AOIFE

“YOU ARE the queen of all things hair and makeup,” Casey declared, doing a 360 twirl to get a good look at herself. “Insane, Aoife. Your skills with makeup are un-freaking-real, girl!”

With her bedroom stereo turned up full blast, my best friend bopped around to KC & The Sunshine Band’s Give It Up, while striking different poses in the full-length mirror glued to the back of her bedroom door.

After spending most of the day at her mam’s flat, I felt better.

Casey had this innate ability of making me feel like my life wasn’t going to shit. It wasn’t that she was overly optimistic, she just happened to possess enough crazy to complement mine.

We just fit together like bacon and cabbage. Or vodka and coke.

“I’d like to thank the academy.” I took a dramatic bow before tossing my

makeup brushes back into my bag. “And myself, because, you know, I’m so amazing and all that jazz.”

“You could make some serious side cash doing makeup and up-styles.”

“Yeah.” I flopped down on her bed and sighed heavily. “That’s the plan, Case.”

“I hope we have a girl,” she said. “So, we can instill on her a lifetime of contouring wisdom and fashion knowledge.”

“Joey wants a girl.” “He does?”

“Yep, and that’s the one,” I declared, watching as she readjusted the

skimpy black dress that she was modeling for her date tonight. “Seriously, Case. You look fierce.”

“Hm.” Sounding unconvinced, she studied her appearance in the mirror for a long beat before shaking her head and whipping the fabric over her head. “I’m going with the pink dress.”

“You’re making a mistake,” I chimed in. “The black one makes you look like you have legs for days.”

“But the pink one makes my boobs look epic.”

“So?” I snorted. “Alec’s seen your boobs a dozen times. He already knows how epic they are.”

“I’m not going out with Alec tonight.” My eyes lit up. “Mack?”

“Nope.”

“Rambo?”

“Nope.”

“Charlie?”

“No one from our year, Aoif.” “Who then?”

“Patrick.”

“Patrick?” My brows furrowed in confusion. “Who the hell is – oh my

god.” My eyes widened to saucers. “That lad from the Tommen party?”

Grinning, she bit down on her lip and nodded. “Not too shabby for a girl from Elks, huh?”

“Wait.” I choked out a surprised laugh. “Isn’t he like a fourth year?”

“He’s seventeen and in fifth year. And like you can talk,” she laughed back. “Isn’t your baby daddy younger than you?”

“Oh yeah, by three whole months.” I rolled my eyes. “I’m the ultimate cougar.”

“Yeah, well, enjoy sitting your ass on the couch tonight growing your cub, because I am going on the prowl.”

“Hey, don’t diss the couch life,” I grumbled. “Where’s he taking you?” “The backseat of his car, if he’s lucky.”

“Wow. Make him work for it, why don’t you?”

“Stem the bitchy pregnancy hormones, un-virginal Mary.”

“I’m more virginal than you,” I huffed. “At least I’ve only had one dick inside of me.”

“Yeah.” She snorted. “One un-protected, over-productive dick.” I grinned. “I’d take his dick any day over Sticky-Dicky.”

“Hey now, don’t knock Sticky-Dicky.” She waggled her brows. “It’s not all about the size of the boat, Aoif, it’s the motion in the ocean.”

“Whore.”

“Blasphemy.” She feigned a gasp. “Who’s the one living in sin here? For shame, Molloy. What would Sister Alphonsus say if she saw you now? Tut-

tut.”

“There’s something seriously wrong with us, isn’t there?’ “Probably,” she agreed with a laugh. “I blame you.” “And I blame you.”

“So, Joey was really okay about the baby, huh?” she asked, sobering her features, as she toed on a pair of six-inch heels. “He was supportive?”

“He took it so well, Case.” I blew out a breath. “I was so scared about how he would react.”

“Nah, I knew he’d stick by you.” She waved a hand around aimlessly. “Say what you want about that boy, but he’s good with kids.”

“He is good with kids,” I agreed with a sigh. “He practically raised his youngest brother.”

“Well then. At least one of you guys will know what you’re doing,” she replied, flopping down on the bed next to me. “So, any idea about what you’re going to do about your brother?”

