Page 7 of Blood and Thorns

“Fucking hell. When I found out Morris had a daughter, I expected an ugly cunt just like him.”

I stilled in my panic, my pulse frantic at the side of my throat.

“Not something like you, sweetheart.”

The stranger’s hand snaked down, tugging the hem of my T-shirt out of my jeans. His fingers clawed at the skin beneath, and yet I didn’t move, completely paralysed as I tried to calm the growing fear.

“What do you want?” I asked, proud my voice somehow didn’t falter.

He licked his lips. “Your Da owes my boss quite a few grand, and Mr O’Connor isn’t the one to take kindly to people owing him money, you understand?”

“O’Connor?”

“Aye, your Da likes to play with dangerous people,” the stranger snickered. “Now, you either hand over the five grand that he owes, with interest, or… maybe we can come to some sort of arrangement?” With each word he dug his fingers harder into my body.

“Interest? That’s bullshit!” I let out a hiss when my head was forced to the side by my hair. The stranger smirked down at me, his gaze like oil over my skin.

“That was before he missed the deadline.”

“The deadline’s not until tomorrow.”

“Change of plans, sweetheart.” He released my head but didn’t step back. “You should probably tell your Da not to mess with the Irish. He’s lucky O’Connor’s the forgiving type.”

I swallowed hard, my throat bobbing. “I only have the five.”

His chuckle was dark, the sound making me want to puke. “You’re going to have to take option B then, aren’t you?”

The pressure on my back released, and there was a distinctive sound of a belt being pulled through loops. The blood left my face, and I gasped.No.

“Wait!” I tried to control my breathing, pressing myself as far away from him as possible. His brow was raised, waiting for me to continue. “How much is the interest?”

He tilted his head. “Ten percent.”

Which made it £500.Fuck.

He reached for my shoulder, and my panic surged. My head snapped back, connecting with his face hard enough that pain radiated across the back of my skull.

“Fucking bitch!” he cursed, sneering at me with bloody teeth.

“I have your money,” I swore, twisting around before he could grab me again. I ran to the bar, kicking the crate away while simultaneously slamming the door shut behind me. I expected it to crack open, for the man to finish what he’d started. But there was nothing but silence, and when I looked out the peephole, I could see him waiting, his belt now buckled.

Tears prickled my eyes, and I wiped at them before anyone noticed.

“Hey, Ara,” Suzy said when she found me. “Did youput the rubbish out? Rachael’s just left to catch her last train, and I’ve finally managed to rouse Joe enough to kick him out.”

Wiping my cheeks once more, I turned to offer her a forced smile. “Yeah, all done. You mopped yet?”

Suzy’s eyes dropped to where my skin stung, and it took everything in me not to react. “Ara…”

“I just need to finish tidying the bar,” I said. “Won’t be long.”

Suzy’s look of concern only deepened. “Yeah, okay.”

I waited for Suzy to turn, disappearing into the storage before I started counting out my tips, my stomach turning to ice when I realised I didn’t have enough. Not even close. Chest tight, I quickly opened up the register, grabbing the rest and closing it just before Suzy reappeared, this time wearing her coat.

“You ready to go?”

The money felt heavy in my pocket, like I’d somehow stolen rocks and thrown myself into a river. It wasn’t the first time I’d had to resort to stealing to pay my father’s debts, but the guilt never lessened.