Saving 6 (Boys of Tommen, #3)

by Chloe Walsh

The only person that you should be settling for is the person who unsettles you the most. The person who drives you to the brink of suicide because he or she makes you feel so fucking much that you can’t catch your breath or remotely function without them.

“I care.” Reaching out a hand, he grabbed the front of the hoodie I was wearing—his hoodie—and fisted the fabric as he pulled me back to him, our bodies flush together. “I care. I care. I care,” he repeated, eyes locked on mine as his hand moved up to cup my neck. “Too much.” “See?” Blowing out a ragged breath, I sagged forward, letting my head fall against his chest. “That’s all I wanted to hear.” “I know, Molloy.” Resting his chin on my head, he sighed heavily. “I know.”

“Steal any more cars lately?” Molloy’s familiar voice infiltrated my thoughts, dragging me back to the present, and fuck if my heart didn’t take a U-turn in my chest when she sidled up beside me and nudged my arm with her shoulder. “Nice hoodie.” “Nah, just the one,” I shot back, returning her nudge. “And nice legs.” “I’m wearing jeans tonight.” “Not in my head.”

“And…” She cast a glance to the kitchen door behind her and then shook her head. “And fuck him.” That’s my girl. “That’s the spirit.”

“So, we’re besties?” she asked, holding her pinkie finger up. “Fuck it.” I shrugged and hooked mine around hers. “Why not?”

“I’m irreplaceable.” That she was.

“If I had a packet of Rolos right now, I’d give you my last one.” “Yeah?” I smiled, indulging her. “Well, if I had a packet of Rolos right now, Molloy, I’d give them all to you.” “You would?” Her eyes widened as she looked up at me like I’d just offered her the moon on a string. “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever given me.”

“Put that thing near my face and I’ll bite it off you.”

“I would never hurt you, Molloy,” he slurred, his words a lot like his life, a broken mess. “I’d rather die than hurt you.”

My heart cracked clean open in my chest at the sight of her. It didn’t matter to me that she was fourteen now. In my eyes, she was still the tiny girl in pigtails who had followed me around for most of our childhood.

I was going to kill them. I was going to kill them all.

“I w-want to d-die,” she continued to cry, choking hard on her tears. “I w-want to n-not be h-here anymore.”

“That’s my job, Shan,” I said as I pried her ponytail from her small fist. “I’m your big brother. I will always stick up for you.” “I l-love you, J-Joe.” “I love you, too,” I whispered, wrapping her up in my arms. “I’m going to fix this, okay? I’ll make this right for you. I promise.”

Like a shark tasting blood in the water, I was on the bastard, my fists moving harder and faster than I’d thought possible. Dragging him to the ground, I wrapped my hand around his throat and squeezed. “Scary, isn’t it?” I taunted, tightening my grip until he began to turn purple. “Being attacked for no reason?”

“Let that be a warning to your sister,” I roared. “If she so much as looks at my sister again, I’ll kill you.” Chest heaving, I pointed straight at the lad bleeding all over the concrete, as Mr. Ryan and several of my teammates dragged me away. “Do ya hear me? I will kill you!”

“Joey Lynch might be sex on legs but he’s about two fights shy of a stint in prison.”

“And he’s been with so many girls, he’s more like a walking sexually transmitted disease on legs.” “Well, he can feel free to infect me any time he likes,” Casey replied, waggling her brows.

“You can’t blame a girl for wanting to take a ride on that bad boy.” Wasn’t that the truth.

“Ah, don’t worry, Paulie boy,” Casey teased, reaching over to pat his hand. “You’re a definite fairground ride, too.” “I am?” He grinned wolfishly. “Which one?” “The teacups,” she snorted.

“What’s this?” Paul growled. “The I-heart-Joey-Lynch club?”

YES

“Are you here to play with Joey?” he asked, all innocence and wide smiles.

“This is Aoife,” Ollie said proudly, patting my shoulder with his small hand. “She’s my friend.”

“Stay out of my face and stay out of my fucking life!”

“No,” he strangled out, shaking from head to toe as he physically strained his body away from me. “I’m afraid I’ll hurt you.” His words threw us both. “Hurt me?” I repeated and quickly shook my head. “All you’ve ever done is look out for me, Joey Lynch. You would never hurt me.”

His words broke off when I kissed him. I lost my head right there in the middle of his street, threw caution to the wind, and slammed my lips to his.

This kiss was going to have consequences, I realized. Huge, heart-stopping, feeling-igniting consequences.

I couldn’t think about anything other than her. Aoife Molloy consumed me to the point that I didn’t feel like everything was completely fucked in the world anymore.

