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“Jesus, girl,” Fallon said as she thumped into the chair beside me. “Did you hear what that man wants to do with you?”
I shrugged and went ahead shoving the money in my back pocket. “The guy doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of winning.”
“Now who’s been watching too much American television? Did you see the muscles on that man?”
“So what? Did you pay attention to Cormac? He’s bigger.”
“Yeah, but Cormac isn’t all muscle and you know it, no matter how much the guy likes to pretend. Why are you pushing yourself tonight so much? I don’t buy it’s all about your dad hoping you’ll settle down. I think it’s much worse.”
I wasn’t in the mood to talk about it, even though she knew me better than most people in my life, including my family. It was just too difficult and had been for months. I was drained, more exhausted than I’d been in a long time, the burden of trying to keep my father’s business afloat more difficult than I honestly could believe. I’d grown up around the life but had been more shielded than I’d realized, allowed to seek out my own series of adventures.
All that had changed the night my father had nearly dropped dead of a heart attack. He’d worked his way through his chemo treatments, refusing to back down. But the attack had rendered him frail, and the doctors warned another attack was imminent.
Shaking my head, I tried to push the ugly memories aside. All I wanted was some peace and something more than drudgery. That usually came with a price but tonight, I didn’t care. I just wanted to finally feel alive again, something I hadn’t experienced in years.
“I know what I’m doing.”
“Do you? Do you really? What if this Foxx dude wins? What then? Are you seriously going to take a chance going with them to some unknown spot? They could be heartless criminals for all we know. I could find you in a dumpster in the morning, if I manage to find your battered, bloody body at all.”
“Now who’s dramatic?” I shook my head. Sure, she had a good point but geez. I was a smart girl. I could read people easily.
She planted her hand on her hip, rolling her eyes. “You know what I mean. They could be serial killers selecting their prey.”
“Who just happened to find Charlie’s Bar in the middle of Cork thinking they hunted down that perfect prey? I don’t think so.” Although I had to wonder why they were here. They certainly didn’t look like typical tourists.
“You’re crazy.”
“Shush. They’re returning. I am going to win so we won’t need to worry about it.”
Fallon couldn’t hide her disdain or the fact she thought I’d lost my mind. Maybe I had but I was sick and tired of following all the rules all the time. I felt like I was twenty-seven going on one hundred.
“It’s your funeral,” she said as she stood.
“Ah, thanks for the vote of confidence.”
When Foxx sat down, he had a shit-eating grin on his face. Naturally, I wanted to wipe it off. Maybe I would at some point but not until I won.
With another crowd gathering around us, the games began.
Round one was easy, so much so I blew on my knuckles, rubbing them against my shirt just for fun.
I should have known the American would come out swinging, easily pinning my arm the second time. Now I had to admit that I was starting to sweat just a little. He was not only strong as an ox, he also seemed to know what he was doing.
His eyes never left mine as we prepared for round three. Unlike Cormac, Foxx was calm and collected, his friends as well. Why did I have the distinct feeling they’d done this kind of thing before? That made me want to win more than ever.
I was close to completing my little mission when the bastard issued a growl. “You’re one hot-looking lady. Did you know that?”
The fact that I was thrown by his statement pissed me off. When he used that precise moment to pin my arm to the table, I jerked up partway from my seat, ready to claw his eyes out.
“You son of a bitch,” I said mostly under my breath.
“What? I won fair and square.”
“No, you cheated.”
Foxx pulled my arm close to him, daring to press kisses against the top of my hand. I wanted to jerk it away, using it to slap him with but the tingling sensations only increased from his forward actions. “I don’t think so, sugar. And neither do you. You’re simply a sore loser.”
“You don’t know a thing about me.”
