Bloody Union

by Brooke Summers

  She grins. “It all works toward the facade. If we look like a grieving, shocked family, no one is going to look at this as anything other than a tragic accident. Having Dante and I be lovey dovey wasn’t a hardship. It put everyone’s attention on us and what I was doing with the spoon rather than what Dante was doing with his hands.”

  I nod, “We keep quiet, act like we’re fucking grieving the loss of our father and then when he’s six feet under, we can congratulate each other. Until then. No more is said about it.”

  Makenna leans against me, “Tomorrow is going to be a long ass day. We’ve got the meeting first thing, but you’re all going to have to deal with people wanting to see you, especially you, Dante. You’re now the Boss, they’re all going to want to ensure their job is safe.”

  I groan. “Fuck, I hate most of them.”

  She laughs, “I know, but it’s what we do. Are you keeping Pauly on as your consigliere?”

  I glance at Alessio and shake my head. No, I'm going to have my brother take over that position. As though she can read my mind, Makenna nods.

  “I’m going to bed,” I tell my brothers as I lift Kenna into my arms. “I’ll see you both in the morning.”

  Makenna grumbles, something about her being able to walk but I ignore her and walk toward our bedroom. I need to bury myself deep inside of her and let this fucking day seep away.

  Twenty

  Makenna

  “How many of the men do you think are in on this?” Romero asks as I drive toward the docks. There’s an abandoned warehouse out here that we use for meetings sometimes. It’s secluded enough that no-one could just come across it, and if they did, we have men guarding it so there would be enough time to get the hell out of there without being seen.

  “I don’t know, I have no fucking trouble taking the lot of them out.” I’m seething. These are my men and they’ve betrayed me. They’ve stolen from me and then lied about doing so.

  I’m tired. Last night I didn’t get much sleep. From the shit show at dinner, along with watching as that arsehole Matteo took his final breath, to having to hang around for hours as we waited for the doctor to do his shit. It’s just one thing after another the last couple of days and I’ll be glad of the reprieve when we go to London for Danny’s wedding.

  Romero and Alessio are lighter since their father died, the darkness in their eyes is still there and probably always will be, because their father was an arsehole. I doubt even Dante knows what that monster did to them. Nor do I believe that he or I will ever know.

  “Romero,” I say after a few minutes of silence.

  “Yes, Boss.” There’s no irritation when he calls me that as I thought there would be, he’s become accustomed to it really quickly.

  “When Dante and I leave for London, you’ll be my eyes and ears. If my men need anything, they are to go to you. You will deal with whatever you can and if you need our help, then call us.”

  I see Dante’s smile from the corner of my eye, we spoke about this last night. With my entire family going to the wedding, we’re going to need someone to take the reins and Romero is the obvious choice. Both Dante and I trust him, plus he’s more than capable. Dante will be leaving Alessio in charge but will stay in constant contact with him, not to mention he’ll have all of his other men on hand.

  “Of course, Boss.” He replies instantly but I hear the pride in his voice.

  “When we get back, Holly will be here. I know you’re not exactly thrilled about the wedding and to be honest neither is she. Maybe the two of you can spend some time together and get to know each other before setting a wedding date.”

  Holly’s been upset, she said that Romero is cold and distant and that their marriage is going to be horrible. And while I know that Romero isn’t what she described, his outward appearance does warn everyone not to approach. The cold eyes, the disdain in his glare along with the bored, pissed-off look he constantly has. It’s his way of keeping people away from him. But Holly is going to be his wife, she’s my niece and I want the best for her and that means having a husband who cares about her.

  “Yeah, that would be good,” he replies and there’s a hint of trepidation in his voice.

  The car once again falls into silence. I leave Romero, and focus on Dante, his body is tense and he keeps glancing around. He’s looking for danger. He’s anxious about this morning and I don’t blame him, we’re going into the warehouse, not knowing who has turned against us. It could be all of my men or it could be just a handful. I hate not knowing.

