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“That works,” I replied, relieved that she wasn’t going to push the subject. “I don’t have anything at home, anyway. Are you sure you don’t want to hang out and make friends?”
Ella waved her hand, dismissing the youthful crowd. “I’ll wait until the semester starts. I’d rather hang with my big sis.”
My shattered heart warmed at the sound of that. I slipped her tote bag from her shoulder and slid it over my own, interlinking our arms. She giggled as we exited the courtyard.
“The Marshall sisters take New York!” Ella chimed, drawing attention from a group of guys nearby. They grinned, eyeing my little sister lecherously. I glared at them, pulling her tighter against my side. “Hey, isn’t that Jack’s friend? What’s his name?”
“Eoghan,” I whispered, freezing on the spot.
Ella looked at me with a furrowed brow, but my gaze was locked on Jack’s second lieutenant. Eoghan was leaning against a tree on the sidewalk a few yards away, blending in well with the college students. He was staring straight at me, his normally kind eyes icy.
“Is he okay?” Ella asked, sensing tension.
“Give me a second,” I answered, passing my sister the powdered donut. I patted her hand to let her know I had this handled, then stomped toward Eoghan, anger boiling beneath my skin. Tailing me was one thing, but he didn’t have to make it obvious in front of my little sister.
When I reached him, I cocked a hip and crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m assuming Mick sent you.”
It was the only reasonable explanation. They’d been trying to reach me for two days, but I didn’t have it in me to face Jack’s men. It was too fresh, and I was furious with them. Mick knew his boss had been unfaithful. He had been with Jack in Ireland, after all. He’d also said he would understand if I wanted to call it quits with Jack. It made sense now.
“Yeah, he did,” Eoghan said, narrowing his eyes. “So, you know about Jack, then?”
The betrayals just kept coming. Eoghan knew too?
“Yes,” was all I could muster.
Eoghan shuffled his feet, peering at me from under the lid of his cap. “You haven’t heard from him?”
“No.” I had a feeling Jack wouldn’t be calling. I’d made it pretty clear that things were over between us. Still, his lack of persistence was another blow.
“You seem upset.”
That almost had me laughing. “Do I?”
“I thought you’d be worried,” Eoghan said, crossing his arms so that our stances were mirrored. “Not angry.”
I furrowed my brow. “Why would I be worried?”
His confusion matched my own. “Why do I feel like we’re talking about two different things?”
I’d already given this conversation too much energy. Ella was waiting for me. We were going to have a normal night with some not-so-healthy food. She wanted to spend time with me, and my assigned ‘guardian’ was preventing that.
I took a step backward, emphasizing my point. “I’m with my sister.”
“Okay.” He drew out the word, hurt flashing across his boyish features, triggering my own guilt. Eoghan was just being loyal to his boss, which I couldn’t fault him for. “We’ll stop bothering you, if that’s what you want.”
“Y-Yeah,” I stammered, clearing my throat. “That’s what I want. Jack made his decision, now I’m making mine.”
Eoghan nodded, eyeing me with concern. “That’s fair. Take care, Wings.”
“You too,” I muttered, heading toward my sister.
Ella gave me a wide-eyed look, glancing over my shoulder. The street was far too noisy for her to have overheard, but by her anxious expression, Eoghan and I were giving off some serious vibes.
“What was that about?” she whispered, powdered sugar lining her lips.
Relinking my arm with hers, I gave a noncommittal shrug. “Just stuff with Jack.”
“Is that why you look like you’ve been crying for a week straight?”
