I follow her and watch as she drags Chris from a rowdy game of Spin the Bottle. Another friend helps to keep him upright as all three make their way to a waiting car. Even after what she just did to turn me on, Vittoria’s planning to leave. As I accompany them outside, she places her hand in mine, the coldness reminding me of her very inhuman nature. I’d expected her to stay, she rarely turns down an opportunity to fuck so whatever’s going on with Chris must be much worse even than it appears. Helping her climb into the car, I shut the door and watch it drive away.
‘She won’t be so innocent now,’ Chris calls back out of the window as the limo rolls down the driveway. ‘I made sure she got picked for some “alone time” with Finlay. He’s got a rep for breaking in virgins.’
I glower. And as the car headlights disappear into the night, I storm back into my house, yanking open the door of the lounge. My temper spikes when I see Niamh’s not in the room. There’s no sign of Rose, or Matt, either. Cursing the pair of them I head back into the hall and pull open the door to the cloakroom to meet Niamh’s terrified eyes.
Chapter10
Cillian
FOUR YEARS AGO
‘What the fuck is going on?’ I demand as I open the cloakroom door. My blood pressure lowers slightly as I see Finlay standing on the opposite side of the room, his mobile in his hand, while Niamh is facing me, looking ready to leave.
‘N… nothing,’ Finlay stammers. ‘It was a game. I… I wasn’t going to… Tell him I didn’t…’
Niamh turns around to look at him, then looks back at me and frowns.
‘He didn’t do anything. We weren’t doing anything,’ she says, quietly, but more confidently than I expected. Behind me, there are footsteps on the stairs and Sean rushes to stand beside me.
‘What’s happening?’ he asks, his gaze flitting between me, Finlay and Niamh.
‘This little fucker took one of our guests into the cloakroom to?—’
‘What? No! It was a game!’ Finlay says. ‘She was in the circle. She was playing the game. Sean, tell him. I was just supposed to kiss her but she said no and… Tell them!’ Finlay’s voice has risen a couple of octaves. At least someone here tonight respects me.
I look at Niamh and she looks almost as terrified. Not to mention embarrassed. ‘He didn’t do anything wrong,’ she states clearly. ‘I got selected for the game, we came in here and when I said I didn’t want to kiss him… well, that’s about when you opened the door.’
I stare at her, but other than the redness in her cheeks, she’s not looking distressed.
‘You’re sure?’
‘Yes,’ she says nodding, glancing over at Finlay.
‘Fuck’s sake, Finlay. Why do you think the bottle never landed on her?’ Sean says.
Finlay frowns, confused. ‘But it did. It landed on me and then her.’
‘Sean?’ I lift an eyebrow.
‘I’ve been making sure she wasn’t picked since Rose… erm, since Rose went upstairs…’ He runs a hand through his hair and shakes his head. ‘I just went to check on her. I thought Niamh would be fine for a couple of minutes. I didn’t expect?—’
‘I’m fine.’ Niamh cuts in, ‘There’s really no need for all this fuss. I’m just going to get a taxi?—’
‘No. Upstairs,’ I demand, glaring at her. ‘I’m not risking anything happening to you on the way home. Party’s over.’
For a moment, I think she’s going to argue, but Sean nods at her and smiles and, with a frown, she does what I tell her and leaves the closet, rounding the corner to the stairs. Everyone else in the hall hurries away into other rooms, and the music in both the lounge and the drawing room cuts off abruptly.
My fist catches the side of Finlay’s face sending him flying across the hallway. I stride towards him as he starts to pick himself up and kick him back down again.
‘I’ll take Finlay downstairs,’ I say to Sean. ‘And make sure he has somewhere to stay tonight.’
‘But—’ Finlay starts, but I turn quickly, my hand shooting out to grab him by the throat.
‘Right now,’ I say, ‘I’d be extremely careful what I say.’ Finlay stares at me for a moment, then nods. I push him in front of me and down the dark, narrow corridor that leads to the basement, his head bowed and shoulders slumped.
* * *
I wash my hands in the basement sink before heading upstairs sometime later. Taking out some of my frustrations on Finlay, who I don’t think will ever even consider looking at Niamh again as long as he’s breathing, has helped.
