Page 145 of Beneath the Quiet

“But?”

She sighs. “She’s never been good at telling that boy no. I can’t be sure.”

I look up when Aidan shifts his body to mine like a shield. He peers into my eyes.

“I’ll have to tell my boss that Joe’s been in touch with her again. You know that, right?”

“Okay, well, of course you must, pet. No one should get away with shooting someone, and that goes for Joe, too, even if he is family. Especially not when the woman he shot was our girl. I won’t ever forgive that, not even for Dot’s sake.”

My nose starts to sting. “Your girl?” I gulp.

“You were our girl from the first day we met, and you always will be. Now, Jack said that once you’re up for it, he and I will come visit you. I hope that’ll be okay.”

I sniffle through the film of tears over my eyes. “I’d love for you to visit us.”

“Us? Is there something you’re not telling me, Maeve?”

I chuckle and raise my eyes to meet Aidan’s. His eyes crinkle at the corners, but he’s stance remains alert and protective. I run my palm over his heart, taking strength from the steady beat.

“We have a lot of catching up to do.”

“It sounds like it. I’ll let you get on with your day. Let me know what happens.”

“I will.”

“Please be careful, Maeve. Promise me.”

“I promise I’ll take care of myself, Nellie. Bye.”

“Goodbye.”

I let out a long sigh and scroll my phone to find my boss’s number, only Aidan’s fingers on my chin gives me pause. I raise my head.

“What’s going on, Mae?”

I tap my phone on the palm of my hand. “Joe’s been calling Dot, trying to convince her to reveal where I am, and it sounds like he’s getting more persistent. And I don’t trust Dot. I need to ring O’Neill, find out if he’s heard anything that he can share with me, and then we should probably head home.”

He knits his brows, but nods once. “Right. Get him on the phone while I get our things.”

He moves to walk past me, and I put my hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry for ruining our date.”

He shakes his head. “It’s far from ruined. I got my first honey out of you, and I’m the man who gets to take you home. Not some stupid prick who never knew treasure when he held it in his arms.”

My heart swells in my chest, yet I daren’t hope that he actually feels that way about me. “What?” I whisper.

He leans closer, peering hard into my eyes. “Treasure, Mae. He had it, he lost it. And he’s never getting it back. Not while I’m here.”

I’m lost for words, and all I can do is stare at his back when he leaves me to get our bag with the extra clothes I packed from the locker room. But then I shake my head at myself and finally come unstuck from the floor. I find O’Neill’s number and put the phone to my ear while moving in a half-circle. As the phone rings, I scan the facility, but nothing looks out of the ordinary.

On the fourth ring, he finally picks up. “Gallagher?”

“Sir. Any news about Joe that you can share with me? I just got a disturbing phone call from my foster mother, Nellie.”

He blows out a breath. “Unfortunately, not any good news. He’s still running.”

I walk back and forth, my eyes on the floor beneath me.

Life’s been simple and quiet lately. Maybe a little too quiet, and it irks me that Joe hasn’t been caught yet. How hard can it be for the Gardai to find one small drug dealer?