Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 105748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
“Liam died,” I remembered. “That was the night he died?”
His hands balled into fists as he turned back toward the water. “We stopped not far from shore on the northwest side, got shit-faced, and passed out in the boat. Every one of us. Forde woke up to the sunrise and realized Liam wasn’t on the boat. He woke me and called for help on the radio. The search went on for weeks.” Quinn exhaled a shaky breath. “Taran … it’s a kind of hell not knowing what happened to someone you care about. If he was in trouble, if he fell overboard, surely, he would have shouted for help? Did he and we were too drunk to hear him? We’ll never know. We can only torture ourselves with the unknown. And then, of course, there’s Forde’s theory.”
I’d reached out to cover Quinn’s arm with my hand, horrified for him that he’d gone through that. Liam had always been a nice kid, quiet but gentlemanly toward me. I’d always thought he kind of hero-worshipped Quinn.
Quinn stared down at my hand on his arm and as I lifted it to let go, he quickly covered it with his own. His calloused palm was rough against the top of my hand, his long fingers cool as they tightened around mine.
Goose bumps prickled on my skin and my breathing faltered as awareness rioted through me.
Our eyes met and held and everything else disappeared around us.
“Forde,” Quinn finally forced out. “Forde wondered if it was deliberate.”
I gaped, shocked at his meaning. “Suicide?”
He nodded slowly. “We all knew Liam’s father was abusive. Liam would disappear on us for weeks. We saw the bruises, we witnessed his dramatic mood swings. We didn’t … we didn’t know how to talk to him about it, and we didn’t try. I … I wished we’d tried. That’s why I never stay quiet now if I see a friend hurting or in trouble.”
I leaned in closer. “Quinn, you don’t know what happened to Liam. You can’t blame yourself, whether it was a tragic accident or if he went into that water of his own volition.”
“Eoghan blamed us.” His expression tightened and understanding dawned as I remembered Eoghan’s verbal attack in Pages & Perks. “He tried to get the police to believe it was foul play, but Paul Young has been a policeman on this island for thirty years. He’d had more than one neighbor call him with concerns that Eoghan was abusing Liam and his mother. Paul couldn’t do anything about it because Liam and his mum denied it. He didn’t trust Eoghan, and he knew me and Forde well, so he didn’t think too much of the claims, but Eoghan got the village gossiping. Forde and I were under a microscope for weeks. Finally, Eoghan and Liam’s mother left Leth Sholas and we could breathe again, as horrible as that might sound.”
He eyed me warily. “I’ve never gotten drunk since. What happened with Kiera and then Liam … I knew that alcohol was the enemy, not the answer. A pint or a dram is my limit now.”
I knew why he’d told me that.
He was telling me so I needn’t worry that he’d inadvertently hurt me again because of being too drunk to remember his actions.
I avoided responding to that and asked, “So, you think Eoghan is back now for some kind of misguided revenge? After all these years?”
“I think the only thing stopping him was his wife, and now that she’s gone, he’s got nothing but his own demons to face. I think he’d rather direct his anger outward than inward.” Quinn straightened and I did too, mirroring him as he turned into me. “Until I have some evidence to prove that he’s the one behind all this, I don’t want you venturing off to places alone.”
“I lived in Glasgow for eighteen years. I can take care of myself.”
“Please, Taran. If anything happened to you …” He gave a sharp jerk of his head. “Nothing can happen to you. So let me accompany you to the post office.”
Realizing it would be the ultimate act of pettiness to deny him this after he’d trusted me with his story, I found myself nodding. Plus … it was becoming clear to me that Quinn’s life during our estrangement hadn’t been sunshine and roses. While he had the joy his children brought him, there had also been loss and suffering. Truthfully, I didn’t want that for him. In the past, in my pettier moments, I’d wished him misery. But in reality, I hated the thought of Quinn being unhappy.
“Fine. You can come with me.”
His shoulders relaxed ever so slightly. “Then you can come with me to Angus’s game.”
I gaped at his outrageous suggestion. “I don’t think so.”
“Are you scared?” he taunted with a sly grin.