Page 209 of Dirty Padraig: Dirty Dusters

“You’re welcome, Jaine. I can’t even begin to imagine what it must have been like for you when I opened….”

“It felt like another death,” she interrupts quietly. She clearly doesn’t wish to be reminded of the moment.

“They tried to destroy the things that you loved most.”

“And they succeeded. With Ace. With my hog. But they didn’t destroy you, or Irish, or my boys.”

She loves me. We both know she does. She’s not attempting to hide it.

She stares at me across the table then looks at the shiny, black surface as she considers what she’s about to say.

“I’m sorry I never told you… about my alter-ego. Being a serial-killing sniper isn’t something you just casually announce.”

I’m quiet for a moment. I can’t hide the fact that I’m disappointed. I don’t want to hide it. We were husband and wife. We should have had no secrets. Instead, our relationship was built on the same house of cards we both used to gameplay.

“How did everyone else find out?”

She takes a sip of her sparkling water. “Ace, Duke, and Irish found out during the Bratva situation. It turns out it was me they were after. My sniping secret was given away by the then VP of the Scorpions. The Russians decided they wanted to marry me off to one of their benefactors and have me carry out my services on their behalf. Irish and Ace were abducted with me as they wanted us to perform for the camera.”

“Perform?” My hand tightens around my whiskey glass. I’m sure she notices, but she says nothing.

“Porn. The benefactors wanted to ensure they were getting enough bang for their buck, pun intended, before placing bids on me. Rather than use strangers, the Russians decided to use Ace and Irish.”

“And that’s when you fell pregnant with Fin.”

She nods. “Dylan found out about my secret when I needed intel on Lebedev.”

“And Ma?”

“The weapon I used to take out the two snipers on Irish’s wedding day was still at the church. Roisin spotted the engraved bullet in the puddle of Molly’s brains.”

“Thank you for saving my life in Nevada and at the church, Jaine.”

She stares at me. “And thank you for saving mine. In hindsight, maybe I needed your protection more than I realized.”

And maybe I needed hers too. Just like I need her.

“Speaking of churches, I haven’t been able to face going back to St. Peter’s.” Her lips turn downward. She’s emotional, I suspect, because she knows how much that place means to Padraig.

“It’s not as bad as we first feared. Most of the damage was confined to the roof. The walls are still intact. I’m told plans are already underway to reinstate the building while retaining as many of the original features as possible. Paddy’s dealing directly with Father O’Reilly on the matter.”

“But all of the ancient furniture and fittings will have been destroyed.” The guilt is evident in her voice. She thinks it’s her fault. That the comment she made all those years ago was the cause.

It wasn’t.

Paddy would still have been married off to Sophia. He would still have detested her and asked for an annulment. The Ruoccos would still have retaliated.

What Jaine isn’t seeing is that, on the contrary, if The Exterminator hadn’t played their part, the Ruoccos may well have achieved their goal.

“We’ll salvage what we can, Jaine, but they’re only things at the end of the day.”

“Things that Irish loved.”

I can’t help but feel disappointed that our make-or-break evening has so quickly turned into a conversation about my brother. He’s clearly seldom out of her thoughts for very long, even when she’s alone with me.

“He loves you more, Jaine.”

She stares at me. “That’s where I think you’re wrong. He doesn’t love me, or at least he hasn’t said as much.”

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