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I nodded sagely, waiting for her to continue.
“Thing is, Jack. My ex is Conall O’Rourke. He managed to get away when the O’Rourke gang was taken down. Now he’s back.”
I nodded again.
“I know, Eden. I’ve heard he’s back and cornering the meth market in town.” I saw her sigh with relief at my words.
“Oh. Well, he gave me some meth. The bruise too. Well, that wasn’t him. One of his horrible cronies.” She frowned angrily. I guessed the memory was still fresh in her mind.
I put my hand on her thigh reassuringly.
“Don’t worry, Eden. I’m looking into Conall O’Rourke. I’m gonna take him down.” She smiled at me, relief clearly evident on her face.
“Thing is, it would be much easier with your help.” I remembered her bruised face.
Not Conall? Then who, I wonder. Someone I need to go pay a visit, that’s for damn sure.
“Can you remember what the guy looked like who hit you?” I asked, keeping my voice low and reassuring.
“Not really. He was ugly. Looked a bit like a pig. And he had lots of gold teeth…” My sharp, angry intake of breath stopped her short.
“John O’Hanlan. That piece of work. Knew he was a scumbag, drug dealer, and a snitch. I thought he wasn’t worth my time, but he’s crossed the line now.” I suppressed the anger that was building within me.
Fuck you Goldie. Told you to stay out of my way. You’re in trouble now, sunshine.
“Oh, you know him? Well that’s something at least.” She looked up at me, concern on her face as she studied my features. I tried not to let the anger show.
“Yeah, I know him. I’m gonna pay him a little visit, I think. Don’t worry, he won’t be able to hurt you again. I’ll see him behind bars, one way or another.” I spoke through gritted teeth, nodding decisively.
Eden was looking at me with confused awe. I doubt she expected me to do much more than any other cop would, take a few notes and tell her I’d look into it. She’d struck gold, finding the most determined detective in town who was looking into her enemies.
One who didn’t have time for scumbags.
“One more thing, Jack. I’ve still got the meth Conall gave me.”
I turned to face her.
“You aren’t just a pretty face, are you? Damn, now that's just icing on the cake.” I tapped my chin thoughtfully, my mind racing over everything I had so far.
Well, shit. She might have just got me half way to taking down Conall O’Rourke.
“I’d need you to testify against Conall. Against his intimidation, assault. Admit that he was the one who gave you that meth. You’re the only one that can place him there. I wanna keep you safe. I can’t have you in danger when I’m taking Conall down.”
She looked down at her feet nervously. Her face was conflicted, unchecked emotions and worry present.
“I… ah… well, I want him out of my life, but I’m scared, Jack. He’s nasty, would do anything to get what he wants.” She looked up at me, and my heart broke at the vulnerability showing in her eyes.
“Listen, I’ll have a word with my boss. He’s a good guy, clean as me. See if we can get you into witness protection before we take Conall down. You’ll be safe. I can get Lucas to help, too.” I looked into her eyes, longing to help her.
“I’ll think about it. Can you give me some time? Just need to make sure, y’know.” She was gazing out into the distance, the dusk around us beginning to settle into darkness.
“Sure. Look, I’ll give you my cell. It’s always on. Always. You get any trouble from anyone, you call me. I’ll be there in 5, any time. I promise.” I scribbled my number down on a note and passed it to her. She smiled back at me, pressing the folded note into her bra. I found my eyes following her hand.
Damn. Shit, stay focused.
“There’s one more thing. I’ll need a sample of that meth, Eden. You got it at your house?”
“Yeah, it’s back home. I was gonna bring some, but I didn’t think it was a good idea, y’know.” She said softly, eyes on mine.
