Malachy’s brows go heavenward, and he purses his lips. “Oh, aye, I can guarantee you that.” Deacon winces.
Malachy takes him by the arm and leads him away.
I sigh and look to Tiernan. Tiernan’s eyes follow the two of them until we can’t see them anymore. And still, he won’t look at me.
“Tiernan?” He’s a million miles away.
Finally, he faces me. “Something isn’t right. My phone won’t work, and the boy shows up out of nowhere for what?”
“Maybe he was hoping for a bit of a peep show? You know how teenaged boys are.”
If I thought that was supposed to set Tiernan at ease, I was sadly mistaken. His eyes go even narrower, his lips thin, and he clenches his fists by his side.
“Fucking hell,” he grates out. “A fucking peep show? As in, watch me and you together, or watch you get dressed or something?”
I shrug. “It’s what horny little teenaged boys do, Tiernan. Now let’s go and settle down, maybe we can reach Keenan.”
“Should’ve kicked his arse.”
“Ah, no you shouldn’t,” I say in what I hope is a placating tone. “Tiernan, he’s half your size and a minor! Not allowed.”
“And he ought to learn the lesson that you don’t bloody mess with a member of the fucking McCarthy Clan. There’s a hierarchy to the brotherhood.”
I sigh. Clearly, there’s no appeasing him.
“Well, no harm done then.”
He sighs and opens the door, mild amusement written on his features. “Do you always try to look at the bright side of things, Ruby?”
He groans.
“What?”
He shakes his head and tugs me in, but I realize before he even says a thing.
Oh, God. Just a moment ago Tiernan called me Aisling, I know he did. Did the boy hear?
And if he did… will he tell anyone? Have we ruined our cover?
He slams the door behind us. “You called me Aisling,” I whisper. “And he was right there, wasn’t he?”
I swallow hard and cover my face with my hands. This is all wrong. It’s all going terribly wrong.
I shake my head and get myself together. “Now, Tiernan, wait. Keenan wouldn’t have sent us here unless it was safe, I know he wouldn’t.”
Tiernan paces the room. “Bloody hell, Ais, he sent us here because it was comparatively safer. Thought between the disguise and the like, no one would know your identity.”
“And now you think we’ve been compromised?”
“I don’t think it, love,” he says, sitting heavily on the bed. “I know it.”
A chill runs down my spine at the way he says it, like he’s a man who’s just been summoned to war.
“Should we go back to Ballyhock?”
“Not until I get confirmation from Keenan.”
“Can you call Tully or your other brothers?”
He holds his phone up. I groan.
I pace the small room. “Okay, so let’s think. First, do you really think the boy was there for a reason? Like a serious one, other than his own stupidity or curiosity?”
Tiernan shrugs. “I don’t know, but I do know that it’s a possibility. If you wanted to get information on someone at a school, who would you use?”
I groan. “Okay, alright. The last time you came here, did your cell phone work?”
“Yes.”
“We might be able to use their internet to connect. Is there a phone in the room?”
He shakes his head.
“Right, then. Let’s go find your brothers.”
“Yes,” he says with a nod. His lips twitch. “Good idea.”
“Why are you laughing at me? This is no laughing matter, Tiernan Hurston!”
His lips part in a smile. “You’re adorable when you’re all riled up.”
I snort. “You haven’t seen riled up.”
He grabs my hand and tugs me over to him. “I can’t wait. I’m up for the challenge.”
“Of course you are.”
“C’mon, let’s go see the others, before you’ve got my knickers around my ankles again.” My heart thuds in my chest. Not a bad idea.
We take a walk to see his brothers, but nothing’s out of place. No one has cell service, but Tully manages to use the internet to send a message to Keenan.
“All’s fine, boys,” he says. “But I’ll prowl the grounds tonight. Do a round. We can take shifts. Two hours each.”
“Fair enough, brother, but you won’t be counting me in those shifts.” He jerks his chin toward me. “She’s my shift.”
“Of course,” Tully agrees.
That makes me tingle all over. I give him a small smile that makes his eyes dance.
We go back to our room when it’s late and dark out, and apprehension fills my belly. I know that something isn’t right here, and it troubles me. Tiernan’s distracted and doesn’t speak much as we get ready for bed.
“Everything okay?” I ask, but he only shrugs and frowns.
I have the sickening feeling that I’ve done something. I hate that when he’s not happy, I immediately blame myself. My inner critic’s still working overtime.
Maybe now he knows who I really am.
Maybe he’s getting tired of me?
It’s foolish nonsense for me to worry about such things, I tell myself.
I fall asleep troubled, and sleep fitfully. In my dreams, I’m back with Vivian, with an older man. Another fucking politician. He grabs my hair and forces me to go down on him. “You killed my son,” he says in my ear. I wake with a start, and Tiernan nearly jumps out of bed.
“Y’alright?” he asks, brows drawn.
I blow out a breath. “Fine. Just a nightmare is all.” I force a smile. “If you had a sword by your side, you’d have drawn it.”
He doesn’t smile back but holds me to his chest, and I let his warm touch and steady heartbeat soothe me a little.
“Want to tell me about it?”
I shake my head. I really don’t.
“’Twas nothing.”
The look in his eyes tells me he knows it wasn’t “nothing,” but he thankfully doesn’t pry.
I yawn widely. “I’ll get some more sleep now.”
“Good girl,” he says, tucking the blanket around me. My old fears about being a good girl, with the memory of my dream still
