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It couldn’t be. Pete froze in the middle of his story. He was standing behind the table, the dark wood almost invisible beneath all the glasses strewn about. They’d been drinking steadily since six, making him wonder if his vision was now impaired. There was no way who he thought had just walked in was really here. He couldn’t look away from her amazing blue eyes, their colour clear even from this distance.

His friends must have noticed something was up, as they looked over to where she was standing in unison.

“Bloody hell,” Seamus said. “I think I’m in love.”

“Who is
that
?” Garrett asked, leaning back in his chair as far as he could to see her clearly. Pete wished for a second that he’d fall. He also had a sudden urge to slap his best friend upside the head.

“You know her, Pete?” Tent asked curiously.

Seamus’ head whipped around. “Please tell me that glorious thing over there is not here for you.”

She still hadn’t moved from her spot, or looked away. How many times in the last week had he dreamt of this happening? Ever since their meeting he had secretly hoped he’d get to see her again. And now there she stood, a normal girl walking in off the street. He knew better though, and because of that, unease mixed with his initial excitement to see her.

Without answering, Pete moved out from behind the table and pushed his way through the crowd to where she stood. As he drew closer he noticed her long dark hair gently flowing down her back, her pink lips trapped between her teeth nervously, and those dark framed blue eyes wide with apprehension. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. But that didn’t change the fact that she was the enemy.

He reached her, towering over her small frame. He’d forgotten how tiny she was compared to him. He reached out without thinking, and gripped her arm firmly. Those eyes widened in surprise.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded, quietly.

“Whoa there, McKay,” Seamus’ voice called out. He turned to see his friend walk up and stand beside him. He’d been so focused on getting to her, he hadn’t noticed him following. Seamus was looking worriedly at Pete’s hand holding her arm. “Ease up a little. That’s no way to treat a lady.” His eyes were asking questions even though his voice was light and playful.

Pete released her arm reluctantly. So far this wasn’t going the way he’d dreamed it would. He hesitated to look back at her, but when he did he saw the barely contained anger there. There was no way he was apologizing.

“Sorry.” Apparently he was. He sighed inwardly. Figures his mouth wouldn’t listen to his brain.

“Care to introduce us?” Seamus prompted, looking at her intently.

She turned her gaze from Pete to Seamus and smiled at him, literally knocking the air right out of Pete. She held out her hand for his friend to take.

“I’m Dinah,” she introduced.

“Seamus,” he said, shaking her hand. “How do you know McKay here?” he asked, still holding her hand in his.

“Oh…uh…well…”

“We met on that trip I took last year to Glasgow,” Pete jumped in. He eyed their hands, still entwined in a shake, and decided that he might actually end up punching his best friend tonight.

“Glasgow, huh? That’s a rough place for someone like you.”

Dinah lifted one brow elegantly. “Someone like me?”

Pete fought back his laugh. Seamus had no idea who he was dealing with. Pete didn’t know her either, but from what he’d seen, she would be able to hold her own. He folded his arms over his chest, watching his friend try to recover.

“Oh, I just meant…” Seamus gulped at the now ice blue eyes staring at him expectantly. “Never mind,” he laughed. “Let’s get you a drink, yeah?”

Pete rolled his eyes. His friend was hopeless when it came to girls. It was actually painful to watch. He finally let go of her hand, and Pete found he could breathe a little easier.

“Mate, why don’t you go order us another pitcher and get an extra glass for Dinah. I’ll take her to the table,” Pete suggested. Seamus nodded and veered off toward the bar. Pete grabbed her arm again, not as firmly as before, and pulled her back through the crowd. Everyone was throwing appreciative glances her way, but when he looked back, her eyes were focused on the floor. She was completely oblivious to the effect she was having.

“Want to tell me what you’re doing here before I bring you around my friends?” he whispered in her ear. He got a whiff of her perfume and almost groaned at the scent. She smelled amazing.

“I’m just here for a drink,” she replied, looking up at him.

He gave her a dubious look. “You really expect me to believe that?”

She shrugged. “It’s the truth.”

They had reached the back by then, their table just a few feet away. He stopped and turned to face her, blocking her from the other guys. “I swear, if you’re here to start trouble I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I’m here for a drink. That’s all.” They stared at each other challengingly. “Does this mean your friends don’t know…?”

Pete hesitated for a second, then shook his head no.

“You didn’t tell anyone?”

She sounded surprised, which made him both happy and offended. Didn’t he say he’d keep it to himself? Before he could answer, Seamus appeared with a pitcher in one hand and a glass in the other.

“Drinks are up!” he announced happily.

Dinah didn’t think she had ever laughed so much in her life. She actually felt, sort of…normal. The beer that was poured for her a couple of hours ago still sat in front of her, warm now. She’d taken small sips and decided she didn’t like beer. It was the first time she ever had alcohol. Surprisingly she was enjoying herself with McKay’s friends, even though McKay himself had hardly said a word to her. He joined in some of the conversations, but never directed anything to her specifically. He was a silent, brooding presence beside her. Despite that, she was still painfully aware of him. Every time he shifted in his seat, his arm or thigh brushing against her, or every time he’d laugh or say something, her heart would pick up speed.

The others included her as much as possible, but for the most part, she simply listened and laughed along with them. It was a strange night for sure. She got up, excusing herself to go to the washroom. A few men smiled at her as she made her way to the ladies sign and she smiled back, finding it easier to be friendly the longer she stayed.

The bathroom itself was as rundown as the bar. Only one stall had a working toilet, but no lock on the door. She did her business quickly before anyone else came in. As she washed her hands, the door behind her opened and two girls around her age walked in. She met their glances in the mirror for a second before looking back down at her hands under the running water.

