Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 59738 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59738 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
The thing that looks most out of place to me is the little birdie hanging out in the back, her fingers beating a nervous rhythm against her table. Under the flashing lights her hair looks almost white, but I can tell she’s a blondie. A wee scrawny thing, by the looks of it. Her chair practically swallows her whole and she can’t weigh more than one of my limbs. She looks too fragile to be sitting there by herself and it rubs me the wrong way.
She isn’t here to watch the dancers, and she’s not trying to pick up clients. So really, she has no business being in the club. Still, I hesitate before I say it out loud, a little unsure of myself. I look to Crow, and he’s studying me, waiting for me to get it wrong.
“Well?” he asks. “Spit it out, Conor. I don’t have all night.”
“The blonde.”
Crow tilts his head to the side, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “What about her?”
“She’s not here with anyone. I think she’s been in here before, but she doesn’t have a reason to be. At least not that I can see.”
“Aye, ye’re right.” Crow says. “She doesn’t.”
My chest expands, and it feels good that I’ve done him proud. Crow is my mentor and our superior, and it’s important to me that he knows I’m solid. But the levity slips from his face and turns to something darker. I’ve seen that look before, and I don’t like it. Because if Crow isn’t happy about it, I won’t be either.
“Truth is, I think we have a wee problem, Conor.”
“What is it?”
His fingers curl over the railing while he watches her. “She’s been hanging around here a lot. Skittish as a fecking mouse. Asked me for a job a couple of times. I suspected something wasn’t right about the whole situation from the get go. But then I hear the Locos have been looking for a girl just like her. Apparently, she was the girlfriend of that psycho they called Muerto.”
“The one we killed?”
“Aye, that’d be the one,” Crow answers. “And I have a reliable source who tells me she was in the house that night.”
“Jaysus. You think she saw something?”
“I don’t know.” Crow shrugs. “Dom swears nobody else was in that room when he popped the guy, but I have it on good authority that she was.”
His words sink into my gut like a lead weight. If she’s a potential witness, it can only mean one thing. The Irish don’t leave witnesses behind, and that’s what Crow’s getting at.
“It’s a big ask.” He turns to me. “But I’m trusting ye to handle this, Conor. Can I count on you?”
I stuff my hands into my pockets and force my words into submission. “Without a doubt.”
He nods solemnly. “I need ye to keep an eye on her. Find out everything ye can about her and what she knows, and don’t let her out of your sight. Do what ye need to do to sort this out.”
I turn back to the balcony, processing exactly what it is I’m agreeing to. This little birdie is young, probably in her early twenties like me. She’s a hot fucking mess who isn’t doing herself any favors with the baggy clothes, but even so, it’s plain as day she’s got a pretty face. It would be a shame to see her killed, but if it comes down to my brothers or her, it’s always going to be my brothers.
“How am I supposed to keep an eye on her without raising her suspicions?” I ask.
Crow slaps me on the shoulder and heads for the stairs. “I’m sure you’ll sort it out. It shouldn’t be too hard, considering I just hired her on as a dancer.”
It’s been two hours since the guy in the leather jacket told me he’d give me a job. He goes by the name Crow, and I know he runs this club, but I have a suspicion he’s in charge of a lot more than that.
He’s scary as hell, but the alternative is even worse. That’s what keeps me glued to the chair I’ve been occupying for the last week, hoping and praying nobody will find me here.
The first few times I asked for a job, Crow laughed in my face. But tonight, for reasons I’m not entirely sure of, he finally took pity on me. I could be thinking of the many ways this could go wrong, but right now, I’m just grateful. As risky as this place might be, it’s the one place I know the Locos won’t come. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it’s always wise to choose the lesser of two evils. In my case, that’s the Irish fucking mob. They protect their territory with a viciousness that makes any low life gangbanger think twice about crossing this threshold. Now if I can just manage to fly under the radar for a month while I stash away every cent I earn, I can finally leave this city—and all of my bad history—behind.