“Oh my god, Joe,” I groaned, screaming on the inside as the realization of what I had done suddenly dawned on me. “I’m my father.” “What are you talking about, Molloy?” “Dad,” I choked out. “I’m him.” I looked at Joey. “He’s a cheater, I’m a cheater!” I threw my hands up in dismay. “We’re both cheating apples from the same cheating tree. Ugh,” I muttered, thoroughly distressed. “And now I’m no better than he is.”

“Have you seen your girl?” Joey taunted. “Of course I was interested. In fact, I was very fucking interested. Still am.”

“Hey!” It was at that very moment that a small, blond-haired boy came bounding out of the Lynchs’

house and rounded the garden wall with a floor brush in hand. “Get off my brother!” “Tadhg,” Joey roared, chest heaving and eyes wild now as he thrashed and tried to break free, the sight of his brother igniting his protective instincts. “Go back inside.” “I said get the fuck off my brother!” Tadhg screamed, ignoring Joey’s words as he swung the floor brush at the back of Paul’s legs.

“Hey, don’t touch him!” I snapped when Paul roughly shoved Tadhg away. “He’s just a little kid.” “Your brother’s a scumbag with a serious learning problem, little man,” Billy taunted the younger Lynch. “My brother and I are here to teach him a lesson that’ll stick.” “How about I teach you a lesson?” Tadhg said, taking aim at Billy this time. “On how to fight fair.” With that, the little guy rammed the handle of the floor brush into Billy’s face. “And how to not be your brother’s little bitch boy.” Blood sprayed from Billy’s ...

Tadhg hit him again, this time in the dick. Falling like a sack of spuds to his knees, Billy cupped his junk and groaned, while the little guy went in for the kill, flaking him on the head with the brush.

“What?” Tadhg roared, eyes bulging as he threw his hands up in outrage. “Are you serious? They were double-teaming him!”

“Which one is that?”

Really?

“Move your ass, Molloy. I have places to be when I get done babysitting you.” “Oh, you mean the same ass you enjoyed feeling up outside your house that day?” “That was a slip.” “Yeah,” she agreed, “A slip of your tongue in my mouth.” “I meant figuratively,” I told her, pulling my hood up to hide my amusement.

“Yeah, well, she wasn’t my first choice that night,” I heard myself admit. “If I recall correctly, my first choice was taken.” Stopping in her tracks, she turned and looked up at me. “She’s not taken anymore.” “Are you serious?” My eyes widened. “Rebecca’s single now?” Molloy’s eyes narrowed. “You dick.” “Relax.” I laughed, narrowly avoiding a side swipe. “I’m only messing with you.”

“On what you do next,” she whispered, leaning up on her tiptoes to press a soft kiss to the curve of my jaw. Fuck. This girl.

“You matter to me, Joey Lynch.” “I shouldn’t,” I choked out, forcing my body to remain rigid and not fold into her like a huge part of me wanted to. “And yet you still do,”

“You need to run.” She shook her head. “I don’t run.” “Run,” I desperately urged. “Run, Molloy.” “I’m staying right here,” she whispered. “With you.”

“The quintessential lost boy.” Her lips grazed mine as she spoke. “Don’t worry, Peter Pan, I’ll be your Wendy.”

Kev interjected then, digging me in the thigh with his foot. “What did I tell you about touching me with those hooves?”

“Aoife and Joey.” “Kevin!” I hissed, red-faced. Joey and I were trying to be discreet, and up until now, I thought we had been doing a great job. Apparently, nothing got past my brother, though. Nosy fucker. “Joey?” Dad’s eyes widened. “My Joey?”

“You are worth it,” I roared back, shoving the front door open. “Of course you’re fucking worth it, Shannon. You’re worth a thousand of that piece of shit, and don’t you ever let him make you feel anything less!”

Just let go, a voice in my head urged. It’ll all be over if you just let go. I let my fists fall to my sides and did just that.

Curled up in a ball on my bed with a mini pack of Crunchie bars on my lap, I rewatched The O.C. for the hundredth time.

He was silent for so long that I thought he wasn’t going to answer me. But then he released a ragged breath and pulled me into his arms. “Okay, Molloy,” he whispered, wrapping me up in his arms. “I’ll try.”

Not if they knew how it really was for me. Or how it felt to live in my head.

“Nice shirt.” “Nice legs.”

“No, no, I have everything I need,” he replied, still grinning wolfishly at us. “But I may be of some assistance to you.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a condom and held it out to Joey. “Because sex is fun and all that, but it’s best practiced with a glove on your d—”

GIBSIE?