A Quartet of Desire

Chapter 21: Unexpected Help

"Ladies, please calm down!" the driver called as Saoirse and I continued screaming for help. "Mr. Donnelly assigned us to protect you. Please stop screaming!"

I clamped my hands over my mouth as I couldn't stop the screams and wails coming from within me. Saoirse had pushed herself up against the passenger door, though her seatbelt still held her in place in the car.

"Where are you taking us?" she screamed at him.

"To the Donnelly's home," he replied, finally pulling his mask from his face. "Patrick and Kathy are waiting for your arrival."

My body continued trembling as his words finally started registering in my brain. "W-w-we d-d-don't–" I couldn't speak, couldn't finish my thoughts. I knew we didn't have bodyguards. If we did, then wouldn't have someone told us about them? Why would they have been kept a secret from us?

"Claire, please just focus on breathing," the man who drug me into the car stated. "My name is Jackson. We already met before, remember? I picked you up from the club a couple weeks ago."

I spun around and stared at the man next to me. Both he and the man on my other side had also removed their dark ski masks, and while the man on the opposite side of me didn't seem familiar the one talking to me did. His shaggy brown hair and freckled face did look somewhat familiar to me, though it had been dark that night when we got in the car. Cautiously I glanced back to Saoirse who was also staring at him.

She placed a hand over her chest and nodded her head. "Yeah, yeah," she breathed. "You're the one that drove us home. Oh God, why didn't you fuckers tell us you were following us before now?"

I whipped my head back to Jackson, ready to hear whatever excuse he had for that.

"That was our instructions. Stay out of sight and let you live your lives unless you needed us," he casually shrugged.

My head flung back to Saoirse, waiting to see if she thought this was an appropriate response. Her eyes connected with mine, a relieved expression stretching between us. I cleared my throat and tried to speak again. "W-who specifically assigned you to us?"

"Patrick did," he said smiling relaxed, as if they hadn't just murdered a handful of people and stuff another one into the trunk of their car. "He wanted to make sure his future daughters-in-law were cared for properly."

Saoirse and I both nodded our heads and sat in silence for a moment. She glanced between the other two men then back to Jackson. "Which one of you guys is in charge then?"

The men looked between themselves before Jackson replied. "I am, but Darren and Mickey are just as capable of helping you as I am."

"Do we have to go see the Donnellys?" I asked, my voice still shaking. When Jackson nodded his head, I felt fresh tears prick the back of my eyes. "They're mad at us, aren't they?"

Saoirse looked to Jackson as did I. We were both supposed to be careful, and our carelessness almost got us in serious trouble. They had been so good to us, and the last thing either of us wanted was to get on their bad side.

"I can't speak for them or what they want to talk to you about, but yes, you do need to go there," he said with an apologetic look.

I bit on my lower lip as the rest of the car ride passed by silently. The two men on either side of me were too large to be crammed in the backseat with me, and it was extremely uncomfortable to be squished between them. I desperately wanted to ask them to move over, but I knew there was nowhere for them to move to.