Shamrocks and Secrets (16 page)

My father had given Shannon the piece from our family. She had sent it to a lace maker back in Ireland who joined the piece that Dillion
’
s mother had sent.

“
Paige, let Ma handle this. Trust me, Eileen Montgomery will regret the day she messed with our Ma.
”

No truer words had ever been spoken. Nora could be a real piece of work, especially when provoked.

“
So, um, Christi, do you still have his little black card?
”
Paige
’
s voice changed as she asked and her shoulders came up to be even with her ears as if a child that was being coy.

“
Yes, actually, I forgot to give it back.
”

I went to retrieve it from my purse, but Patrick stopped me by placing his hand on my shoulder,
“
Not so fast, keep that one until yours arrives.
”

I turned back to him and nearly fell off the bed,
“
What do you mean mine?
”

Patrick gave me his signature sly smile. That usually worked to make my panties wet, but unfortunately this time it just pissed me off.

“
I mean the one that my credit card company is sending for you. Don
’
t even think about arguing, and have fun with it.
”

“
Patrick Malloy...
”

My words were cut off by his lips. He was really playing dirty now.

A
l
l
right, Mr. Malloy, two could play this game
…

~*~

In two short weeks, my sister would be a married woman. I was happy for her, thrilled even, and also completely jealous.

I wouldn
’
t ever admit that to her, or to anyone else. It was just how I felt and I had every right to feel like I did.

Last night at dinner, Patrick told me he would be heading to Ireland soon. He said he had some business to take care of, but that he would be back in time for Shannon
’
s wedding.

We were having her bachelorette party at
Smoke and Mirrors
, one of Patrick
’
s clubs. He insisted on having it there and assured me he would take care of everything. I learned a long time ago to expect Patrick to be true to his word. When he said he would handle everything, he would handle
everything
. Thus, the reason I was sitting in the back of a stretch limo that was buzzing with very excited girls. Shannon had invited all of her friends from college and her bridal party; needless to say, it was quite loud.

We pulled into the valet area of the club and I listened as girl after girl screamed with excitement.

“
Oh, my God, Shannon!
How in the hell did you get into this club?
”

I looked at my sister, silently asking her to keep quiet about me.

“
I have friends in high places.
”
She said with attitude.

Did I mention that I loved my sister?

Once we emerged from the limo, the blue lights that illuminated the outside of the building showed me two things; first, the line to get in was huge. Second, Allyson and Paige were standing beside three of Patrick
’
s men, just outside the entrance.

I made my way over and hugged each of them.

“
Patrick said he told you about his trip to Ireland?
”
Allyson had a glint in her eyes as she spoke.

“
Yes, he said he
’
d leave early tomorrow and be back before the wedding. Some business he has to attend to.
”

Allyson and Paige gave each other a look that I honestly didn
’
t want to know about.

The club was packed as we made our way through the crowd. Tonto was standing directly beside me and was ushering me to the back of the dance floor.

“
Ms. O'Rourke, boss wants you to enjoy yourself.
”
With his words, he gestured for my right wrist where he placed a silver Tiffany bracelet. I noticed that all of the girls in our party were given the same bracelet.
“
Just show the bartender this and you can have anything you want to drink or eat.
”

The area he had escorted us to was a huge section that looked more like a casual living room. It had several couches and small tables.

Posted outside the entrance of course were four of Patrick
’
s men. It wasn
’
t until I was seated on one of the couches that I noticed Nora sitting in the far corner. I was delighted to see her, so Allyson and I made my way over to her.

“
Lass,
”
Nora grinned and kissed us from her chair, wrapping me in a tight hug.

“
Nora, I didn
’
t expect you.
”
I admitted, joy filling my voice.

“
Well, she
’
ll be my daughter and I wanted to help her celebrate.
”

Nora never stopped surprising me with her kind words. Considering the type of business her husband and son were in, you would have thought she would be a hard-nosed woman.

The DJ was wonderful as he played everything Shannon asked of him. The bartenders would get her on the bar and do body shots off her and her girls. I sat back and watched as none of them made a move toward me. I was getting used to not having jerks come up to me.

