startled Laura, but not Fionn—he’d watched the man leave the dark corner he’d been skulking in, determination on his face, and head for the woman as soon as she’d taken the seat next to Fionn. A jealous would-be lover or ex, maybe? No, he didn’t see this sweetheart with a man tough enough to run with the Irish Cartel. Maybe someone who didn’t want certain gossip spreading to strangers?
“What the feck, Dylan?” Laura swiped at the splash of cider that had stained her thigh when she jumped at the man’s interruption.
Fionn’s body tensed, waiting for Dylan’s next move. If he thought it would be aimed at Laura, Fionn would show him otherwise. Maybe a nice kick to the head. Or balls.
“Isn’t Aiden here?” the man asked, his dark eyes never leaving Fionn’s face. “Maybe you should be finding somewhere else to sit.”
“I’ll sit where I please,” Laura said, assuming he was talking to her, “and I don’t need my brother’s permission. Go away.”
“Laura—”
Laura glanced over her shoulder. “Bud!”
Her call was answered immediately by the presence of the barkeep, almost as if he’d been listening for her. “Whatcha need, girl?”
Laura gave Fionn a wink on the side neither of the other men could see. “Dylan here is being an asshole.”
Bud’s arm shot out without warning, and he grabbed Dylan by the ear, leading him down the bar away from Laura, cursing the whole way. Dylan’s cries got a few of the onlookers to laughing. Laura went back to sipping her cider, calm once more, a full smile on her lips.
“That was pretty impressive,” Fionn said, meaning it. He’d be wary of Dylan in any situation—the guy just gave off that kind of vibe—but Laura hadn’t hesitated.
“Bud”—she nodded toward the barkeep, now giving the younger man a stern talking-to, as Fionn’s mam would call it, at the end of the bar—“is my uncle. All the men here know not to be givin’ me a hard time.”
“I don’t think Dylan is after listening to that advice,” he said.
“He will be once my brother and his friends catch him walking home tonight.”
Fionn laughed, Laura joining in. He liked her; she had guts, just like his Lyse. He also didn’t want to lie to her, not now. Feck, he didn’t want to risk her brother and his friends catching up to him, yeah?
Leaning an elbow on the bar, he lowered his voice the tiniest bit. “Laura, I’m needin’ to be honest with ya here.”
She went still, her gaze searching. It dropped to his left hand, found a naked ring finger, and a deep vee formed between her brows. “About what?”
“I’m not really here looking for…” No, he didn’t really want to spell that out, so he left it hanging. “I really am looking for the man I mentioned, and I do think he was here last night. With a group of men I’m also looking for. Anything you could tell me about them?”
“Why?”
“Because like Dylan, I think they’re out to cause trouble, and my mam is at the top of that list.”
She didn’t ask who his mam was. North Quigley had gotten big enough, he doubted she would know Siobhan, but trusting her or not, he wouldn’t give his mam’s name to anyone.
“They did look like trouble,” she said. He could see the wheels turning behind those eyes. “Quiet, not really partying even though they drank. Bud sent me home not long after I got here.”
Smart man.
“One of the men passed by on his way to the toilet, talking on his cell. Something about picking up petrol for a generator. Whoever was on the other end was mentioning Scaffe’s Road, out by the R202; I heard him repeat it.”
Instinctively he reached to give her hand a squeeze as he stood. Ferrina was living off the grid; with electric, he wouldn’t need a generator. And now they had a general location. Mack should be able to work with that. “Thank you.”
Laura glanced at his hand, then into his eyes. “Going already? You could stay a bit.”
“Any man would be pleased with that invitation,” he said gently, “but I’m taken.”
The words surprised them both. The sadness that filtered into Laura’s expression bothered him more than he’d like to admit, but he didn’t regret telling her. The honesty she’d given him had deserved honesty in kind.
She turned her hand beneath his and gave him a squeeze. “She’s a lucky wan.”
Fionn smiled. “I think that’s the other way round, love.”
He was the lucky one, he thought as he left