Flawless (13 page)

“And you have such a nice kitchen, too,” she said, quickly stepping out of the car.

Kevin grinned as he and Julie joined them on the sidewalk. “Come on in... The place will be hopping.”

Kevin wasn't kidding, Craig thought as the sounds of energetic conversation, along with the strains of a lively jig for violin, flute and drum, wafted out the door. He noticed that the outside menu board mentioned that Thursday nights offered Irish music from five until ten. No wonder there was a crowd.

“Ah, by the saints and sinners, she's arrived!” someone called as Kieran passed through the door. Craig was behind her, and he almost bumped into her when she stopped suddenly. He enjoyed the moment; the top of her head came to just beneath his chin, and the smell of her hair was pleasantly arousing.

“Sorry,” she said, and started walking again.

Declan rushed out from behind the bar, grinning. “Any decent person would lend a hand?” he asked her. “That's all you have to say about what happened in the subway?”

The song ended and the music stopped. “Ah, Declan, she's here, eh?” called the man with the fiddle. “Ladies and gentlemen, three cheers for our own Kieran Finnegan!”

People shouted her name, applauding.

“Thank you,” she said loudly, ducking her head to hide her embarrassment. “Was that a jig? Don't let me stop you.”

The violinist grinned, picked up his instrument, and the music took flight again.

“You're looking lovely as always, Kieran,” Declan said. He looked past his sister to Craig. “Nice to see you again. Have you made yourself my sister's guardian?”

“Maybe,” Craig said with a shrug. “She's been incredibly helpful to us, so we want to make sure she can get around easily.”

“And he likes the food,” Julie said.

“As any sane man would,” Declan said. “Well, I'd better get back to it.”

“You slammed behind the bar?” Kieran asked him.

“I'm doing all right. You sit and relax with your friends—and our layabout brother,” he added, looking at Kevin.

“You need me?” Kevin asked.

“No, we're good. Danny is helping out on the floor.”

“I'm too restless to sit,” Kieran said. “I'll help out.” She turned to the others. “Forgive me, but I've got to keep busy.”

And with that, she headed toward the bar.

That was all right, Craig thought. Kevin and Julie were ready to sit and have a meal, so who knew what he might learn.

“I'm so glad you're looking out for Kieran,” Julie told him as they sat.

He had more or less steered them toward a small booth right by the bar. He could keep an eye on Kieran, see who she interacted with, without being obvious about it.

Meanwhile, he was curious about Julie, since it was her soon-to-be-ex husband who worked at the jewelry store where the theft had taken place. Kieran had said she'd only been there because of Julie.

“She's been very helpful with our case,” Craig said. “She was there that day to see your ex-husband, right?”

“He's been behaving like a real bastard,” Kevin said.

It looked to Craig as if Kevin was staring at Julie distrustfully, as if he was worried what she might say.

But Julie didn't seem to notice. She turned to Craig and said, “He nearly killed our dogs! Well,
my
dogs now. I have a pair of rescue greyhounds. Benji and Sally. They're so sweet and so beautiful, and he locked them in their crates and left them without food or water.”

“You should have called animal control. It's illegal to abuse animals,” Craig said.

“I didn't want them taken away. I just wanted them to be okay. As soon as I got back I gave them food and water, bathed them and washed out their crates. But I was still so
mad
.”

“And since Kieran's degree is in psychology,” Kevin said quickly, “she went to the store, hoping to see Gary and talk him into behaving like an adult.”

“You can't even imagine everything he's done,” Julie murmured.

Craig was afraid he was going to hear about all of it.

He was half listening to Julie go on about how badly Gary was behaving and watching Kieran at the same time. He wondered if she'd taken her bartending expertise and used it when working on her psychology degree or if she'd used her interest in psychology as a bartender. Whichever. She was good with the customers—many of them obviously regulars—friendly and efficient without disrupting their private conversations. She spent a fair amount of time talking with an older man at the bar who seemed to be drinking nothing but soda and lime.