Everything was going really well when it happened
…

I was dancing with Shannon and Allyson off to the side when a really big guy approached us on the dance floor. I had my back to him so I had no idea he was even there. Without warning, I felt tight hands gripping my hips. At first I thought it was Patrick and I tried to turn around. He wouldn
’
t let me, his bruising grip tightening to the point of being painful. It was then I knew it wasn
’
t Patrick. I could feel his hot breath on my neck and his erection grinding into my ass.

I again tried to turn around when I noticed Tonto plowing his way through the crowd. I looked at him and held my hand up, telling him to stop. I was finally able to pry the guy
’
s hands loose enough to turn my body and look at the man. What I saw made my blood run cold.

He was huge, his eyes hooded and wild. I could barely make out his dark eye color as they were boring directly into mine. His massive shoulders rocked with the beat of the music as he began moving us away from the crowd, his hands never fully leaving my body.

“
You need to step away!
”
I shouted at him over the music. He only snickered and jerked me back even closer, his grip tighter and more painful than before. I was sure I would be covered in bruises. The look in his eyes scared the hell out of me, but I tried to hide it and squared my shoulders.
“
Seriously, if you value your life, you
’
ll walk away now!
”
I yelled trying to pull away from him.

It was then that he reached up and grabbed my face with one hand and jerked it to his, kissing me full on with his tongue shoved into my mouth as I fought to push him off. The guy was freakishly strong and I couldn
’
t budge him off me. His other hand went up under my dress and grabbed a handful of my ass, pulling me against his erection again and grinding roughly into me. I felt my feet leave the floor then and suddenly we were moving towards the back of the club.

It all happened so fast that I wasn
’
t sure if it was real. One second, the large man was on the verge of violating me with the hand he had begun using to roughly grope me between my legs, and then the next second he was three feet away from me.

I watched in horror as Patrick stood with the back of the large man
’
s neck clenched firmly in his hands as he is repeatedly slamming the guy
’
s face into a table. I watched as blood splattered everywhere, and what appeared to be teeth flew in different directions. Patrick
’
s face was contorted in rage, his expression almost feral. It was all happening so fast that I couldn
’
t process what Patrick was screaming at the man. With one final slam, the heavy table broken in half and the man fell to the floor.

“
Get her the fuck out of here!
”
Patrick roared at Tonto.

I didn
’
t wait for him, I turned and began making my way toward the doors. Once outside, I found the cold air of the night and a very anxious Angus began pulling me toward the car.

“
I
’
ve got you, Ms. O'Rourke.
”

I didn
’
t remember the ride back to my house, only that I couldn
’
t get the mental picture of Patrick in an out-of-control rage out of my head.

Thank God for Angus, as he and Tonto helped me into my house.

“
Ms. O'Rourke, boss wanted you to go to his condo.
”

“
N...No, I want my bed, thank you.
”

I knew Tonto would be sitting on my couch all night; Patrick would have his head if he didn
’
t. The next morning, my father was sitting at my kitchen table when I awoke. I knew Patrick would have called him, but what I wasn
’
t prepared for was the story he had to tell me.

“
So, I got a call from a buddy of mine that responded to a situation at a club downtown.
”
Okay...where was he going with this?
“
It seems a patron got a little carried away and the owner had to step in.
”
I poured myself a cup of coffee and then joined him at the table.
“
Normally, this wouldn
’
t be a big deal, something that happens all the time.
”

“
But
…
?
”
I coaxed.

“
Patrick called me, Christi.
”
I lowered my head. Half of me had hoped that last night was just a dream.
“
I know that what you saw spooked you.
”
I didn
’
t respond.
“
But you need to know the whole story before you go being afraid of Patrick. Have you ever heard the name Darius Vailer?
”

The name alone caused a chill to travel down my spine. Darius Vailer was a man that had been convicted of murder and was sitting on death row, or he had been up until about a week ago when he had escaped by faking an illness. Darius had abducted thirteen women, most from nightclubs, and had strangled them to death after raping them. He would then remove different parts of their body as souvenirs, mostly ring fingers, but he was particularly fond of green eyes.

“
Yes, he
’
s that killer that escaped last week, right?
”

“
Yes, he
’
s also the man that Patrick killed last night.
”

I watched as my coffee cup left my fingers and crashed onto the tabletop.
“
Oh, God
…”

My father got a dish towel and began to clean up the broken china and spilled coffee.