  My da, Finn, Patrick, and Cian will also be in attendance. Alessio will be in the car hidden from view, thanks to my blacked out windows, just in case things go south.

  I pull into the parking lot outside the warehouse and see there’s already over a dozen cars here. Including Finn’s and Patrick’s. Good.

  “Alessio, keep your eyes peeled. You’ll be able to see people as they come in. You’re good at reading people, anyone who’s acting shady, text Romero,” Dante instructs as I slide out of the car. The breeze from the docks hits me and my hair whips around my face.

  “On it,” Alessio responds quickly.

  Once Dante and Romero are out of the car we move toward the warehouse, I notice that Finn is waiting at the door for us.

  “Boss,” he says in a low voice and I brace for whatever he’s about to say. “Lawrence arrived fifteen minutes ago and is acting shady as hell. He’s been speaking to a few men and the discussions look heated.”

  “Thanks, he’s not going to go down easy. Everyone who was seen on that security tape unloading the drugs and denies that they did it, dies,” I warn him and Romero. “I will not tolerate disloyalty from my men.”

  They both nod and I look to Dante, he’s scanning the parking lot. God, he’s so on edge and it’s making me anxious. “Ready?” I ask him and he gives me a terse nod.

  Rolling my eyes I move into the warehouse and immediately all eyes are on us. “Is everyone here yet?” I ask loudly and I’m greeted by silence.

  “Finn?” I ask needing someone to fucking answer me.

  “Not yet, Boss. Michael and Jason are in the parking lot,” he replies. “Everyone else is here.”

  I nod my head in thanks and walk further into the warehouse to where my da is standing. “Morning,” I say with a smile.

  He grins, “Morning, Kenna, ready for this shit show?” I told him about what Finn and Romero found and he’s just as furious as I am.

  Commotion sounds by the door and I turn to see Jason helping Michael into the warehouse, the old man walking with a walker, his frail body hunched over as he shuffles forward. “Sorry, we’re late, Boss.”

  “You’re right on time,” I reply. He’s deteriorated a lot since last I saw him. He must be having a bad day today.

  “I was informed that a shipment never made it to Miami. Now I know that trip is over two days but we’ve never had a problem before,” I say and watch as unease trickles through some of the men’s features. “Michael and Jason personally handle the supplies and having them shipped off. They, along with their men, have never given me any problems.”

  I watch Michael’s men preen at the praise. “Simon,” I call out; he’s one of the younger men that work for Michael. “How many shipments went out?”

  His brows furrows as he tries to think. “Fourteen, Boss. The one to Miami was done first as it has the furthest to go. We always make sure that the furthest ones get shipped off first.”

  I nod and turn my attention to Lawrence’s men. “Peter,” I call out and watch as the eldest of Lawrence’s men steps forward. “Did you receive the shipment?” I rattle off the date that the shipment was due to arrive.

  He doesn’t even hesitate. “No, Boss.”

  I nod just as I did to Simon. “Are you part of the operation to unload the shipment?”

  “Yes, Boss, I have been since I’ve been part of the family.”

  Well he won’t be part of the family much longer. I search the rest of La
wrence’s men and see Liam shifting on his feet, he and a few other men look uneasy. “Liam McCarthy.” My voice is sharp like a whip. I’m getting angrier the more these fucking bastards lie to me.

  “Yes, Boss,” he says as he steps forward and Peter takes a step backward.

  “Are you part of the operation to unload the shipment?”

  He nods, “Yes, Boss.”

  “Did you unload that particular shipment?” He opens his mouth to say something and I hold my hand to stop him. “Lie to me and your ma will be planning your funeral.”

  He swallows harshly and I know that it’s got to be hard. If he tells me the truth he’s ratting on his boss, but if he doesn’t he’s betraying the family.

  “Yes, Boss, I unloaded that particular shipment,” he says honestly and I beckon him forward and he moves toward me with trepidation.

