“She’s not hurt. Not physically, that I can see at least.” An unfamiliar male voice, warm and low and reassuring.
“Holy shit, look at the damage, though.” A low whistle of appreciation. “She hits hard.” A second voice, this one deeper and rougher.
“Guys, the woman who owns the place is going to be here any second.” Worried tones from a third, this one a sharper, clearer voice. “If she thinks we did this, we’re going to be in deep shit. From what I’ve seen, she does not handle fools lightly. Get it together.”
“She’s coming to.” The first voice again. I realized I was lying in someone’s arms. Strong arms. Safe arms.
Wait, since when were arms I don’t know safe? I struggled, both to open my eyes and to get free. The arms did not let me go, but they did loosen their grip.
My eyes met eyes of a deep brown, almost black. The concern in them warmed something deep within me, and I stopped flailing for a moment. The eyes were set in a face that some Hollywood male lead must have misplaced, with a strong jaw dusted with the precise right amount of stubble, tousled brown hair, and lips that needed to be on mine as soon as possible. There was a tattoo on his right bicep, a thin EKG line in red ink.
I blinked, stunned at the audacity of my subconscious. Here I was, in some strange man’s very nice arms, when moments ago…
I jolted, knocking myself out of his arms and bouncing my butt against the floor hard. “Where are they? Who are you? What the hell happened?” I looked around frantically, taking in the once-familiar layout of the pub. But, things had shifted somewhat. Tables lay on their sides, a couple of them in pieces. Some sort of blast had sent chairs tumbling to the outskirts of the room, shattering more than a couple. And then there were the bodies. One was draped over a fallen table, another over the bar. One was through a panel of the front window, impaled on the jagged glass at the bottom. There was a bloody smear not far from where I lay. I stopped looking around after I saw that.
“Easy now. You’ve been through something pretty intense.” My handsome stranger placed a hand on my arm. Reflexively, I jerked away. He raised his hands in a gesture of peace and rested them on his knees. “My name’s Galen. I’m here to help you. Are you hurt?”
Was I? I closed my eyes and briefly assessed my body. Nothing seemed out of place, except the bruise on my shoulder. I shook my head slowly.
“Let’s be sure. Does your head hurt? Could you look me in the eyes, please?” He had a penlight in his hand, which he shone in my eyes. After I blinked away the sparkles, I noticed the EMT logo on his sleeve, above his tattoo. Of course. Kitty had called the paramedics.
“What in the everloving hell is going…” A familiar voice at last. Kitty stormed in through the back like an avenging angel, brandishing her home security tire iron. “Who the hell are you people? And…” A sharp gasp. “What the HELL happened to my pub?”
“Ma’am, let me explain…” A broad-shouldered man in a short leather jacket stepped toward Kitty, looking somehow official. “These men…”
Kitty yelped. “Oh my dear god in heaven, why are there bodies everywhere in MY PUB?” She cast accusing eyes at the man in front of her. “Is this some kind of gang war? In MY PUB?” She looked around and saw me on the ground.
“SIA!” My handsome EMT was bowled over to the side as Kitty dove for me. “My girl. My precious girl. What did they do to you?”
“I…um…” I took a deep breath and looked around again. “I think they might have saved my life.”
Kitty gave me a blank look.
“The last thing I remember was the weird tattooed men. They broke in, said they were going to…” I swallowed hard. Kitty stroked my hair. “They said they were here for me. Then, I blacked out.”
Kitty leaned forward and kissed me on the forehead. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.” She looked up at the man in the leather jacket. So did I. Was there a film being shot nearby? This one was more the rugged action hero, with a chiseled jaw, steel blue eyes, short black hair, and some very nibbleable stubble. Wait, what? Dear hormones, chill the fuck out. There’s trouble afoot.
“Who are you people? What happened in here?” Kitty’s voice had a chill to it, one I only heard when she was braced for a line of bullshit.
“My name’s Chase Hearne. I’m a private investigator. I’ve been tasked with finding Arysia Bellmont for the past three years, on behalf of her biological family’s interests. These people,” he gestured to the body draped over the bar, “have also been looking for her, to kidnap her and hold her for ransom from her biological family. Unfortunately, they found her a split second before we did.”
“We were hoping to talk with her after the bar closed, but we found these guys breaking in.” I’ll be damned. There he was, my striking young redheaded gent from the end of the bar. He stepped up beside Chase. “I’m glad we did.”
Kitty stared at each of them for a long moment. She reached out and took my hand in hers. “I am too. Pub be damned, you saved my Sia, and I’m grateful.”
“I’m so sorry…” I started, but Kitty shushed me.
“I’ve got to make a phone call.” She stood up and brushed some splinters off her pants. “Are you okay here?” She looked pointedly at the three men.
I looked at them too. Strangely, something deep inside of me made me nod. “I’ll be okay with them.”
She blinked in surprise, then turned back to them. “She’d better be.” She walked toward the back room, drawing her cellphone out of her pocket. “Kiernan, it’s Kitty.” The door closed behind her.
The EMT was still on the ground with me. He rose and offered me a hand. “Steady, now. I should still give you a thorough checking over to make sure you aren’t hurt.”
Yes, please. “I’m okay. I think. I’m not hurt, at least.”
