Page 16 of Sins of Innocence

Fitz and Fiona bring over chairs from the table and sit down too.

Áine takes a deep breath and lets it out, like she's trying to center herself before taking a kill shot. "I know there was some kind of fight at school today and Kenny Jr. got taken to the hospital afterward, but the school didn't call me or your gran to tell us you'd been involved."

Fitz leans forward in his chair. "She wasn't part of the fight. That was me and four other boys."

"Four? What happened?" Áine sounds like she might faint.

I move a little closer to her in case she leans my way when she does.

"You know the boys who have been bullying me?" Sadie's not doing a lot better than her mom.

"I tried talking to their parents, but…" Áine lets her voice trail off.

And I finish for her, because I know the end to this story. "They didn't listen."

"Why would they? I'm the wife of a traitor and Sadie is the daughter of one."

Mick stiffens infinitesimally. "You knew about your husband's activities?"

Áine shifts even closer to me and I don't mind at all. "Knew while they were happening? No. Know now? Yes, as you made certain I did."

Why does she keep talking like Mick's the one who scared her and treated her like she's less because of what her husband did? Mick's too much of an unemotional pragmatist to blame the wife for the actions of the husband.

"Explain," my boss orders.

"Do you order so many women terrorized, you can't remember sending Kenneth Shaughnessy to do it to me?" Áine's hand flies to her mouth and she gives Sadie a guilty look.

"Don't worry mom, I know Mr. Shaughnessy is mean. He says stuff to me too."

"What kind of stuff?" Fitz asks, the mob leader he will be one day showing through.

"That my dad was a traitor. That my mom's lucky to have a job working for him and I'm lucky he got me into our school because they didn't want a traitor's daughter mixing with the good kids."

"You are one of the good kids. You're the best kind of kid!" Áine is trembling again, but it's not with nerves this time.

It's with anger.

"How exactly did Kenneth terrorize you?" Mick asks.

Áine take a second to think before answering. "He told me what happened after you found out about what Troy did."

That emphasis on the you when she's talking to the boss? She knows Mick killed her husband. Does she know he tortured him too?

For most people, the threat of death is enough to be considered terrorizing.

"What do you mean, mom? Daddy died before the mob found out what he did," Áine's daughter says tremulously.

I can see Áine telling her daughter that to protect her feelings. I don't see her telling Sadie that Troy was a traitor. But I have no trouble seeing Kenny Jr. doing it.

"That's right, honey. But after Mr. Fitzgerald learned about what Troy did, he wanted to make sure I was made aware too." Áine turns to look up at me, her eyes filled with pleading, like I can fix whatever is troubling her. "My daughter doesn't need to hear any more of this."

I can fix this and I like knowing that.

There's a lot I like about this woman.

I agree with her and then turn my gaze to Mick. "Boss."

"We'll talk more later." I knew he'd understand what I wanted.