“
Patrick said he was upstairs watching you have fun with the girls and decided to leave you alone. He was just about to turn away from watching you when he saw Vailer move in and recognized him from his mug shot. Patrick said that animal was already trying to leave with you in his arms and was about two seconds from raping you on the dance floor with his hand. Christi, promise me you won
’
t be angry with him for stopping that monster however he could. I know how you are.
”

My dad was right; had I not been told who the guy was, I would be thinking the worst about Patrick right now.

“
I swear it, Dad.
”

“
Good. Now why do you suppose Patrick went to Ireland?
”

I
didn
’
t like the way my dad asked that question,
“
Why is Patrick in Ireland?
”
I instantly felt something was off, like he knew something and was just seeing if I knew it as well. I didn
’
t have time to question him further, though, as the doorbell rang, followed by hard pounding.

Dad was quicker reaching the door and honestly, I was grateful. Once he looked through the peephole, he grinned as he unlocked the door.

“
And it begins
…”
he said with a chuckle.

The door flew open and in marched a very excited Nora, Allyson, and Paige.

“
Oh, my God, Christi! Are you all right?
”

“
Thank God my brother was there
…”

“
He has good form, doesn
’
t he?
”

All three were talking at once and I could do nothing but let them get out what they had to say.

Once they ran out of breath or shit to say, we all settled into my living room. Dad brought out a tray of coffee and then left for his own house.

“
Okay, so I
’
m just going to just get this out of the way and deal with the elephant in the room.
”
Allyson was always a
“
to the point
”
kind of girl.
“
Last night was the first time you saw his dark side
…
you doing okay?
”

I pondered her question for a moment.
“
Honestly, when I first noticed the guy, I tried to warn him. I knew Tonto was close and I knew he would
’
ve pummeled the guy right there in front of us all. But I didn
’
t want to ruin Shannon's night so I tried to just get him to go away peacefully. I had no idea Patrick was even in the room
…”

My thoughts began to drift back to the music that was playing and the way everyone was laughing.

“
Honestly, when I got in the car, I was on overload. I didn
’
t know what to think, nor did I really want to.
”
I tucked my legs under myself and took a large sip of my coffee.
“
I
’
ve never seen anyone as angry as Patrick was last night. I
’
ve never witnessed that kind of rage. It was like he was a different person.
”

The girls didn
’
t interrupt as I continued.

“
When I woke up this morning, I was fully ready to end my relationship with him. Seeing him lose control like that terrified me and I began to realize that he had an entire side I have no desire to know. But when my dad told me the guy
’
s name
…”

I began to feel strange, like I was becoming a new person, a better person.

“
Is it sadistic of me to be thankful that Patrick was there, that he did what he did, and that I was able to walk away? What kind of person does that make me? What kind of person am I, so fucking happy that my boyfriend was willing to step in and beat the life out of someone? What kind of person am I that I
’
m so grateful that all I want to do is get dressed up in my naughtiest outfit, march over to his condo and thank him in ways that are illegal in seven states?
”

Nora smiled warmly at me.
“
Christi, listen, you have every right to feel the way you do about Darius being dead and you being alive, that
’
s human nature. I
’
m just glad to hear that you want to continue a relationship with my son.
”

I smiled as Nora crossed the room and wrapped me in her arms; this was what having a Mother felt like
.

"I
’
m worried about Patrick, though. I thought for sure he would
’
ve come by the house when he found out I didn
’
t go to his condo. He hasn
’
t even called.
”

Nora took my hands in hers. Her hands were so warm and soft, like the feel of a warm blanket on a cold day. It was then that I noticed the slight bruising that was forming on her swollen right knuckles. I worried that she had gotten involved last night. Surely Patrick
’
s men would have protected her.

“
Lass, he couldn
’
t. That
’
s why he called your father. By the time the police left, he had to catch his plane.
”

I looked to her hand and then back to her face.
“
Nora, what happened to your hand?
”

Paige began to giggle and Allyson bumped shoulders with Nora.

“
I had to remind a certain future in-law that tradition cannot be messed with.
”

I gave her a curious look before Paige interrupted.
“
You should
’
ve seen it, Christi. Eileen was trying to say that she had sent the lace to the cleaners. The cleaners! Like you
’
d send a piece of priceless material to the same place you send your everyday dry-cleaning. Lucky for me, Ma knows a lot of people in this town. Eileen didn
’
t even get a chance to spend the cash before they called my Ma with the lace.
”

My eyes went wide; Eileen had tried to sell the lace?

