Page 53 (1/1)

"Anyway, the gardai had caught wind of this place--a bunker, they called it--and had been watching it for a while They busted it that same weekend" I had an AR-15 ingrass surrounding us, the fluorescent garda nauilty The other fellas were sixteen and seventeen They went to Oberstown, basically a juvenile detention center for boys But because of ot tried as an adult And because ofinvolved with the IRA I was really lucky, though The gardai didn’t have enough to es stick--soot three years for firearot six for his part"

"You were in prison for three years?"

I roll onto my side to face her, to see the shock and horror in her face I knohat she’s thinking right now She’s trying to i Three years of your life is a long tihteenit feels like an eternity "I only had to do half of it, and then they let ood behavior I had a curfew, and had to report in twice a week to a license officer, but at least I was out, sleeping in my own bed" I used to be a heavy sleeper, but noake up at the slightest creaks in the house

I study her as she processes that, her silhouette beggingup and doith her breaths, the thin cotton tank top doing nothing to cover her tits, the two little sharp points that poke out thanks to the chill in the air Or her fear I had those nipples in ain

I stay on h I’ her head to face h Because of the circumstances, ere put in Portlaoise, a maximum security with murderers and rapists A lot of really bad bastards" Men who had been in there as long as I’d been alive and wouldn’t be getting out anytime soon Men who’d become so acclimatized to prison life, they wouldn’t survive outside of it "It was a long eighteen ht in , "I’ve never told anyone that" I wasn’t the only one The nights were quiet around there for the ular piss The too frequent grunts of a fella getting off, either on his own or with help

"I spent uards treated et hurt?"

I heave a sigh "Once in a while I’d have souess I was considered a catch for the long-timers I’ll tell ya, I learned to shower really fast" Not quick enough to avoid witnessing what soet their fixes The first day home, I stood under that showerhead until the water ran cold And then I called up an old girlfriend and fucked her for half the night

A gasp escapes A like that ever happened to us s to make sure people knew not to mess with me He has a scar that runs from here to here," I draw a fifteen-centimeter line just below my collarbone, "where this lifer--a serial rapist, a really us threatened hiuy’s ar hiuards intervened Aus was uard in there That’s one of thefilling her so him now?"

"He’sup He covered for s, more than once" I’m not about to explain the Katie Byrne incident to her "I was a scrawny kid until I hit puberty Fellas would try to bully ht by, practiced with me like our da would have if he could Went to every one of ood, too I earned a scholarship fro happened"

"Wait" She frowns, and I know she’s thinking about our conversation the pastago now "Thought about trying to get back in, but with Aengus away, and Delaney’s to run, there’s just no time for school Anyway, I’d die before I’d betray ht?"

"NoI don’t" She sighs "My brother has caused himself and others plenty of trouble But I’ve never hesitated to tell ured it’d help Jesse in the long run Maybe keep hi Da what Aengus is up to wouldn’t really help Aengus Da would never actually call the gardai on him; he trusts the likes of them less than we do It would only raise Da’s blood pressure and give hiuess the way your father handles issues is different frouess so" Her eyes start to close, the stress of the day no doubt finally catching up to her I don’t say anythingoff

I have no idea what’s going to happen when those eyes flutter open She’ll likely tell ain That I need to leave immediately That’s why I lean over, feel her shallow breaths cascade over my lips for a moment, and then steal a kiss I settle back intoto the fact that she lied to Duffy for a reason

TWENTY-FOUR

A concernsdirectly only ht, I realize

Then I reotten

I find River sleeping soundly on his back, fully dressed, one ar for h of just yesterday htly

I don’t knohat to do

I don’t knohat to think

I don’t knohat I’m supposed to feel

So I simply lie there, afraid to ht swirl init’ll settle on its own and the ansill suddenly beco camp intended to teach people how to kill and maim, to inspire terror But it doesn’t sound like that was his intention I ree boys outside Bend, after they set up a target range in the unfire They had no explanation for hi "fun" to do Dad said that it was a fairly coe boys It didn’t even faze them that they had no permits