But she’d always been too busy, too driven to fall in love. And now…she’d never have the chance. Running her fingers over the card in her pocket, she wondered if she should call the nice Guarda officer. Until she leaned against the bridge railing and looked back the way she’d come.What the hell?
She could have sworn Ewan had just ducked around a corner. She was easily two miles from her hotel. Had he been following her? Stalking back to where she thought she’d seen him, she turned the same corner and stared. The alley was empty. Was she seeing things now? Paranoid?
With a shake of her head, she crumpled the card up and tossed it in a nearby rubbish bin. Even if he’d been a figment of her imagination, she took the sighting as the Universe’s way of telling her to avoid the guy.
* * *
The Brazen Head Pubwas all rich leather and warm wood—and people. Riley found a single stool at the end of the bar, tucked against the wall. She felt a little claustrophobic with the throngs eating, drinking, and laughing all around her, but it was also vaguely comforting. Normal. Like she wasn’t sick. Wasn’t on her last vacation ever. Here, she was anonymous. Free.
After a pint of thick, frothy Guinness and a pot pie, the chill finally left her. And she started to relax. Maybe it was the alcohol, but she loved sitting with her back against the wall, watching all the people.
A large table in the center of the pub was filled with men and women her age, all obviously dear friends, and they lifted their glasses in a rousing toast. Along the far wall on a little raised platform, a band started to play. A fiddle, mandolin, and a set of spoons provided the tune, and when two of the men started to sing, the haunting melody almost brought tears to Riley’s eyes.
Hours passed, along with a second pint, and she didn’t want to leave. But if she didn’t start back towards the hotel soon, she’d find herself out on the streets of Dublin past midnight, and no matter how safe the city was, her vague worry about Ewan still lingered in the back of her mind.
Maybe she should call a cab. Or…did they have Uber in Dublin? As she slipped fifty euros to the bartender and hopped off her stool, she crashed into a hard, sculpted body.
“Careful there, luv,” the deep voice said in her ear. His hands were cool, even through her thick sweater, and she turned, caught between wanting to thank the man, apologize to him, and yell at him for touching her.
“Oh, my God.” She knew him. Those dark eyes. Almost as black as night. The strong jaw, cheekbones for days, and full lips. “You.”
His eyes widened. “Do you…recognizeme?”
“Y-yes. You were…”Where?Riley couldn’t think where she’d seen him before, only that shehad definitelyseen him before. “Was I…underground? It was dark. Or…there was a door…a ghost story…”Get it together, Riley.
She centered herself with a deep inhale, bringing the man’s scent to her nose. Tobacco, leather, spice. God. She wanted to live in that scent. Taking a step back, she shook her head. “I’m sorry. Maybe you just have one of those faces. It’s been a long day. Thank you for stopping me from landing on my ass.”
The man reached for her, but Riley slipped into the crowd and rushed for the door. Whoever he was, he stirred up emotions she couldn’t understand. Both a desperate desire to wrap her arms around him to hold him close and a base need to flee—to get as far away from him as she possibly could.
As she burst out the doors, the cold Dublin air whipped around her, blowing her hair into her eyes.Gotta get back to the hotel. Like…now.
After a block, a deep voice called out, “Riley. Stop.”
The man from the pub. Oh God. He’d followed her. And now…she was alone, on a street with no open shops, nowhere to hide… Only sparing him a quick glance, she broke into a run.
Her shoes slapped against the pavement, and she fought to try to catch her breath as she turned one corner, then another, and another.
But then…she looked around and didn’t recognize anything. Blocks away from the shopping and restaurant district, she saw only shuttered offices, apartments, and buildings that looked to be abandoned. She had to keep running, though. Digging out her phone as she pushed herself faster, she tried to type in the address of the hotel, but her hands were shaking too much.
And then, she burst into a courtyard. Four men, all in their late twenties, turned as one to stare at her. “Help me,” she gasped, praying these guys were some of the good ones. “I think…someone’s…after me.”
Two of them were at her side in a heartbeat, each taking an arm to support her. “We’ll take care of ya’, luv,” the shorter one said.
“Thank…you…”
“Yer ours now. And we won’t let anythin’ happen to ya’,” another man said from behind her. But when Riley looked into their eyes, her throat seized and an icy ball of fear sank in her stomach. The two men holding her had eyes the color of blood.
Trying to wrench her arms free, she took a deep breath to scream, but a third man clamped his hand over her mouth and whispered in her ear. “Itoldya, luv. You belong to us now.”
She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. And when the fourth and largest of the men met her gaze, her world turned soft and dark and cold, and she welcomed the end…of everything.