But suddenly everything about her changed. She stiffened, and her smile froze.

She appeared to be reacting to a group who'd just approached the bar, two men and a young blonde with huge breasts and a very low-cut blouse that displayed them to their best advantage.

Silicone, he thought.

The younger of the two men was tall, but not overly so. He had wavy dark hair and wore a well-tailored dark blue suit. His arm was draped casually around the woman's shoulders, his hand dangling near her breasts. The older man had slicked-back silver hair and looked like an aging athlete; he was equally well dressed in a designer suit. They were talking and laughing as they waited for their turn to order.

Suddenly the young man looked up and saw the way Kieran was looking at him. He jerked his head, as if to indicate that he was with the older man and had no choice but to be there.

Gary.
That had to be the nasty almost-ex, Gary Benton.

His assumption was proved true when Julie looked up and let out a gasp. Kevin grasped her hand, either to comfort her or to keep her from leaping to her feet and attacking.

Kieran stepped around from behind the bar to speak directly to the trio.

He couldn't hear their conversation over the music, but the older man was nodding, while the younger man had reddened and was clearly unhappy.

The blonde woman tossed her hair back petulantly.

“The nerve! How could he come in here?” Julie said, her voice thick with unshed tears. “And with his...bimbo!”

“Just calm down, Julie, please,” Kevin said. “We can't throw him out—there are laws and all—though, believe me, we'd be happy to kick him out if we could.”

Danny, working the floor, had noticed the trio, too, and was moving in their direction.

“You stay here with Agent Frasier, Julie,” Kevin commanded as he rose, then hurried to cut off his brother.

“You really can't give him a right jab to the jaw, Julie. You don't want me to have to cart you off for assault, do you?” Craig said, trying to make her smile.

She stared at him with sad brown eyes. “Would you really arrest me?”

“I'm an agent, not a cop, but I'm still sworn to uphold the law,” he told her. He took her hand and held it tightly. “Look at me. Just...talk to me. Tell me, what do you do for a living?”

“Huh? What?” Julie asked.

He smiled. “What kind of work do you do?”

“Oh, I'm a game designer.”

“A game designer? That sounds exciting. What games?”

“I, uh, work with a team. I guess our most popular game is ‘Dargon the Dragon Slayer.'”

“One of my favorites,” he assured her.

“You play video games?”

“Love to play. When I can, that is.” While he'd been talking to Julie, he'd still been watching Kieran, her brothers and Gary and his friends.

Kevin had blocked Danny before he could reach the threesome and was talking animatedly to his younger brother.

Declan, oldest and clearly the master of the house, had just entered from the back room, rolling a keg. He stopped to watch what was going on.

Kieran was still talking earnestly to Gary and his companions.

And it seemed her strategy had been successful because the men were leaving. The older man was shaking his head, and now Gary looked angry as well as embarrassed. The woman tossed her hair petulantly again.

They were on their way to the door when Gary saw Julie. For a moment he looked at her with loathing. Then he noticed Craig, and his eyes widened, his mouth tightening. He shook his head and mouthed the word “Bitch.”

He didn't actually say it
to
Julie, but it was said just loud enough for her to hear.

Craig rose, staring him in the eyes. “Friend, that kind of language isn't appropriate.”

He knew he had the man by several inches, and Gary, too, seemed to realize that Craig was taller and bigger and undoubtedly tougher all around.

The older man urged Gary Benton away, and the three of them left the pub.

Craig saw Declan breathe a visible sigh and start rolling his keg again. Someone at the bar called out that they were getting parched. Kieran hurried back behind the bar.

Julie's hand trembled in Craig's. Then, suddenly, she rose and threw her arms around him. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

He disentangled himself gently. “It was nothing. But you have to learn to ignore him.”

“I know, and believe me, I've tried,” Julie whispered. “He just keeps sliding the knife in deeper and deeper.”

He wished he knew what to say to that. “Try feeling sorry for him,” he suggested.

“Sorry? For
him
? Why?”

