Page 90 of Dirty Padraig: Dirty Dusters

Eoin’s frown deepens. He won’t want Jaine to witness his private communications with his ex, but he won’t tell her not to go through the phone either. Not if it helps the cause. It’s my guess that Molly sent him a lot more than work-related correspondence going by the foul mood he’s currently descending into.

She breaks eye contact with him and then stands to leave. I watch my brother as he stares after her, his face filled with regret over what could have been.

I know exactly how he feels.

CHAPTERTWENTY-EIGHT

JAINE

The O’Connell Home, Darling, New York

I stare at the handset.It’s the same model as the one I use.

What secrets does it hold behind its blank screen, I wonder? A phone that could give up a plethora of truths or none at all. A device, the contents of which could be the answer to all our problems or could just add to them. Since it belongs to Molly McGrath, it’s most likely the latter.

I guess I’m about to find out.

I think back over my conversation earlier today with Roisin. We finally finished our little tete-a-tete while Fin and JJ were watching a movie. I’m almost certain the first time around she was about to add something else, but this time, she didn’t offer to expand further.

She’s hiding something.

I can’t point the finger. I have secrets of my own I’ve yet to reveal. If everyone had been aware of my alter-ego on the night of the attack, I wouldn’t have had to compromise Irish the way I did. Then again, had I confessed, Eoin’s protective streak would likely have kicked in and prevented me from doing what I had to.

What would the outcome have been then I wonder?

By keeping our secrets, we’re forcing others to do the same, whether they’re willing to or not, which isn’t really fair.

Is there anyone else harboring Roisin’s secret?

All she did add was that she continued to fuel the torches of hatred Sophia and Molly both carried for me in order to achieve her goal of keeping her two boys away from a biker. A bit nonsensical, given her other two sons are already married to our kind.

In the end, when she wanted the opposite for her eldest, it resulted in the McGraths declaring outlaw war on the O’Connells. Such blatant betrayal opened up a wound of disrespect. We all know those never heal in this life.

Those just become infected.

Malky’s death. Molly’s death. A close-run thing for both Roisin and me. All of that was as a direct result. Is that war truly over? What of the rest of the McGraths? Will they show up on our doorstep?

Is any war ever over? Isn’t it just a case that a white flag is raised as a truce to create the pretense of peace in order to allow time to regroup? Fighting will always flare up, and conflict will always resume, more so in instances where the debt has not been repaid.

Sophia.

I started that war. I can point the finger at Roisin for provoking her as much as I like, but I uttered the silent words, ‘Let battle commence.’

I charge Molly’s handset on my laptop and the screen flickers to life within minutes. It was a thumbprint lock, but I changed the settings the day I ended hers. It’s just as well, as I never thought to hack the digit off at the time. I also made sure to turn the location finder off.

I think back on the recent Duster meeting. At Adrian’s lewd comment about the messages Molly may or may not have sent to Eoin. Jealousy courses through me. That she had access to something that’s mine.

Was mine.

That day at the containers was payback. Nothing more, nothing less. We fucked, and I uttered those two words. We fucked, then he did the same.

Checkmate.

The slate may have been wiped clean that day regarding our turbulent relationship, but the memories will never fade—just more pages to add to the story of my life.

Same with Irish. After all those years apart, when he returned, I thought we could have a future, even if only as friends. But having not spoken to him for weeks, aside from at the meeting, it’s clear he doesn’t even want that.

What did I expect? I compromised him by selfishly doing what I did. I’m sure he won’t want history repeating, hence the necessary distancing. I belong firmly in his past because I jeopardized his future with Sophia.

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