Page 89 of Nine Years After
“We didn’t order these,” I yell loud enough for the waitress to hear. She smiles and yells back.
“They’re complementary from the owner! He gives each new visitor a shot on the house for good luck!” I look to Saoirse, and she shrugs her shoulders. We take the shots from her, thanking her before she wanders back to the bar to grab us new glasses of ale. Saoirse passes off the shots to the table next to us, and the men are happy with the free booze.
We get our glasses, and about halfway through, I start to feel the alcohol. I hadn’t eaten enough today, so I’m a lightweight tonight. I nod at Saoirse, angling my head to the door, and she agrees with me. We drop cash on the table andstumble outside.
We’re almost to the end of the alley when my vision becomes fuzzy. I turn to look at Saoirse only to see her fighting… a man. Shit. I can only see vague outlines in the darkness, and on top of that, my vision seems to be getting worse. I fumble for my knife, but it isn’t there.FUCK!It’s at Declan’s. I sway, feeling unsteady on my feet. My senses aren’t communicating with my brain. Everything sounds distant.
I look back up and freeze.
My blood runs cold. I smell it again. That horrible cologne.
It can’t be.
I’m hallucinating.
It can’t be him.
“Ahhh, the spoiled little bitch is mine once again.”
His voice slithers between my bones, and I feel like I’m going to puke. I look over my shoulder to see Saoirse hanging limp over another man's shoulder.
“You won’t get away this time,” he says, closer now, then I feel my hair being pulled. When I turn, something hard crashes into my face. My body drops to the stones below, and the last thing I remember is breathing Callum’s name and then…
