Allegiance: A Dublin Novella Read Online Free PDF Page A

Adam’s eyes fell on William, still watching from behind the bar; Adam smiled and raised the glass before tilting his head back to drain it dry.
    “Oi, Glasgow,” said someone at the bar. “Can I have my whisky or what?”
    William watched Adam grab the girl Sarah for a breathless kiss. He finished filling the customer’s tumbler to the brim, and then picked it up and drank it in one swallow.
     
    “I do believe this is the last of the lot,” said Mary. She set her basket of dirty towels on the bar and wiped her arm across her forehead. “I think these lads spill more beer than they drink.”
    William looked up from his broom. The last of the chairs had been upended on the freshly-wiped tables, and Mary was gathering stray glasses to take to the kitchen. The pub was quiet and dim, William having blown out the lamps after the final customers tottered through the door. Now the light from the dying fire and the glow of the electrics from the kitchen cast long shadows across the wood floor; Ruan lay curled up by the hearth, snoozing contentedly. Gerald sat on a stool at the end of the bar, counting notes into tidy stacks and jotting down the numbers in his books. Mary scooped up her last load and slipped into the kitchen as William finished sweeping and emptied his dustpan into the bin.
    “You did well tonight, lad,” said Gerald. “I was thankful of your help. The lads took to you straight off, as I knew they would.”
    “I was glad of it, Gerald,” William said. “I don’t want to cause you any trouble.”
    “Nonsense, you’re a natural. It’s glad I am I found you before you ended up in some dirty warehouse, or worse – in another pub.” He grinned and pointed to a small stack of coins. “There you are, my boy, your share of the night.”
    William’s eyes widened. “I don’t need that much, Gerald, honestly.”
    “No, but you deserve it.” Gerald waited until William stepped forward and picked up the coins before continuing. “Now Mary and I will be in church tomorrow morn, so you’ll need that to find yourself some breakfast. There’s a fine place three blocks down run by some Jews – they’ll be open for you. Good bread, they have.” He winked and added, “Unless you wanted to come to Mass with us, that is.”
    William laughed and dropped the money into his pocket. Mary’s voice called from the kitchen: “William?”
    “Aye?”
    “Could you be a love and get me some more soap? I’m up to my elbows in here. It’s in the storeroom, second shelf on the right.”
    William propped his broom against the counter. “Be right there.” He left Gerald to his bookkeeping and headed down the stairs to the cellar.
    He felt his way along the damp corridor wall until he reached the storeroom on the right. He groped for the chain on the single bulb hanging from the ceiling, and the room lit just enough to see; he gathered up a handful of soap packets and pulled the chain again, hurrying back through the darkness to get out of the chill.
    He was at the bottom of the staircase when he heard something thump in the liquor cellar at the opposite end of the corridor. The noise came again – a thump and a rustle, followed by a small, high sound. The inspector in William was walking down the shadowy corridor before he realized it, clutching his armful of soap packets, and he peered silently around the doorway into the shadows of the cellar.
    Rows and rows of bottles lined the cellar walls, one end stacked with a mountain of beer barrels and the other corners dotted with crates and boxes. The girl perched atop one of these crates, her back against the shelves, one leg dangling toward the floor and the other wrapped tight around the figure rocking steadily between her thighs. He held her round the waist with one arm, the other braced against the wall, taking up the weight of his thrusts to cause as little jostling as possible. His braces hung in loops at his sides, his open trousers hidden by the wrinkled folds