Flawless(15)

“You should let them take you to the hospital,” he said, “and make sure you’re all right. We were flying around pretty good back there.” He smiled again, and she was shocked by what it did to his face. His pin-striped suit was rumpled and his tie was askew, so he wasn’t looking quite as ruggedly GQ as he might have, but his smile made him seem far too...attractive.

“I’m fine. Really. I have three brothers. I’ve been through much worse,” she told him. “Really, I just want to get to the pub.”

“I’ll get an officer to drive you,” he said.

“It’s all right. I can hop on the subway.”

“Not if you want to avoid the press—which I very much hope you’ll want to do,” he told her.

“I do want to avoid them, but why do you want me to?”

“Police should handle the press spin, that’s why,” he said. “Stay right there. I’ll get an officer to drive you.” He pocketed the card she’d given him. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She nodded as he turned and left, then watched as he went over to join two other men in suits who were deep in an animated discussion about something no doubt related to the events of the afternoon. His answer had been logical, but she felt as if he’d hesitated just a shade before answering her. Why?

Suddenly her view was blocked as a uniformed NYPD officer moved to stand in front of her.

“Miss Finnegan? I’m here to drive you home.”

She wasn’t heading home, of course, but to the pub. She gave him the address and told him where it was. He smiled. “I love that place,” he said with a broad smile. As they drove, he told her that Finnegan’s was a favorite watering hole for him and a number of his friends—when they were off duty, of course.

He stopped in front of the bar, and she thanked him as she got out. There was an employee entrance that led to the offices, but she knew it would be locked by now, so she walked in the front.

To her shock—and a bit of dismay—the pub was doing a booming business. Mary Kathleen had even come back in for the evening shift. On a Monday, it shouldn’t have been so crazy, but it was.

And the first person to spot her was Declan.

Her older brother was handsome and charming and—in her opinion—the best host and barkeep in the world. He looked as if he’d stepped out of a movie as he worked the bar in his white shirt with rolled up sleeves and green brocade vest. But when he saw her, he folded his arms over his chest, a frown settling onto his face.

Danny bounced out to greet her, his eyes wide with warning. But it was too late. Declan was already coming around the bar to confront her. “Are you crazy?” he asked. His tone was furious. “And look at you! You look like you were competing in the mud-wrestling championships!”

She took a deep breath and was trying to figure out just how she was going to explain herself when he threw his arms wide and pulled her into a tight hug. “Thank God you’re all right!”

Crushed against his chest, she felt her mind race.

What did he know? What did he think?

“She’s here!” Bobby O’Leary cried. “The woman of the hour!”

“All hail our kick-ass hero!” Jimmy McManus, sitting down the bar from Bobby, lifted his beer glass.

The darker of the two men she’d seen with McManus was there with him. Thankfully, there was no sign of Gary Benton.

Kieran froze, then slowly emerged from Declan’s embrace. Everyone in the place was looking at her and applauding.

“What, um, what...?” she muttered inarticulately.

“The television—check out the television,” Danny told her, hugging her tightly for a long moment.

Kevin, her twin, had emerged from behind the bar, too, and he also hugged her warmly, whispering, “I know you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, but if you took chances... I came into this world with you, sis, and if you leave it before me, I won’t be able to cope.”

“I love you, too,” she murmured, then finally got a glance at the TV. A reporter was in the middle of explaining that a brave hostage had helped the FBI take down the thieves. And she was clearly visible in the shot behind him, which showed her seated in the back of the ambulance, a blanket around her shoulders and a cup of coffee in her hand, as an EMT spoke to her. The reporter was still going on about her courage under fire.

Except there had been no courage. There had been no choice.

She smiled weakly, waved a hand and managed a soft thank-you, then dodged behind the bar and ran to the offices in back.

Declan was right behind her, closing the door to the office behind them. She noticed that he’d brought a clean wet bar rag with him and looked at him questioningly.

“You’re still wearing a fair amount of dirt. You roll in an alley or something?” he asked.

He was watching her with his arms crossed over his chest again. Even so, she could tell that he was truly grateful to see her alive and well.

She could also tell that he knew there was more to the story.

“You were buying diamonds?” he asked her. “Instead of coming to work?”

She accepted the bar rag from him, sank into the chair behind the desk and studiously scrubbed at her face. “No, and I’m sorry. I didn’t think that the bar would be this busy. I—”