Damien (Slater Brothers #5)(44)

“Have you not seen it?”

“No ... come to think of it, you’re always sketching, but I never actually see what you’re drawing.”

“Sure, you do,” I answered. “The majority of what I sketch goes up on me website after I’m done and I know you like lookin’ through me site.”

“Yeah,” Alec agreed, “but that’s after you scan it onto your computer and do all your graphic designer magical things to it. Half of the time, what you sketch doesn’t look hand-drawn after you get it the way a client wants.”

I grinned. “Because I’m good at me job.”

“You’re awesome at your job,” he corrected. “What I’m saying is, I want to see your work in person.”

I hesitated. “I’ll bring the pad that had the drawin’ of Keela with me tomorrow, and you can flick through it, okay?”

“Good. I look forward to it.”

I raised my brow when he just openly stared at me.

“What?”

“Will you come up to the bathroom with me?”

“What, why?”

“Dominic said there is something I have to see in the bathroom, and I’m not going up on my own in case whatever it is … is living.”

I got to my feet, laughing.

“C’mon, princess,” I said, leading him out of the room. “I’ll protect you.”

When we reached the bathroom on the first floor, we both pressed our ears against the door, and remained deathly silent. Neither of us heard movement, or a sound of any kind, so I reached for the door handle, and opened it.

Alec decided to become brave as he walked into the bathroom, but he sucked in a sharp breath a second later, and stumbled out of the room. I peeked into the bathroom and screamed when I saw the clown. Alec was already spirinting down the stairs, leaving me to fend for myself.

“You cowardly bastard!” I bellowed after him.

He didn’t stop running.

“I’m sorry,” he shouted as he exited the house. “Don’t judge me!”

I walked into the bathroom, and stared at the pretty terrifying cut out of Pennywise from Stephen King’s horror book, IT, that was chilling in the bathtub. I shook my head and placed my hands on my hips. I looked over my shoulder when side splitting laughter floated up the stairs. When Nico stumbled into the room, I shook my head, and chuckled.

“His soul is probably on its way to be with Jesus right now, I hope you realise that.”

Nico didn’t care, he shook with laughter.

“He told me I couldn’t scare him,” he tittered. “Proved that bitch wrong, didn’t I?”

I left the laughing hyena, and headed outside of the house to find Alec at the end of the garden.

“It’s only a cardboard cut out.”

“It’s evil, and I swear it blinked at me.” Alec clipped, placing his hands on his hips. “I’m gonna kill Dominic.”

I snorted, but looked down when my phone rang in my bag, so I quickly rooted for it. I clicked answer when I saw Gavin's Collins' face flash across the screen.

“I’m not talkin’ to you, Gavin Collins. Do you think I’ve forgotten that you just ignored me pleas to stop Damien and Dante from fightin’ at the garage yesterday?”

“I’m so sorry, but please, I need to talk to you, Alannah! Can I come by? I’m in deep shite.”

The urgency in his tone worried me.

“Are you okay?”

“No,” he answered. “I just found out somethin’ that is goin’ to make me brothers and sister kill me.”

I widened my eyes. “What’d you find out?”

“I’m goin’ to be a da.”





“I need you to explain this to me one more time, Gav.”

Gavin, who was lying face down on my settee, groaned. After he phoned me, I made an excuse to Alec that I had to go, then I all but ran to my car, shouting goodbye to everyone on my way. Alec knew I was on the phone to Gavin because he heard me say his name, and I could only pray that he hadn’t heard Gavin’s declaration because with his big mouth, it’d get back to Aideen before Gavin could tell her the news that she would be an auntie.

“I already told you everythin’ I know,” he said, his voice muffled as he spoke into the settee pillow. “Please, don’t make me tell you everythin’ again.”

“Who is she?”

“Who is who?”

I threw a pillow, smacking him in the back before it fell onto the floor, but he still didn’t move.

“Who is the woman you got pregnant?”

“Oh.” He grunted as he pushed up, then turned and sat on his behind, leaning his head back on the settee. “She’s just someone I was seein’. ’Er name is Kalin, you wouldn’t know ’er. She’s from Kildare.”

I frowned. “You never mentioned goin’ out with anyone.”

“We weren’t goin’ out; we were just—”

“Havin’ sex?”

“Yeah,” he replied, turning his head to look at me. “Kind of like what you and me big brother were doin’.”

I felt my cheeks burn, and Gavin snorted before he turned his head to look at me.