“Because he's so messed up that he isn't able to behave any way except badly. And because he's clearly incredibly stupid if he left a woman as sweet and pretty as you.”

“Thank you. It's just scary to suddenly be alone.”

“Julie, I know you've heard all this, but the right person is out there. You'll find him. Like I said, you're pretty and sweet, so learn to like yourself. Then you'll know when a guy like Gary is just being a jerk.”

He flushed suddenly, aware that Kieran was standing beside their table.

He fought bad guys; he wasn't a therapist. Was she going to think he was an idiot for trying to give advice?

But she was smiling at him.

“I keep telling her that. Maybe she'll believe it coming from you,” she said.

He shrugged and said, “How come no one's been by to take our order?” He looked at Julie and whispered with a wink, “Service kind of sucks here, huh?”

“Just part of the charm,” Kieran assured him. “Don't worry. Rory, our chef, knows you're here. He's sending out something special.”

He saw that she was smiling as she turned and headed back toward the bar. A moment later Chef Rory O'Bannon himself came out bearing three plates. His best Guinness pie, he told them. He was a big, florid man, but not overly heavy, perhaps forty-five or fifty, with a quick smile.

“The finest you'll have this side o' County Cork,” he assured them. Then he frowned suddenly. “You're not one of those vegetarians, are you, sir?” he asked Craig.

“Not at all, and this looks delicious,” Craig assured him.

“And you, missy,” Rory said, looking at Julie. “You're as lovely as the dew on the Emerald Isle. Don't be letting that damned fool steal another moment of your happiness.”

“I won't,” Julie promised, “and thank you.”

Rory tipped his head and left.

Craig assumed Kevin would be coming back. To his surprise, he glanced over to the bar and saw Kieran hand her bar towel to her twin and head back over to the table instead.

“It's really stew in a pastry crust,” she explained, sliding onto the seat next to Julie.

“I've actually had Guinness pie before,” he assured her. “Not as good as this, I'm certain, but I
have
had it.”

Julie turned to Kieran. “What did you say to him? To get him to leave, I mean.”

“I actually appealed to Jimmy McManus, the man he came in with,” Kieran said. “I said that you were here this evening and feeling a bit down, and then I asked him nicely if they might go somewhere else for the evening.”

“Jimmy's a decent guy,” Julie said.

Kieran looked across the table to Craig. “Thank you. I saw what you did.” She smiled. “All you had to do was stand up. Good show.”

Craig shrugged, a little uncomfortable. “I just asked him not to use certain language. My mother taught me never to suffer fools. And my dad came from a very tall family of Highlanders. Height always helps.”

“You were wonderful,” Julie breathed.

Kieran looked down at her plate—hiding a little smile, he thought. She also seemed glad to have the attention on him rather than on her.

“I have to say, Rory was right. This
is
the best Guinness pie this side of County Cork,” Craig said.

An attractive young couple approached their table just then, apologizing for interrupting, then telling Kieran how proud of her they were.

Thirty seconds after they left, an older woman came by, saying, “‘Any decent person would lend a hand.' Nice, Kieran. I don't know what this city is coming to—girls being pushed in subways, men killing people who don't even fight back over diamonds. Diamonds! Just rocks. Wretched things. I hope they catch those bastards soon.”

“We all hope so, Lorna,” Kieran said.

The woman bade them good-night and left, but only after studying Craig curiously.

“I should have introduced you,” Kieran said to him. “How rude of me. I'm sorry.”

He shook his head. “No, I'm glad you didn't. I'd just as soon stay anonymous. If you do introduce me to anyone, just use my name—say I'm a friend. Tell people you're with the FBI and suddenly they're afraid to say anything.”

He thought he saw Kieran color a little. “Only the guilty ones,” she said.

Julie smiled. “Hey, see the three guys over there at the far booth? Grooving to the music? They're some of New York's finest. This place is always filled with cops. New York has a lot of Irish cops, you know. Irish descent, at any rate.”

“You're Irish, too?” Craig asked her.