“Don’t, Case,” I grumbled, feeling a swell of anger rise up inside of me at the mere mention of Kev. “I’m so done with him.”

“You can’t be done with him, Aoif,” she replied with a weary sigh. “Not only is he your brother, but he’s your twin. You guys shared a womb.”

“I know, and that’s what makes it worse,” I bit out, scowling. “He really screwed me over, Case.”

My phone rang then, and I was glad of the reprieve.

Unwilling to talk about Kevin, much less consider forgiving him, I reached into my jeans pocket and smiled when Joey’s name flashed on the

screen.

“It’s Joe.” Springing to my feet, I grabbed my bag and threw it over my shoulder. “He’s ready to get picked up.”

“Fine.” Casey rolled her eyes and waved me off. “Abandon me for your baby daddy.”

“Enjoy your date,” I called over my shoulder as I swung her bedroom door open and hurried through her tiny sitting room-kitchen to the flat door. “Text me all the details tomorrow.”

“Will do.”

“And use a condom.”

“I always do,” she sang out. “I’m not you.”

Laughing to myself, I closed the flat door behind me before clicking accept and putting my phone to my ear. “Hey, stud.”

“Aoife,” a young voice came down the line, followed by the sound of sniffling. “Aoife, can you come get us?”

“Ols? Is that you?” Frowning, I readjusted my bag on my shoulder and hurried down the communal stairwell to the ground floor of the building. “Are you okay? You sound like you’re crying? Where’s Joey?”

“You gots to come get us,” he cried down the line. “Please, Aoife, please.

You gots to come quick.”

“Okay, okay, I’m on the way right now,” I tried to coax, panic setting in, as I hurried outside to my parked car. “I’m getting into my car right now, Ols. I’ll be at your house in two minutes.”

 

 

WHEN I PULLED up outside Joey’s house a couple of minutes later, and climbed out of my car, I honestly felt like my heart was trying to beat its way out of my chest.

I didn’t want to go into his house, but the terror in Ollie’s voice had me doing just that. With sweaty palms and a racing pulse, I moved for the front door, feeling my panic climb with every step I took.

“E-fa.” Trip-tumbling off the front doorstep, Sean came barreling towards me with tears streaming down his cheeks. “E-fa.”

Oh God.

This was bad.

This was so fucking bad.

“Hey, Seany-boo,” I strangled out, hoisting him into my arms, as I kept moving for the door. “Are you okay?”

“E-fa.” Sniffling, he burrowed his face in my neck and the feel of his small body trembling caused my heart to seize with dread. “O-ee.”

“I called an ambulance,” Tadhg choked out, greeting me at the front door. “I think she’s dead.”

“He killed her,” Ollie was screaming from the hallway. “Daddy killed Shannon.”

Feeling faint with panic, I stumbled through the front door with Sean in my arms, only to be greeted with a scene right out of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

There was blood everywhere.

“Joey,” I called out, feeling lightheaded, stopping in the kitchen doorway with my eyes clenched shut, almost afraid to see what was beyond the

doorway.

If anything had happened to him, I wouldn’t cope. I couldn’t think about it.

“Joey!” My voice cracked and I clung tighter to his baby brother. “Joey, please tell me you’re okay!”

“Molloy,” I heard him call back, and the sound of his voice gave me the courage I needed to cross the threshold of the doorway and step into the kitchen.

I knew what I was about to witness would be bad, but nothing could have prepared me for the sight of my boyfriend, bloodied to a pulp, slumped on the kitchen floor, cradling the lifeless body of his sister in his arms.

The fact that Teddy was nowhere to be seen gave me little comfort in this moment.

Because I knew that he had been here.

This brutality had his name written all over it.

“What’s wrong with her?” I demanded, almost dropping Sean from the fright I got when my eyes absorbed the carnage in front of me. “Oh god, why is she bleeding out of her mouth?”

“She’s dying,” Tadhg screamed, shaking his mother’s shoulders. His mother who was sitting on the kitchen floor, holding a bag of peas to her daughter’s chest like it was the solution to everything. “He killed my sister and you’re doing nothing.”