“Good.” The redhead beamed at me. I smiled back despite myself. I could lose myself in those freckles.
Maybe I did hit my head.
“Okay, who are you guys? What really happened?”
The three of them exchanged furtive glances. Suddenly, I doubted their ‘right place, right time’ story.
“Galen Alexander. Nice to meet you.” The EMT offered his hand. I shook it feebly.
The redhead watched us, then offered his hand as well. “Cassidy Higgins.”
“You were in the pub tonight.” I eyed him suspiciously.
“You noticed?” There was a hopeful note in his voice. “Er, I mean…” His freckles drowned in red for a moment. “Yes. I was supposed to confirm that you were working tonight.”
“Why didn’t you approach me then?” I frowned at him. “Why wait?”
He shrugged. “You…were busy?” he offered weakly.
Chase sighed and rubbed his temple. “Like I told Ms. McKinnett, we wanted to approach you after closing time to speak with you privately. We thought you’d be headed home.”
I chuffed softly. “So, the three of you were waiting. Outside my workplace. At three in the morning. To approach me. Alone.”
They looked at each other in dawning horror.
I laughed out loud. “Wow. Do you even know any women?”
They stammered indignantly.
“All right, maybe it wasn’t the best thought-out plan in the history of plans,” Chase admitted gruffly. “But we did need to speak with you privately.”
I crossed my arms. “What you have to say to me can be said in front of Kitty. In fact, I’d prefer it.”
More furtive looks between the three of them. I was getting a strangely urgent feeling from them, all of them wanting to speak but none of them knowing how to say it. Not dishonest, just wary.
“Look, just spill, okay?” I pointed a finger at Cassidy. “You. Tell me what’s going on.”
Cassidy glanced over at the back room door. It was still shut.
“Right.” He cleared his throat. “I’m going to say a few things. If they’re accurate, we’d appreciate it if you’d come with us and talk further.”
I felt myself blanch.
“Just talk. We’re safe. I swear.” He raised his hands. Somehow, in my gut, I knew he was telling the truth. Something deep inside was saying, screaming, trust these men. And that had never, ever happened before.
“Talk.” I crossed my arms.
“You can sense people’s intentions. Sometimes their emotions. Sometimes before you even see them.”
A chill shot up my spine. I nodded.
“When you’re scared, or nervous, you can lean into a wall or into a shadow, and no one can find you.”
My mouth went dry. I nodded.
“You were turned into foster care at age four with no memory of who you were or who your parents were. You still can’t remember them.”
I swallowed hard. “That… you could have found that out from my records.”
Chase spoke up. “And even though you don’t trust anyone, you trust us. Even though everything in you says to run away, you trust us. And you have no idea why.”
The door to the back room opened. Kitty was pale, her face grim.
“Kitty.” I walked over to her. “What’s going on?”
She forced a smile. “Called in a favor, love. Kiernan’s going to take care of the pub and the… mess.”
I squinted at her in confusion. “What? Mr. Donovan? What’s he going to do?”
Kitty rested a hand on my arm and guided me away from the three men. “Mr. Donovan has connections, Sia. Connections that can make all of this go away in a night’s span.”
Connections? “He’s… you don’t mean he’s in the…?”
Kitty nodded.
“Wait. All this time, we’ve been a front for the Irish mob?” I was breathless.
Kitty’s eyes flashed. “No. Never. I’ve never taken or given a cent to those bastards.” She sighed. “I let them use the back room. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less.” A short laugh. “Because you never know when you’re going to need a favor. And child, we need a favor tonight.”
There was a sharp rap at the door. Kitty and I jumped a mile. I saw one of Mr. Donovan’s boys grinning back at us, arms laden with cleaning supplies. He nodded at the door handle. I sprang into action and ran over to open it.
“Much obliged, young Sia,” Tim O’Malley chirped as he stepped through the door. He looked around and gave a low whistle. “Hey now. Wasn’t that a party! Remind me not to piss you off, Kitty McKinnett.”
“I’m reminding you now.” I could tell she was only half-joking. So could he. He nodded and dumped the supplies on the non-corpse-laden end of the bar, then headed back out for more. More what, I didn’t really want to contemplate.
Kitty turned to face me and gripped my arms with her hands. “This is going to be grim work, Sia. Go on up to mine and take my bed. I’ll be fine down here with the boys.”
I looked at her, then back to the three strange men. They watched me intently. I could feel hope pouring off Cassidy.
“I think I’m going to go talk to these guys for a bit.” Kitty drew in a breath to protest, but I interrupted. “They know about my family. I can’t let this chance pass by.”
“Sleep on it. Talk to them in the morning.” She gave my arm a squeeze. “No need to rush.”
I gave her my most reassuring smile. “I’ve been waiting my whole life to find out who my parents really were. Why I wound up where I did. This is my birthday present to myself, Kitty.”
She shot them a dubious look. “Just make sure you don’t wind up a present for them. Stay safe, love.”
“I will.”
Another of Mr. Donovan’s boys walked in with a large roll of heavy-duty trash bags under his arm and a hacksaw slung over his shoulder. I swallowed hard and walked over to the waiting trio.
“Let’s go talk.”
Cassidy and Galen broke into broad grins. Chase gave me a terse nod and made a sweeping gesture toward the door.