“Oh my god, you know, don’t you?” I sucked in a sharp breath as my brain quickly twigged. “About the other women? What he gets up to? You know about my dad’s affairs?”
Joey didn’t respond, but he didn’t deny it either.
“You knew?” I shook my head. “You’ve always known? And you didn’t think to tell me?”
“It’s not my business,” he finally said, jaw clenched tight from the obvious tension that was emanating from him. Catching ahold of my arm, he led me slightly away from the girls before he continued speaking. “I work with the man. I’m not his keeper and I’m not your spy, either. I don’t get involved in shit that doesn’t concern me.”
The rain was beating down on us, plastering his halo of dirty blond hair to his forehead as rain drops trickled from his brow to his nose and then his lips. Yet still, he remained absolutely rigid, eyes locked on mine.
“Don’t make it more than it is, Molloy,” he said in a heated tone. “It’s an omission, not a betrayal.”
“Well, it feels like one,” I strangled out, looking up at him. “I feel betrayed.”
Emotion flashed in his eyes before he quickly schooled his features. “Tony gave me a job, took a chance on me when nobody else would. My loyalties have always been with your father, not your mother.”
“What about your loyalties to me?” I pushed the boat out by asking.
His jaw ticked. “That’s not fair.”
“What about me, Joe?”
“Molloy—“
“Oh my god, are you two having your first fight?” Rebecca interjected with a laugh. “Priceless. That didn’t take long.”
It was at that exact moment in time that a familiar blue Toyota Starlet came speeding up the street towards us.
Brakes screeching loudly, I watched as the passenger door flew open and Paul climbed out of his brother Billy’s car.
Lovely.
Just fecking lovely.
“Is it true?” he roared, red-faced and raging, as he marched towards me. “Did you fuck her?”
“What” Gaping, I shook my head. “No, I didn’t sleep with anyone, calm down.” Hurrying over to intercept him before anything happened, I placed a hand on his chest. “Paul, please, if you just give me a second to explain—“
My words broke off when he literally shoved me out of his way, in his bid to reach my partner in this particular crime, intent on one thing only, evoking violence.
“You just couldn’t leave her alone, could ya?” Paul roared, going chest to chest with his nemesis. “You had to have her. You had to mark her off your list.”
“List?” Laughing darkly, Joey met his challenge head on, shoving him back with his chest. “The fuck are you talking about?”
“You had no right to touch her.” Rearing an arm back, Paul punched Joey in the face. “You had no goddamn right.”
Joey’s head twisted sideways, and I held my breath, almost afraid to see what he would do in retaliation.
I didn’t have to hold that particular breath for long, because in the blink of an eye, Joey had Paul speared to the road.
“Newsflash, asshole, your girlfriend kissed me,” Joey snarled, pouncing on Paul like a lion would a gazelle, as his fists rained down on his face.
“Shut up, Joey,” I groaned, dropping my head in my hands. “God.”
“The truth hurts, Molloy,” Joey seethed, laying into Paul. “Yeah, that’s right, prick. Your girl over there made the first move.”
“And let me guess; you weren’t interested?” Paul roared back at him.
“Have you seen your girl?” Joey taunted. “Of course, I was interested. In fact, I was very fucking interested. Still am.”
“Joey, stop taunting him – Billy, don’t you dare!” I warned, only to curse in frustration when Paul’s brother ignored me entirely and jumped into the fray.
“Get off my brother, ya dirty junkie—“ Grabbing ahold of the back of Joey’s t-shirt, Billy dragged him off Paul before knocking him to the ground and driving his boot into Joey’s stomach.
Repeatedly.
Over and over.
Jesus.
“Oh my god, stop!” Danielle screamed, covering her face with her hands.
“Are you happy now?” I demanded, glaring at both girls, who were watching on in horror. “Look what you’ve done!”
“What you’ve done,” Rebecca choked out shakily. “This is your fault, Aoife. This is all on you.”
“Yeah,” Danielle sobbed. “Look at what you’ve done!”
Yeah, I thought to myself, as I raced over to break up the fight, I know.
“That’s right, ya little prick,” Billy continued to taunt, as he held Joey’s arms behind his back, rendering him essentially helpless, while Paul kicked and punched at him. “Not so fucking tough now, are ya?”
“Get fucked,” Joey half-spluttered, half-laughed, as he grunted and heaved every time Paul’s boot connected with his flesh.
Blood was flowing freely from his lip, but he didn’t seem to notice or care, as he continued to taunt Paul. “No wonder you’re pissed, lad. Letting a girl like that slip through your fingers.”
“I’m going to kill you!”
Joey laughed. “You couldn’t fight your way out of a paper bag, prick!”
“Stop it,” I ordered, pulling at Billy’s brick-shit-house-sized shoulders in my feeble attempt to get the older lad to release Joey. “Let go of him.”
“Can’t say I regret kissing her back, though.” Joey spat out a mouthful of blood and grinned. “I’d have her mouth on me again in a heartbeat.”
“Oh my god, Joe, stop taunting him!” I practically begged, stumbling backwards when Paul pushed me out of harm’s way. “Paul, come on, I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry I hurt you, but please just stop this.”
“Screw you, Aoife,” Paul snarled, socking Joey in the gut with his fist, looking angrier than I’d ever seen him. “You’ll play the ice-queen card with me, dangling your virginity over my head like a fucking carrot, but the minute this piece of shit crooks his finger, your knickers come off. Is that it?”
“Oh my god, nothing like that even happened,” I screamed back at him “It was a kiss, okay. It was just a kiss.”
“Nothing’s ever just a kiss with him,” Paul sneered, hitting Joey again. “I hope you enjoyed it, because when I get done with him, he won’t have a face to kiss.”
“Hey!” It was at that very moment, that a small, blond-haired boy came bounding out of the Lynch’s house, and rounded the garden wall, with a floor brush in hand. “Get off my brother!”
“Tadhg,” Joey roared, chest heaving and eyes wild now, as he thrashed and tried to break free, the sight of his brother igniting his protective instincts. “Go back inside.”
“I said get the fuck off my brother!” Tadhg screamed, ignoring Joey’s words, as he swung the floor brush at the back of Paul’s legs.
“Hey, don’t touch him!” I snapped, when Paul roughly shoved Tadhg away. “He’s just a little kid.”