“Shannon, breathe,” Marie sobbed. “Breathe, Shannon. Breathe, baby.

The ambulance is on the way.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Shh, I’ve got you.” Ignoring his mother, my boyfriend continued to whisper in his baby sister’s ear. “I love you. I love you, Shan. Just hold on for me, okay?”

“Shannon!”

“Jesus Christ, Shannon!”

“I’m here. I’m right here, Shan,” Joey continued to cry as he rocked her back and forth in his arms like a mother would a small child.

I couldn’t tell which one of them was bleeding more. I suspected Joey.

But Shannon? Shannon was just limp.

“Is she breathing?” I jumped into action and asked, setting Sean down, as I hurried over to them.

“I don’t know, I don’t know,” Joey choked out a cry, and it was the worst sound I had ever heard come from his mouth.

He sounded so young. So frightened.

So utterly broken.

“Can you hear me?” he sobbed, holding her bloodied face between his hands. “I’m going to get you out of here, okay? Shannon, can you hear me? Shan? Come on, talk to me.”

“Get that away from her,” I warned Marie, roughly tossing the bag of peas away from her daughter’s small frame as I felt for a pulse. “You’ll send her body into shock!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” their mother cried. “I’m trying to help.”

“Okay.” I sagged in relief when I felt the faint thrum of her pulse against my fingertips. “She has a heartbeat, but it’s faint.”

“I don’t know where the ambulance is,” Marie cried, dropping her head in her hands. “It should be here by now.”

“Stop crying and do something useful,” I ordered, battling down a surge of fury directed entirely towards her. Because this woman. Yeah, I couldn’t even go there with this woman. I would snap. “Just get out of the way, Marie. Go and hold Sean or get a blanket or something.”

Waiting until she had moved aside, I shifted closer to my boyfriend, who was still cradling his sister’s limp body in his arms.

“I’m going to get you help, okay?” Joey was whispering in Shannon’s ear, as he pressed a kiss to her bloody forehead, smearing and mixing the blood on his face with hers. “Don’t leave me.”

She stared back at him with a blank, glazed over looked in her eyes, and the horrific gurgling noise that came from her throat, along with clumps of blood when she tried to answer him, was something that would haunt my nightmares for the rest of my life.

“Aoife.” Sniffling, he pressed his cheek to his sister’s face, and mumbled something incoherent to her, before exhaling a ragged breath and kissing her cheek. “Give me your keys.” Sucking in a labored breath, he grunted out a pained snarl before hissing, “Fuck waiting for the ambulance. I’ll take her myself.”

“Joey, don’t move her,” I tried to instruct, knowing that neither one of them was in any position to be moved right now. Shannon looked like she

was dying, and Joey didn’t look like he was far behind her. “She could have internal—”

“Give me the fucking keys, baby,” he cut me off and roared, voice breaking, as he stumbled unsteadily to his feet with his sister in his arms. His face was beaten so badly he was barely recognizable in this moment. “Help me.”

He was moving for the front door before I had a chance to answer him. Before I could beg him to sit down before he passed out.

Panic swirled inside of my stomach, spiraling my heart into a frenzied

flush of fear and dread. As I hurried after him, I knew that it was a bad idea, but went with him anyway because he needed me.

Because for the first time in his life, he had asked for help. Two words.

Help me.

I’d never heard them come from his mouth before and knew there was a chance I’d never hear them again, but I had to help him.

I couldn’t not.

Rushing around to the driver’s side door, I swung it open and pulled the seat forward for him to climb inside.

He didn’t. “I’ll drive.”

“Joe, no.” I shook my head. “That’s not a good idea. I’ll—”

“I’ll drive,” he choked out. “I’m faster, and I can’t—” his voice broke, and he sucked in a quivering breath. “Please just hold her for me. I need to

not, ah, I need to just…” Staggering, he leaned against the side of my car and clung to Shannon’s small body. “Molloy, I’m really scared.”

My heart cracked clean open in my chest.

“It’s okay, Joe, baby. You drive.” Scrambling into the back seat of my car, I held my hands out and gestured for him to pass her to me. “I’ve got Shan. I’ll keep her safe. I promise.”