Building From Ashes
Page 28
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“Piss off, Jack.” Brigid set her bag beside her desk and grabbed one of the cloths she kept on the corner to wipe the firing range grime from her skin.
Despite how the boys teased her, there was nothing but polite interaction between Brigid and her employer. She knew Murphy was watching, but so far, he’d kept his distance. Much as she had expected, Brigid was going to have to earn his trust and confidence. When he was around, he was polite, but distant, which was fine by her.
“Connor,” Declan barked when he saw her, “what did you say the name of that club was? The one near Parliament House?”
“I don’t remember, to be honest. It was Rave… Rage. Something like that. I only went there once. Even when I was using, that place was too rough for me.” She saw Sean flinch. It was slight, but it was there when she said the name of the club. She caught Declan’s eye and nodded to the young human. “Ask him. He knows.”
The young man looked up with a panicked expression. “I—I don’t use—”
He was cut off when Declan put a heavy hand on the back of his neck. Beatrice could almost see the creeping amnis as it took hold, flooding his cerebral cortex and opening his mind to the immortal.
Declan said, “What is the name of the club?”
Sean blinked once. “Rage.”
“Do you go there regularly?”
“No.”
“If you wanted a fix, who would you talk to?”
The young man blinked, and Brigid wondered if Declan was asking the right questions. All Murphy’s employees were made to take a drug screen, so if the young man was working in the building, it was likely he wasn’t using.
“Sean…” Brigid walked over. “Which of the bartenders had the most business? You know which one had the stuff. They always had the most people asking for them at the bar.”
“The girl. Shannon, I think. She always has the most people around, but she’s not very pretty.”
Brigid looked at Declan. “That could be all he knows. If he’s not a user, he probably wouldn’t know about the harder stuff. But it’s a name. If she doesn’t have it, she’ll probably know who does, and they might be willing to talk.”
Declan scowled and released the young man. Jack walked over from his perch by the television screens and put a hand on the back of Sean’s neck as he walked him out to Angie’s office. “Look her up tomorrow, Brigid. You’ve got the best contacts at the clubs. It’ll be your job.” Declan called out to Jack, “Tell Angie I’ll need a new set of hands! Connor, in the meantime, get over here. You can type for me.”
She sat at the desk and followed Declan’s instructions as Jack came back in and began to speak to Tom in a low murmur.
Declan barked, “Pay attention. This is what I want you to look for…”
Hours later, after her eyes had begun to water from staring at the computer screen as she searched shipping manifests with Declan, Brigid walked to the elevator and hit the button for the fourth floor. It was close to two in the morning and she was exhausted.
She had to admit, part of her loved living where she worked. The other part felt like she mostly never quit working. But that, she decided months ago, was fine. The last thing she needed in Dublin was spare time.
Just as the doors were about to close, a small hand with pink fingernails slipped through and a familiar voice called out, “Hold the lift!”
The young woman was laughing as the doors opened, clearly coming home from a fun night out. But when Emily’s eyes rose and met Brigid’s, she gasped.
“Brigid Connor?” Emily’s mouth spread into a broad, friendly smile and she stepped inside. “You have normal hair now!”
Brigid was at a loss. It was the first time she’d run into any of her old crowd. “Emily… hello. I—I didn’t know that you—”
“I can’t believe this! I’m so excited. Everyone thought you’d disappeared. No one asked questions, of course, but I had to admit I was worried when you didn’t come back to school. And then Mark told us about meeting that vampire—”
“What vampire?”
Emily giggled. “I don’t know his name, silly. Mark said… Well, you know how he was. I think he was jealous.”
Brigid’s mouth dropped open. “Who?” She suddenly remembered that her old boyfriend had been with her that fateful night by the Ha’Penny Bridge Inn when Carwyn had discovered her drug use. “Carwyn? Mark… he never mentioned anything to me. I’d forgotten he even met him.”
“So…” Emily’s smile turned mischievous. “Is that why you disappeared? Ran away with a handsome vampire, eh? Mark thought you’d had a history with the guy and hadn’t told him. Said he was older and—”
“No!” She blushed bright red as she thought about Carwyn at Christmas. The wink he’d shot in her direction as he pulled off his shirt made her feel like a nervous schoolgirl, and her heart raced thinking of the furious crush she’d entertained from a distance when she was young. Then there was their conversation on Christmas morning she still thought about.
Carwyn. Her mind turned too often to the unattainable immortal.
“It’s nothing like that.” She cleared her throat. “So, Emily, do you work here now?” Brigid straightened her shoulders and faced her old friend, reminding herself she was no longer the awkward girl from Parliament House. Emily had never had a problem with drugs. Not like Brigid. As far as Brigid knew, she’d always toyed around the edges of the scene. Smoking some pot. Taking Ecstasy when she went out. And Brigid had been very good at hiding her use from her friends.
