The Point by Gerard Brennan Read Free Book Online Page A

Eventually, O’Rourke nodded.
    “Okay.” Even O’Rourke’s whispers rumbled. “I assume that they’ll be basic ringers. A changed number plate as a temporary fix with the serial numbers intact, right? I can move these out of the country but the overheads are high. We won’t be talking about big money.”
    “You can quote a price before I search out the car. That way I can assess the risk better.”
    O’Rourke handed Paul a card.
    “Call me tomorrow and I’ll give you your first job.”
    And, as easy as that, Paul had branched out.
     
    Coffee and Scones
     
    Rachel hid her girlish grin behind her coffee cup. Too late. Karen had caught it and latched on mercilessly.
    “You’re smitten!” Karen said.
    “Ach, don’t be ridiculous. I’ve only just met him.”
    “Oh my God, you’re blushing!”
    “Shush you, I am not.”
    “You are!”
    Rachel sighed. She was blushing. And she suspected that she was a wee bit smitten. She couldn’t think about Brian without a dopey grin creeping across her face. Talk about soppiness.
    Karen pulled a lump off her blueberry muffin and popped it into her mouth. She chewed quickly and rinsed it down with a sip of tea. She looked from left to right, checking the proximity of their table for earwigs then leant forward in her cushy chair. Her voice was almost drowned out by the café’s customer chatter, but Rachel had pretty much guessed what the question would be, so she’d no trouble picking it up.
    “Have you slept with him yet?”
    Rachel fought back the dopey grin as it wrestled for dominance again. She nodded.
    “You wee slapper!” Karen said, a little less concerned by her volume.
    “Keep your voice down.”
    “When?”
    Rachel grimaced. “On the first night.”
    “The night you met him?”
    She nodded again.
    “You dirty stop-out.”
    “Hey, take it easy, you.”
    They smiled at each other and fell silent. Sipping on their beverages, they took turns to shake their heads and roll their eyes. Karen had called Rachel that morning to let her know she was in town on company business and had an hour to spare around lunchtime. Rachel was in the mood for a good chat, so she’d arranged to take a long lunch and met her chum at the little coffee shop on Church Street. Talking about Brian lent reality to the dreamlike dizziness of their stupidly intense affair. She’d never known herself to give so much to a relationship so quickly. It was exciting and scary at the same time.
    The bell above the café door tinkled. Karen sat facing it and her eyes widened slightly as she glanced over Rachel’s shoulder.
    “Um, I think that guy you used to go out with just walked in.”
    Rachel froze. Oh, God. Don’t let it be Sean.
    “It’s Sean,” Karen said.
    Rachel found a spot on the table and fixed it with a fascinated stare. She wished for a paper bag to pull over her head. But there was nowhere to hide, especially not in a small town like Warrenpoint. Sean towered over their table and cleared his throat.
    “Hi, Sean,” Karen said.
    “How’re you, Karen?” Sean paused for a couple of seconds. “Are you not talking to me, Rachel?”
    Rachel finally looked at her ex. His expression was unreadable. Cold and emotionless. She shrugged. “It’d probably be best if we didn’t talk at all, Sean. I don’t think either of us have anything to gain from each other’s company.”
    “I see. So you think you can just brush me off?” His voice was deadpan, and still his face betrayed no feeling.
    “I’m not brushing you off. I’m just... I... There’s no point in us trying to be civil to each other. We parted on bad terms. We’re only going to stoke the ill feeling between us.”
    “Bad terms? Is that how you describe it? More like sadistic, perverted assault, if you ask me.”
    “Look, I know Sheena’s a bit of a boot, but I think that’s an unfair...”
    “I was talking about you trying to burn the tit off me, you psycho-bitch!” His face instantly contorted as he