“You new around here?” one of them asked. Dinah looked up in surprise. Both were staring at her.

“Yeah, I just got into town,” she lied.

“How do you know McKay?” the other asked.

Dinah turned to face them, letting her hands drip water onto the worn, linoleum floor. Both were wearing way more revealing outfits than her tights and blouse. Four inch heels gave them enough height that she was forced to slightly look up at them. The brunette had dark red lips set in a sneer, while the blonde’s bright pink lips were in a full-on frown. Neither looked impressed. Figures she’d make enemies without meaning to, it was sort of her ‘thing’.

“We met last year,” she answered, continuing with the lie he’d made up initially.

“Are you two dating?” said the blonde.

Ah, now she understood. If she’d hung out with normal people more often it probably would have come to her quicker, but considering she had no female friends to name, it hadn’t occurred to her this was some sort of jealousy thing.

“No,” she answered. “We’re just….friends.”

They both looked at each other and snickered. “No one is ‘just friends’ with Pete McKay,” the brunette argued.

Pete? That was his first name? Dinah looked them over with a confused face. What were they expecting her to say exactly?

“Look,” said the blonde, stepping closer. “I get that you’re new, so you don’t know how things are around here, but let me make it clear for you. We don’t like new people, especially around our boys.” Dinah bit back her laugh and retort. Our boys indeed, she thought wryly. “So I suggest you call it a night and take off.”

The reply, ‘or what’, hung on the tip of her tongue. It was really hard not to fire, but Dinah was trying to be on her best behaviour. It wouldn’t do her any good to get in a hair pulling contest in the bathroom of some hole-in-the-wall bar. Biting her tongue, she nodded and said, “I’m pretty tired anyway.”

“I bet you are,” the brunette said mockingly.

She deserved a medal for the amount of control she was exercising right now. Forcing out a smile, she moved around them and walked back into the stuffy bar. The guys were laughing when she walked up. Grabbing her leather jacket from the back of her chair, she gave them all a quick wave.

“I’m heading home,” she said.

“What?” Seamus exclaimed. “Why?”

The door to the washroom slammed behind her. Dinah took a quick look over her shoulder at the two women staring at her. If looks could kill…Well, my gun certainly can, she thought with a mental chuckle. No, Dinah. Be good.

She turned back to the boys. “I’m tired, so…” Her eyes glanced to McKay who was looking at the other two girls behind her. He met her gaze and she could see questions there. Maybe he knew, but it didn’t matter. She really was tired. Plus, she had survived the night so far with no one being killed. There was no point in pushing her luck by staying any longer. Now that she had established herself with these people it would be easy to come back.

“It was nice meeting you all,” she added.

“You too, Di,” Garrett said with a lopsided smile. She liked McKay’s younger brother. He was much more baby faced than his brothers, but still had a certain charm to him. Plus he was much nicer. Trent had spoken to her more than McKay did, but she didn’t think he was much of a talker in general. Most of the night’s conversation was monopolized by Seamus and Garrett.

She turned and walked back to the entrance. It wasn’t until she was outside that she realized she wasn’t alone. Dinah turned to see McKay just behind her.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Walking you out,” he said as if it were obvious.

She balked. “Why?”

He shrugged, pulling out a pack of cigarettes from his back pocket. “Did you have fun?” he asked, ignoring her question.

“I did actually,” she admitted.

“You going to tell me why you came here?”

Dinah sighed. “I’ve already told you why. Is it so hard to believe I just came out for the fun of it?”

“Yeah, actually, it is.”

“McKay!” a voice called out. They both turned as a man came walking up the sidewalk.

“Tommy Boy,” McKay greeted.

“What’s this?” the other man, Tommy, said looking her up and down. “Got yourself a new girl, McKay?”

“Mate,” he said with a shake of his head. “Not now.”

Tommy nodded, giving Dinah a wink. “I’ll just go in and sit with the boys then.” He walked between them, entering the bar. As soon as the door shut they were surrounded by an awkward silence.

“Well, I’m going to take off,” Dinah said. “It was nice seeing you again, McKay.”

He took a pull on his cigarette, narrowing his eyes at her. The tattoos covering the bottom half of his arm caught her attention for a second while he pinched the smoke between his thumb and forefinger. She wondered how far those tattoos went, and then shook that thought right out of her head. What did it matter? Clearly he wasn’t going to say anything, so she just turned and started across the street to where her bike was hidden.

“How are you getting back to headquarters?” he asked, the word ‘headquarters’ dripping with disgust.

She looked back to see him following her again. What was with this guy? He acted like she was the plague incarnate, and yet he wouldn’t leave her alone.

“I’m driving,” she answered. She reached the spot where her bike was hidden and quickly pulled out her helmet from where she stashed it.

“Holy shit,” he said with a low whistle. “That’s what you’re riding?”

She nodded, watching him as he walked around the bike slowly.

“You just got even hotter,” he said absently, running his hand along the bike. Her breathing stopped, and her face burned. Thankfully it was dark. He just said ‘even hotter’ as if to imply he thought she was hot to begin with. Why did she suddenly feel like squealing and jumping around like an idiot? Note to self, wait until you’re back in your room before doing any such thing, she thought.

She just started putting on her helmet when he spoke. She froze. “What are you doing tomorrow night?”

She stared at him, wide eyed. “Tomorrow night?” Her stomach rolled and she couldn’t understand why. Words also seemed to have fled from her brain, making speech impossible.

“Yeah,” he said easily, looking up at her now. His eyes roamed her face, but his expression was neutral.

“Uh, nothing I don’t think.”

He nodded like he had expected that. “Meet me here tomorrow around ten.”