Page 91 of Sins of Innocence

Kieran nods.

A low murmur of whispers spreads throughout the classroom.

"Excuse me, but who are these men?" Mr. Wrye demands from me.

Like I know. Even if I can guess, I won't.

Kieran doesn't make me. "My security."

"As if that man needs security," one of the moms says.

One of the other mom's hushes her. "Shh. He works for the Shaughnessys."

Silence descends over the room.

"They cannot stay," Mr. Wrye informs us officiously. "This meeting is for students of St. Patrick's and their parents or guardians only. You being here is stretching the bounds of our policy as it is. Your security will have to wait in the hall."

Kieran gives a short jerk of his head and his men leave the room as silently as they entered it, one of them even closing the door behind them.

Mr. Wrye gives me a superior smile, his eyes glowing with his petty victory. I'm not the one who invited the men into the room. That was Kieran and I'm pretty sure whatever point he meant to make with them has been made.

The door opens again and Mr. Wrye opens his mouth to say something but snaps it shut again when the person who walks inside is the principal, Mrs. Powel.

She puts her hand out to me. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Gallagher. Thank you for ensuring this matter was brought to our attention." She nods at Kieran. "Mr. Lleshi, your assistance in this matter is greatly appreciated."

"Mrs. Powell, I do not understand what all this…" Mr. Wrye waves his hand toward the students and their parents crowding the classroom. "Is in aid of."

With less than a handful of them being dads, there are at least as many adults as children – telling me that some of the kids have both their parents here. I know some of the parents pretty well, since our kids have been at the same school since first grade, but Lily's dad is the only one who smiles at me.

I give a mental shrug. None of these people matter. Only my daughter does. And seeing how widespread the problem is, I have to wonder if keeping her at St. Patrick's is what's best for her.

"What is this in aid of?" I ask Mr. Wrye, my tone colder than a New York winter. "It is in aid of addressing a problem you should have brought to me the moment you became aware of it. If you had…" I give my own wave toward the rest of the room. "The bullying my daughter has been subjected to would not have spread to half the class."

There are a couple of murmurs and one loud gasp, as if at least one of these parents had no idea what this mandatory meeting was supposed to be about.

"The children involved apologized and Neeve said she forgave them like a good Christian should." Mr. Wrye frowns down at my daughter, like she's the problem.

"Sit down," Kieran barks at the teacher.

Mr. Wrye isn't the only one who jumps at the mobster's commanding tone. Several of the parents take seats at empty children's desks, like they think Kieran was talking to them.

But when Mr. Wrye goes to sit behind his desk, Kieran shakes his head. "There." He points toward the classroom desks.

Mr. Wrye rears back, clearly affronted. "I don't think—"

"Sit down, Richard," Mrs. Powell says in a tone I would listen to if I was a teacher at her school.

Mr. Wrye sits.

Mrs. Powell says, "I'll just stand in the back of the room. In case anyone has questions for me when you are finished."

The words convey both her support of Kieran's game plan, whatever it is, and an unwillingness to entertain questions from the parents until he has executed it.

Maybe I should have spent the drive over here asking what that might be, instead of enjoying listening to him and Neeve dissecting the movie they watched.

Kieran squeezes my shoulder and gives his barely there smile to Neeve. "Why don't you two join Lily and her dad?"

It's more than his usual taciturn communication. Heck, I wouldn't have been surprised if he'd just said, "Sit down," like he did to Mr. Wrye.