Contents (83)
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- SIXTY-TWO
- SIXTY-THREE
- SIXTY-FOUR
- SIXTY-FIVE
- SIXTY-SIX
- SIXTY-SEVEN
- SIXTY-EIGHT
- SIXTY-NINE
- SEVENTY
- SEVENTY-ONE
- SEVENTY-TWO
- SEVENTY-THREE
- SEVENTY-FOUR
- SEVENTY-FIVE
- SEVENTY-SIX
- SEVENTY-SEVEN
- SEVENTY-EIGHT
- SEVENTY-NINE
- Acknowledgements
- OUT NOW IN PAPERBACK
‘Can I help you?’ Michael took his arm from Sarah’s shoulders and stepped in front of her as he spoke. She was both amused and grateful at his instinctive reaction to protect her.
‘I think you can, yeah.’ The man had lowered his voice, but his tone was no less threatening. ‘I wanna know what went on in there today.’
‘And who might you be?’
‘I’m Patrick O’Driscoll. Darren’s brother. And I wanna know what you were doin’, slagging off my brother like that.’
‘Then speak to your brother’s lawyer,’ Michael replied. ‘I’ve got nothing to say to you.’
O’Driscoll did not move. His stance said that he had no intention of it.
‘You said my brother’s bullying Simon Kash. Where’d you hear that? Did Simon say it?’
‘I just told you, Mr O’Driscoll. Speak to your brother’s lawyer. Because you’re not speaking to me. Now get out of the way.’
‘You don’t wanna ignore me, Devlin.’ O’Driscoll stepped closer as he spoke. Within inches of Michael. ‘Bad things can happen. Even to the likes of you.’
Sarah looked down as O’Driscoll spoke and saw that Michael had clenched his right fist. Tight. She knew he would be running through his options. Preparing for the worst of them.
‘Don’t make a stupid mistake here, son.’ Michael’s voice had lowered. It was unwavering. ‘Don’t think that what I do for a living makes me a victim. I’ve been dealing with shit like you since I was a kid. It won’t worry me to flush another one.’
O’Driscoll took a step back in confusion, clearly unprepared for this response. Sarah had seen it before. No one else ever expected Michael to react in the way he just had. But then no one else knew the real Michael Devlin. The boy from the streets of Belfast who would do anything to win.
O’Driscoll seemed unsure how to react. Unsure what to do next.
Michael was not. O’Driscoll’s backwards step was a sign of weakness, and Michael’s peculiar upbringing had taught him how to exploit that moment. He stepped forward, closing the distance that O’Driscoll had put between them.
‘What’s it going to be, Patrick? Are you going to do yourself a favour and fuck off? Or do I need to leave you in that gutter there?’
Sarah could see the realisation dawn on O’Driscoll’s face. This was no soft lawyer in front of him. This was a bigger man. A stronger man. A man whose eyes said that he could deliver on his threat.
‘Take this as fair warning, Devlin,’ O’Driscoll growled, trying to save face. As he spoke he stepped hastily backwards, putting a few metres between himself and Michael. It made a mockery of his own parting threats. ‘Any more of this shit against my brother and I’ll be paying you a visit. You and your missus there. And it won’t just be me.’
‘YOU’D BETTER MAKE SURE IT’S NOT JUST YOU!’ Michael shouted as the younger man retreated, his two fists now gripped vice-like. Sarah had feared that O’Driscoll’s mention of her would strike a nerve, and she had been right. Michael was suddenly close to losing control.