Boston Blood

Thirteen

There was only one weak light in the smoking area and he was standing too far away from it so she couldn't really make him out. But she could tell he was very tall and broad. He had a baseball cap low on his head. It was covering his eyes but she knew he was staring at her. His black hoodie rode low on his hips and he was leaning against the wall with his free hand in his jeans pocket.

Shit! He heard me.

She stared at the man, waiting for him to say something but he never did. She was beginning to feel pissed off but she was still reeling from what Mark had just told her and decided that out there was better, for now. She fumbled for a cigarette in her bag. Her jacket was still behind the bar and the cold March air was making her shiver and stinging her cheeks. As she struggled to find her lighter, a massive hand suddenly appeared in front of her face. It was illuminated. "Here," he said, holding a small flame to her shaky hand. She leaned in and lit her smoke, letting the toxins fill her lungs. She was able to get a better look at him now. His familiar vivid blue eyes looked dark as he scanned her face. She realised that it was the man who had asked her for a light outside the church that day. She was surprised. This was an invite only event for friends and loyal patrons, yet she hadn't laid eyes on this man in here in the entire ten years she had worked there.

Frankie nodded as she sat on a bench with her back to him. He didn't join her. He just stood behind her, towering like a ghostly presence. He was making her uncomfortable. A few minutes passed by and Frankie still wasn't ready to go back inside. She used her current cigarette to light a new one and tried to relax. She wanted to ask Billy about what Mark had told her but was there a point? He obviously knew what mess his son had gotten himself into. Billy is too kind for his own good. He nearly lost everything helping that prick. She understood why, though. He loved Colin and would do anything for his family. But she couldn't believe he was trusting Colin to run the bar. Maybe that's why he wanted Frankie to stay on as accountant? That she could keep an eye on him and try keep him in check? Billy obviously didn't trust him enough. He's a fool.

Frankie let her mind continue to race as she sat on the near frozen wooden bench. She was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't realised the man was now sitting on the other end. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. He was leaning over, resting his elbows on his knees and looking straight ahead out into the laneway that ran past the back of the pub. Frankie's anger was growing and she wasn't sure if it was her annoyance or the cold but her legs and lips were starting to tremble. Without a word the man got up and walked over to a small box that was sitting under the lamp. He reached inside and threw Frankie a blanket before sitting back down. When the hell what that put there? Mary must have arranged for that because she saw the weather.

"Thanks," Frankie said as she eyed the man, curiously and wrapped herself up in the blanket. She knew these few days were going to be hard with her mam's anniversary and Billy's retirement party but she never expected it to be this bad. Her father was somewhere in the country and she had a terrible feeling that Colin, her new boss, was going to destroy the only place she has ever felt safe in her life, the place Billy had worked so hard for his entire life. No. She wasn't going to let that happen. She had to talk to Bill. To beg him to reconsider. She was about to stand up and march back inside when his low, harsh voice stopped her. "You work here, don't you?"

Her head snapped towards him. He was still leaning over and smoking but he wasn't looking at her. He had a Boston accent but there was a hint of something else. He sounded older than he looked but she thought he was around her age. She huffed in frustration and snapped; "Yeah, why?" She could have sworn she saw his lips twitch. He took a long puff of his cigarette and scoffed, quietly. Frankie was beginning to lose it. Who the fuck is this guy?