Page 115 of Dirty Eoin

The Hudson Dusters’ HQ, Manhattan, New York

We’ve just had our meeting. It was obvious Jaine wasn’t going to turn up. Now that she’s achieved her goal, she likely won’t attend another. I’ll explain the situation to my parents in due course, but only once I’ve had the chance to digest it myself.

Aidan was, of course, full of questions as to her notable absence. I didn’t answer any of them. When everything comes to light, he’ll likely think he’s in with a chance. That if she refuses to remain wed to me, he should be next in line as the only possible alternative.

If he goes anywhere near her, I’ll break his arms, legs, and fingers.

In fact, I’ll just break him, period. Fuck what the rest of the family thinks.

I’m now back in my office.

“What’s going on, Eoin?”

For a moment, I forgot Dylan was even in the room.

Did he see her outside my apartment last night? Now he has a wife to occupy his evenings, it’s unlikely he’ll be as forensic with the surveillance as he once was. He’ll have better things to do with his time, I’m sure. I still thought it best to mention it on the off chance he did notice.

I’m looking out the window distractedly. The view means nothing today. I may as well be staring into fucking space.

Jaine’s patience was commendable, I have to say. She waited over two years to exact her revenge, and she did so perfectly. In her defense, she did remind me on several occasions of what she had in store for me. It was extremely short-sighted of me to think she wasn’t playing some sort of game all this time. I naively thought she had developed feelings for me. Hoped they mirrored my own. That, as a result, we were wiping the slate clean.

Obviously not.

Thanks to our shared levels of intimacy, Jaine Jones really did fool me twice. Was that also an act? Would she really have gone to such extreme lengths to avenge our Paddy? To lower herself to sleeping with the enemy? Clearly, that’s what I still am to her.

In truth, I thought each cussed reminder nothing more than an empty threat. Not once did I think her the vengeful sort.

How wrong I was.

I turn to look at my brother. “Jaine came to my apartment last night.”

He raises both eyebrows. Given how surprised he looks, it’s clear he didn’t see her on the surveillance. I understand his reaction, but there has to be a first time for everything, and she is my wife.

“You mean you finally allowed a female to enter the hallowed ground that is your home?”

I exhale and roll my eyes at him.

“And then what? You hate-fucked each other?”

I glare at him initially before replacing it with a frown. “There’s no point in trying to protect her modesty when she’s quite happy to go into explicit detail with anyone who cares to listen.”

He snickers. “That’s biker chicks for you, brother. They grow up in the midst of sex and debauchery. To them, being surrounded by people actively fucking is just a normal part of their everyday….”

“I told her I love her, Dylan,” I interject.

There’s a pause. “Right. And since you look as miserable as sin, I’m guessing she didn’t reciprocate?”

“No, she didn’t. She said one word before she left.”

“And that was?”

“Karma.”

He frowns at me, his expression changing to one of shock when the realization finally dawns on him too.

“Jesus Christ. This is payback for Paddy.”

I don’t respond. It’s not a question.

---