Page 79 of Dirty Dylan: Dirty Dusters

“Told who you fucked who?”

“I told Jaine I fucked the blonde. I think my exact words were that I’d slept with her but nowhere near enough times. That even if I slept with her every day until the day I died, it would never be enough. Or should I say those were our Dyl’s exact words.”

“Very poetic. And?”

Eoin stares at me, and I feel my cheeks going red for the first time in days. Fucking great.

“Seriously?”

I nod.

He turns back to the window and exhales. “Well, considering how most girls like to gossip, I don’t imagine it will be long before Jessie reveals that little nugget. So.” He looks back at us. “Prepare yourself for the fallout because Jaine will take no prisoners when she finds out it’s her Irish she’s been communicating with all this time.”

“What do we do in the meantime?” I ask, but Paddy and I already know the unwelcome answer. And we both know it’s not what Jaine needs right now. She’s already struggling emotionally. Then again, it’s not what Paddy needs either. Not when he has so very little time left with her.

“You pair communicate with her as little as possible. Let’s hope it’s a simple case of out of sight out of mind and she forgets all about this cliché blonde. It’s unlikely, but we can live in hope.”

“I don’t want to do that. I can’t do that. We message every day. She’ll know something is wrong.” Paddy’s hopeful face flicks between me and Eoin.

Back and forth. Back and forth.

But there is no hope. It’s all about damage limitation now. I realize I’ll have to handhold him through this if we’re not to lose him to the demon drink once more.

He can’t function without Jaine in his life.

“We can’t afford for Jaine to find out and say something, Paddy. If Sophia finds out, if she tells Luc, war will kick-off, and Jaine will have a target on her back. As will you. Anyway, Jaine won’t suspect anything is wrong. She’ll think Dylan is simply spending more time with Grace and so he, understandably, has less for her.”

“But she’ll find out eventually.”

“Of course she will, Paddy. But that’s an explosion I can handle far easier when I’m standing in front of her and when she’s back in Manhattan.”

CHAPTERTHIRTY-THREE

JESSIE

The Hudson Dusters’ HQ, Manhattan, New York

“Areyou calling me from the restroom cubicle again?”

“I am indeed, partner. How can you tell?”

“There’s an echo. Maybe you should set your desk up in there.”

I snicker. “Not a chance. I’m in here because I don’t want to be found. When anyone comes in, I just do that thing they do in the movies. I lift my feet off the floor.”

“Is it the same cubicle every time? Do you ever lock it?”

“Yup and nope.”

“What if someone opens the door?”

“Then they’ll see me perched on top of the closed toilet seat. It’s no big deal. They already think I’m all wired up wrong.”

I smile as she laughs out loud. It’s a welcome sound as neither of us have been laughing much these days.

“So how are things going?”

“Same. I just keep out of his way. I’m not interested in hearing anything he has to say. We were fuck buddies and now we’re not so let’s just leave it at that. Anyway, how did things go with Cillian and Sarah?”

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