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“The clan takes care of their own, lass.”
I stared at the notes in my hand. “At what cost though?” I had to ask the question. I couldn’t keep staying rent-free in this apartment. I couldn’t keep taking their money without giving anything in exchange.
“You’re a smart woman, Fallon,” Keir said. Reaching inside his jeans pocket, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He didn’t speak again until he’d lit a cigarette and taken a deep pull on the end.
Smoke curled around him as he said, “Finnan’s given you two choices. Work at Velvet as a whore, or work for the clan as a medic.”
“I’m not qualified yet.” I had another three and a half years to go.
“It doesn’t matter. Finnan saw what you did for Orin. He knows that you’re still studying, and he’s willing to let you be the clan medic before you’ve finished college.”
Swiping my tongue over my bottom lip, I asked, “I assume Grayson knows about this?”
“He will tonight when Finnan tells him.”
We walked for a few more blocks in silence, the scent of cigarette smoke following us.
“There’s no way out, is there?” I asked, suddenly feeling cold. I wrapped my arms around myself. I wasn’t talking about making a choice between whoring and helping. I was talking about the fact that I had killed a man who belonged to another clan. There was no coming back from this.
I knew that being the medic was the far better option of the two I’d been faced with, but a small part of me wanted to see if there was another option. A third. Something that didn’t involve me becoming a whore, or a member of a notorious crime syndicate.
“You killed a rival clan member,” Keir reminded me. “The only way out now is death, I’m afraid.” Bringing the cigarette to his lips, he inhaled, then let it out. The white smoke curled around him. “Want my advice?”
I nodded.
“Become the medic. You’re too innocent to be a fucking whore for the clan. You have some real skills and you’ll be an asset.”
“What if I do something wrong and can’t save someone?”
He shrugged. “The hospital is the last choice, but if you can mitigate against us needing to go, it would make Finnan a very happy man. He can only pay off so many hospital directors and staff to look the other way when one of us comes in with a life-threatening injury.”
He stubbed out his spent cigarette on the bottom of his boot and pocketed the butt.
“Have you seen Orin?” I asked quietly, ashamed of myself for even wanting to know how he was doing.
“He’s been up north handling some business for Finnan.”
“Oh.” My disappointment was a sharp jab under my ribs. “Right.”
“I told him to stay away from you, though.”
“And what did he say to that?”
“I believe his exact words were “Are you willing to fucking die to keep her location a secret?’”
“Die?”
“He had a gun held to my head at the time.” He shrugged.
I shook my head. “Jesus.” Glancing up, I saw that we’d made it back to the apartment. “Thank you for walking me back.”
“Anytime.” He smiled. “My number is in the burner phone I gave you in case you ever need anything.”
“Thank you.”
With a nod, he crossed the street to where a black Rover was parked near the docks.
I turned and entered the building, drawing to an abrupt stop when a familiar voice came from just inside the doorway.
