Page 106 of Dirty Padraig: Dirty Dusters

“On planet Padraig, perhaps.”

He smiles, but it’s a sad one.

“They’ll find us, darlin’. Don’t worry.”

I don’t respond because I’m not so sure that they will, or at least not in time.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-THREE

EOIN

The O’Connell Home, Darling, New York

“Jesus Christ.It’s been six days.”

I’m pacing the floor and running my hands through my hair. At this rate, Da’s office isn’t going to have any carpet left.

“We’re all aware of that, Eoin. It’s one day more than it was yesterday, don’t you know. Trust me. I’m an accountant.”

I glare at Jessie and then at Dylan. Dylan looks at me apologetically.

“Jessie, why don’t you go and help Sarah and Ma look after the little ones,” he mumbles awkwardly. He won’t want to piss her off, but he’ll want to piss me off even less.

“I know when I’m not wanted.” She rolls her eyes and sticks out her bottom lip as she leaves, but I’ve had just about enough of her. I realize it’s her way of dealing with things, but her smart-mouthed remarks are making me reactive. I can’t be at the docks when I’m needed here in case my wife decides to turn up.

Ex-wife.

I wait until Jessie closes the door before I speak further. “Paddy must be with her. He must have found her.”

“I reckon so.”

We keep having the same back and forth. Dylan hasn’t mentioned anything about the repetitive nature of our conversations. He understands that his constant reassurance that she’s not on her own is the only thing keeping me sane. I can’t bear the thought of her being alone,

“But how?”

“Because…”

I hold my hand up to silence him, cursing myself for asking the question out loud. I don’t need him to remind me that they share some sort of intangible fucking connection. Jaine’s already told me all about it.

She loves him more than me.

“She doesn’t.”

I then realize I also said that out loud.

I sit on Da’s chair, then lean back before resting my feet on top of his desk. “And what would you know, Dylan?”

“I know, Jaine. I know she doesn’t love Paddy more. She loves you as much as him. She just loves you both differently.”

“I don’t have the same connection with her.”

He shrugs. “Maybe not, but then neither did Ace, and trust me, if he were still alive, neither you nor Paddy would have had a look-in with her.”

He’s right. It still doesn’t stop me from feeling inferior that Paddy was able to find her when I can’t. I don’t even know where to start looking. She’s not taken either of her phones, and she went on her hog, and there’s been no sighting of that either. Same with my brother. His phone is at home. We can only suspect he hailed a cab to wherever he was going.

“I love her, Dylan.”

“I know you do.”

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