God he gave me the ick, but more money and big tips would help my financial situation. "OK, then yeah." Connie, the woman who'd showed me the ropes when I arrived a few hours ago, scowled.
"How come she gets the party room? She's fucking new!" I shrank back, regretting saying yes to Ron. The last thing I wanted was to upset the person who'd been mostly helpful to me thus far.
Ron scowled at Connie.
"The fact she's new is why. The boss wants a fresh face for the monthly party night." I'd assumed Ron was the boss, but clearly not. He must just be a manager or something.
"I could have done with the extra money," Connie grumbled before slamming some empty glasses in the dishwasher.
"Then quit shoving all your cash up your nose."
"Fuck you, Ron," Connie muttered before storming down the bar toward a group of businessmen waiting to be served. To my surprise, he just rolled his eyes. My guess was he ignored her attitude in return for sexual favors. He seemed like that kind of guy.
"Be here for 9 PM,cara. I'll have an outfit for you to change into, but you'll need heels."
"Um, I don't have any?" All I had was a pair of sliders and the sneakers I'd left Ireland in.
Ron huffed in annoyance. "Fine, give me your size and I'll ask Luna to find some for you to wear."
I told him, and he made a quick note of it on his phone before striding off.
The thought of wearing someone else's shoes made me cringe, but if the tips were good tomorrow, I might have enough cash to purchase a flight to Phuket sooner than I'd hoped.
A few months spent traveling around southeast Asia would help erase the memories of the three men I desperately wanted to forget.
No doubt they'd forgotten me already.
I took a deep breath and twanged the elastic band on my wrist, wincing at the swift bite of pain.
I'd read somewhere pain was good at rewiring the brain if you wanted to stop thinking about someone. The unpleasant physical sensation helped to redirect the brain's focus. So far, it had done fuck all, but I refused to give up.
"Hey, you, I want a fucking drink!" A fat man in a Hawaiian shirt leered at me and I sighed.
The sooner I quit this shithole, the better.
36
Declan
Istared up at the flashing neon sign as thunder rumbled ominously in the distance. The L and A had burned out, so the sign read 'Blue --goon Hostel'. Dear Lord.
My ears rang from the loud music and feminine shrieks coming from the pool area behind the hostel. I plucked at my shirt ineffectually, not enjoying the intense humidity. The cool, wet climate of Ireland suited me much better.
Why would anyone choose to stay in a god-awful place like this? It beggared belief.
I knew for a fact Verity always had a credit card available for whatever she needed, so she could easily have afforded a decent hotel. One with air conditioning and a minibar.
But the girl was stubborn to a fault, and she appeared to have developed a strong desire to 'go it alone'. What she failed to appreciate was how much fucking danger she was in right now.
It had taken Milo five days to track our runaway princess down. Five sleepless days and nights.
The guy had a few screws loose, but he was good at what he did. He gave me the creeps with his dead-eye stares and weird monologues on random topics, but I could respect his tech skills.
Thea had wanted to send Dario to drag Verity back home, but I'd offered to fly out instead, making some bullshit excuse about a business meeting in Rome. Not exactly a selfless act, but I couldn't admit that to her or myself.
Ronan and Conal both insisted on joining me, but since it was their fault Verity had run away, my answer had been no. Instead, I'd brought Ash and Connor along for the ride, as they spoke better Italian than me.
I figured the three of us would have no problem finding Verity and hauling her ass onto the plane for a trip across the Atlantic. This time, I planned to deliver her straight into the loving arms of her sister. Once she was on American soil, she became Thea's problem, not mine.
