Page 76 of Sins of Innocence

Yeah, something's been pushing me and Áine toward each other for years.

It ain't love or anything soft and romantic like that. I don't have that shit in me to give, but this thing with me and Áine? It's meant to fucking be.

She and those girls are mine to take care of.

I pull into the parking lot of St. Patrick's Elementary. It takes longer than it should for the bookkeeper to understand what I want and that he has no choice about doing it. Once the full refund of all money paid by Kenneth Shaughnessy on behalf of my daughters has been organized, I return to the head office and request a meeting with Lily Kennedy.

"Unfortunately, we can't accommodate your request without preauthorization from Lily's parents." Smiling, the school secretary gets up from her desk and comes to lean on the counter right in front of me. "Perhaps it's something I can help with."

"Call them."

"That's not how pre authorization works," she says flirtatiously. "But for you, I'll make this exception. I assume you're a close family friend?" she asks, her eyelashes batting like they're trying to take a flying leap off her face.

"No."

Confusion makes her brows pucker. "What is this about then?"

Not about to share with this woman what Neeve told me earlier, I pull my phone out and text Dagda, telling him what I need.

"Lily's parents will be calling you shortly." I turn to sit down in one of the adult-sized chairs in the waiting area. My big frame dwarfs it like it's kid-sized though.

"I'm sure the principal would prefer to know what this is about," the secretary says leadingly.

I ignore her.

"Mr. Lleshi, if you want permission to pull a student from her classroom, you will have to give a reason why."

"I need to talk to her."

"About what?" Her tone laced with irritation, she doesn't sound flirty anymore.

Good. I don't think my soon-to-be wife would like another woman flirting with me. I sure as hell wouldn't put up with another man trying it on with her.

The secretary makes a sound of distress. "Um…Mr. Lleshi, is everything okay?"

"Fine." I uncurl my fists and settle my hands on my hips.

She walks that way people do when they're trying to look nonchalant and are feeling anything but back to her desk.

Sitting down, she picks up the headset she removed before fluffing her hair when I first came in and puts it back on, then presses a button on the black phone console on her desk. "Yes, hello, Mrs. Powell. I'm sorry to interrupt you, but there's a Mr. Lleshi here wanting to pull a student from her classroom."

She pauses, listening to the principal.

"I don't know." She turns away from me and whispers, "He hasn't made any overtly threatening moves."

I roll my eyes. I haven't made any subtly threatening moves either. If I did intend to do her harm, she wouldn't be talking to her principal right now.

"I work for Mick Fitzgerald." If she doesn't know what that means, the principal will.

"Oh! Well, he says he works for Mr. Fitzgerald."

She turns back to face me, the wariness that should have been in her eyes the second I walked into this office finally there now. "Brogan Shaughnessy's son-in-law?"

I jerk my head in acknowledgement.

"Yes, that Mr. Fitzgerald." The phone on her desk rings. "Oh, um…that might be one of Lily's parents. I'd better take it."

Nodding to whatever the principal is saying, the secretary taps the screen on the phone console. "St. Patrick's Elementary." She pauses, listens and her shoulders relax. "Hello, Mrs. Kennedy. There's a Mr. Lleshi here who wants to speak with Lilly."