“
Please say you
’
re joking. She sold the family lace?
”

“
She tried, and for so little money,
”
Nora shook her head in disgust.

“
Can you believe this, Christi? For a lousy seventy-five hundred bucks, she tried to ruin the tradition.
”
Paige was now the one to eye roll.

“
Yes, but our Ma took care of that. Eileen won
’
t soon be forgetting what
’
s important in this family,
”
Allyson piped up from the corner.

I then looked to Nora. She had the biggest look of pride on her face. She had protected the family and the rich traditions it held. It didn
’
t take a genius to figure out that Nora had hit Eileen. My curiosity was in what Eileen looked like.

“
So, back to Patrick, should I expect a call later today?
”

Nora
’
s face turned to mischief.
“
No, Lass. It
’
ll be a while before you hear anything from him. His business is in a very remote area and he won
’
t have access to any form of communication.
”

I was certain I didn
’
t want to know anything. I would just say a prayer every night for his safe return.

“
Enough about my stupid brother; let
’
s get you dressed and hit some stores.
”

“
Paige, some of us have work to do. Like, I don't know, a little wedding that
’
s happening in a week,
”
I gave her the bitch brow.

“
Oh no, Christi, you owe me. You managed to get out of going shopping that day in Patrick
’
s condo, you
’
re so going now.
”

I then turned my attention back to Paige. I remembered that day a little differently. I remembered having my very sexy boyfriend all hot and ready, only to be interrupted by this evil sprite.

“
Oh no, dear Paige, as I remember it, you owe me. I was about to get laid by your very sexy brother before you so rudely, and I emphasize
rudely
interrupted us.
”
I then remembered that his Mother was still very much in the room as I quickly added,
“
Sorry, Nora.
”

Everyone giggled as Nora began,
“
Did something happen, Paige?
”

Paige tossed her head back and huffed.
“
Oh, good God! I went over to Patrick
’
s condo and these two were about to do the nasty,
”
she said as she pointed at me and smirked evilly,
“
Just call me the resident cock blocker.
”

Nora tried to hold back her laughter.
“
Oh, Christi, you should make him wait until your wedding night anyway. It
’
d serve him right.
”

Paige was quick to jump up and began to raise her voice,
“
Really, Ma? Well, let
’
s see, you married Da in November and Patrick was born the following April. If you do the math, it
’
s obvious you so didn
’
t wait till your wedding night and neither will Patrick.
”

Nora held her head up, but a hint of blush tinged her cheeks.
“
That
’
s neither here nor there. The fact is, Patrick could use a good humbling and who better to do it than Christi? Besides, it
’
ll set a good precedent as to who
’
s really in charge. What do you say, Christi?
”

I couldn
’
t help but giggle and blush given this conversation was with his Mother of all people. "I'll think about it,
”
was all I would commit to.

That seemed to be good enough for Nora.
“
Fair enough,
L
ass. So, now that we have that all settled, we have another important matter to discuss. Patrick
’
s birthday is coming up.
”

It seemed that Patrick
’
s birthday was the weekend before Shannon
’
s wedding, a detail he had neglected to tell me. Patrick preferred to have just the family present to celebrate. Small quiet dinners were all he had ever allowed.

I had to give Nora credit; she was at least telling me this was a family affair so I didn
’
t get upset when I wasn
’
t formally invited.

“
Um, al
l right, then I
’
ll given him my gift either the day before or the day after, depending on when he returns from his trip.
”

Nora then looked at me with a questioning expression,
“
Why would you do that?
”

“
Because, you said it
’
s just family.
”

Laughter erupted; well, they laughed, I just looked confused.

“
Oh, Christi, I absolutely love your humor. You had me going there for a while,
”
Nora chuckled as she took another sip of her coffee.

Guess I was considered family

All week long, the news was bombarded with the story of Darius
Vailer
’
s death and subsequent absence from the streets as a wanted and much-feared serial rapist. The person responsible for getting him off the street was considered something of a hero in the media. Patrick
’
s name was never mentioned, but the reports stated that the person donated the sizable amount of reward money that had been offered to a battered women
’
s shelter and I couldn
’
t help but smile.