly.

He stands up, raising his hand in the air. Others around him look on as if this is an everyday event. Guard’s approach from either side. They press him face first into the red padded corner of the boxing ring. One guard secures his wrists behind him with cable ties as the other begins reading him his rights.

“Liam O’Shaughnessy you’re being arrested on suspicion of murder. You do not have to say anything when charged but everything you do say will be held and presented in a court of law as evidence against you.”

“Who’s murder?” he asks laughing, stroking the corner of his lips.

“Harriet Ahern.”

His face changed to one of horror. I had to fight with all my will to stop the dinner I’d had earlier from spilling all over the dull cement floor in front of me.

He was pulled back from the red padded side of the ring and pushed forward. He calls over his shoulder to me. “Don’t worry, babe. I will see you at the club in a few hours.”

I’d had the opportunity to drive a knife through this monster’s heart and I hadn’t. And here he was, so confident he’d escape justice he could even put a time to it.

As he was pulled away, the wife of Admir scooted up to sit beside me, stroking my arm. She whispers in my ear, “I bet you enjoyed that, didn’t you?” in a gravely eastern European accent.

I turn to face her, holding her stare. She has these poisonous brown eyes that heave green.

“I always enjoy seeing Admir getting pulled away by the guards. I just wish they’d keep him for longer!” She laughs as relief rinses through my body.

I laugh. “Well, maybe they will keep him longer. Murder is a serious charge.”

“I can’t tell you the number of times that Admir has been arrested for murder. I almost feel sorry for the guards. They can never make the charges stick.”

“You dance at Lollipops don’t you?” she asks, glancing down at her long mulberry acrylic coffin shaped nails.

“Yes,” I answer.

“Well, if you ever dance for Admir.” She picks up the phone and shows me a picture of him. “I will drive of my nails through your beautiful blue eye.”

With that, she rises from her chair and turns on her Louboutin to rejoin her girlfriends.

I open up my bag and pull out my phone, requesting an Uber to the club.

It’s uncharacteristically quiet when I arrive. Kieran is behind the bar restocking.

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