Despite how the boys teased her, there was nothing but polite interaction between Brigid and her employer. She knew Murphy was watching, but so far, he’d kept his distance. Much as she had expected, Brigid was going to have to earn his trust and confidence. When he was around, he was polite, but distant, which was fine by her.
“Connor,” Declan barked when he saw her, “what did you say the name of that club was? The one near Parliament House?”
“I don’t remember, to be honest. It was Rave… Rage. Something like that. I only went there once. Even when I was using, that place was too rough for me.” She saw Sean flinch. It was slight, but it was there when she said the name of the club. She caught Declan’s eye and nodded to the young human. “Ask him. He knows.”
The young man looked up with a panicked expression. “I—I don’t use—”
He was cut off when Declan put a heavy hand on the back of his neck. Beatrice could almost see the creeping amnis as it took hold, flooding his cerebral cortex and opening his mind to the immortal.
Declan said, “What is the name of the club?”
Sean blinked once. “Rage.”
“Do you go there regularly?”
“No.”
“If you wanted a fix, who would you talk to?”
The young man blinked, and Brigid wondered if Declan was asking the right questions. All Murphy’s employees were made to take a drug screen, so if the young man was working in the building, it was likely he wasn’t using.
“Sean…” Brigid walked over. “Which of the bartenders had the most business? You know which one had the stuff. They always had the most people asking for them at the bar.”
“The girl. Shannon, I think. She always has the most people around, but she’s not very pretty.”
Brigid looked at Declan. “That could be all he knows. If he’s not a user, he probably wouldn’t know about the harder stuff. But it’s a name. If she doesn’t have it, she’ll probably know who does, and they might be willing to talk.”
Declan scowled and released the young man. Jack walked over from his perch by the television screens and put a hand on the back of Sean’s neck as he walked him out to Angie’s office. “Look her up tomorrow, Brigid. You’ve got the best contacts at the clubs. It’ll be your job.” Declan called out to Jack, “Tell Angie I’ll need a new set of hands! Connor, in the meantime, get over here. You can type for me.”
She sat at the desk and followed Declan’s instructions as Jack came back in and began to speak to Tom in a low murmur.
Declan barked, “Pay attention. This is what I want you to look for…”
Hours later, after her eyes had begun to water from staring at the computer screen as she searched shipping manifests with Declan, Brigid walked to the elevator and hit the button for the fourth floor. It was close to two in the morning and she was exhausted.
She had to admit, part of her loved living where she worked. The other part felt like she mostly never quit working. But that, she decided months ago, was fine. The last thing she needed in Dublin was spare time.
Just as the doors were about to close, a small hand with pink fingernails slipped through and a familiar voice called out, “Hold the lift!”
The young woman was laughing as the doors opened, clearly coming home from a fun night out. But when Emily’s eyes rose and met Brigid’s, she gasped.
“Brigid Connor?” Emily’s mouth spread into a broad, friendly smile and she stepped inside. “You have normal hair now!”
Brigid was at a loss. It was the first time she’d run into any of her old crowd. “Emily… hello. I—I didn’t know that you—”
“I can’t believe this! I’m so excited. Everyone thought you’d disappeared. No one asked questions, of course, but I had to admit I was worried when you didn’t come back to school. And then Mark told us about meeting that vampire—”
“What vampire?”
Emily giggled. “I don’t know his name, silly. Mark said… Well, you know how he was. I think he was jealous.”
Brigid’s mouth dropped open. “Who?” She suddenly remembered that her old boyfriend had been with her that fateful night by the Ha’Penny Bridge Inn when Carwyn had discovered her drug use. “Carwyn? Mark… he never mentioned anything to me. I’d forgotten he even met him.”
“So…” Emily’s smile turned mischievous. “Is that why you disappeared? Ran away with a handsome vampire, eh? Mark thought you’d had a history with the guy and hadn’t told him. Said he was older and—”
“No!” She blushed bright red as she thought about Carwyn at Christmas. The wink he’d shot in her direction as he pulled off his shirt made her feel like a nervous schoolgirl, and her heart raced thinking of the furious crush she’d entertained from a distance when she was young. Then there was their conversation on Christmas morning she still thought about.
Carwyn. Her mind turned too often to the unattainable immortal.
“It’s nothing like that.” She cleared her throat. “So, Emily, do you work here now?” Brigid straightened her shoulders and faced her old friend, reminding herself she was no longer the awkward girl from Parliament House. Emily had never had a problem with drugs. Not like Brigid. As far as Brigid knew, she’d always toyed around the edges of the scene. Smoking some pot. Taking Ecstasy when she went out. And Brigid had been very good at hiding her use from her friends.