  “Stand beside Patrick and Cian,” I instruct him, then turn back to the other men. “Anyone else agree with Liam? If you do, go stand beside him.” I wait and I’m not surprised that half of Lawrence’s men come to stand beside Liam and the other’s stand by their boss. Okay, we’re getting rid of half of them. At least the other half are fucking loyal.

  “Lawrence?” I call out, wanting him to answer for himself.

  “Those fucking bastards, lying and betraying me. Maybe they’re the ones that took that shipment.”

  Dante shifts beside me, his body humming with anger.

  “Last chance for you to change your mind. Pick which side you’re standing on, boys.”

  A few more men move to stand with Liam and I nod to Finn, he’ll take note of them and ensure that they’re monitored.

  “Fine. You have made your choice,” I say and turn to Romero. “Play it,” I demand and he hits play on the laptop I had Patrick bring earlier on, he’s hooked it up to a big projector screen where everyone will be able to see.

  As soon as the footage starts playing, my other men move away from Lawrence, not wanting to be standing near the traitorous bastards. The men that stood with Lawrence shift as guilt fills their eyes. They realize they’re fucked.

  Da’s grin can only be described as menacing as he glances at Lawrence. They’ve known each other for years. Been friends for a hell of a long time. “Why, Lawrence? Why betray the family? Something that you have been a vital part of for so fucking long?”

  Lawrence glares at my da, then turns his hate-filled gaze to me and then to Dante. “It was bad enough that I had a fucking woman dictating to me, but I dealt with it, she is your daughter after all. But a fucking Italian? No, I will not bow down to the mutt.”

  The heat at my back tells me that Dante’s had enough, I glance at my da and he’s looking at Lawrence like he’s never seen him before.

  “Gentleman.” I turn to Liam and the others that told the truth. “Honesty and loyalty is what this family is about. You have shown everyone in this room that you belong to the Clann.” There’s nods of agreements around the room. I raise a hand and they quiet down, “As for you,” I tell Lawrence and the traitors. “You have shown everyone here that you are not part of this family. You will be dealt with.”

  The fear in the men's eyes is enough to settle my rage for now. “Anyone betrays the family and they’ll pay for doing so. Today you all have learned a valuable lesson. Never betray the family. Never steal from us, and don’t fucking lie to us.” I continue and the other men in the warehouse nod. They know that Lawrence went too far. We’re very lenient in what we allow our men to do. They are free to run their cities as they please, as long as it doesn’t reflect badly on the Clann and they are loyal to us.

  “You show your loyalty to the Gallagher family and you’ll be rewarded handsomely.” Da speaks up for the first time, his voice vibrating with fury. “Those who betray us will be treated with the same respect they showed us. Zero. Good luck having your family recognize you.”

  Both Da and I glance to Dante. It’s his time to show why he’s the Boss. Da and I have proven ourselves over and over again. Now it’s Dante’s time to play and he wastes no time in getting down to business. He interlocks his fingers and the sound of his knuckles cracking is harsh in the silence. Romero, Finn, Patrick, and Cian step forward. There’s seven men that need to be taken care of. But they’re just there for backup, Dante is more than capable of taking care of them.

  Everyone is silent as they wait for Dante to make his move. Every single man’s eyes are on my husband, anxiously waiting for him to dole out the punishment to the traitors.

  Dante doesn’t even hesitate, he unsheathed his knife and with a flick of the wrist cuts through the first man’s throat. I’ve never seen him in action before and fuck, he’s gorgeous. He moves like he’s born to do it as he stabs the next man in the heart. I know how much force is needed to break through the skin and bone to get to the heart and Dante made it look easy.

  Heat pools between my legs as Dante effortlessly takes care of the men. He’s not even breathing hard as he moves from man to man. I never thought I’d find killing someone be so fucking hot and yet here I am, panting as my husband murders the men that stand before us.

  “You don’t deserve to have the loyalty of my wife,” he growls as he steps up to Lawrence. He’s left him for last.

  Six men lie at Dante’s feet, all dead from various stab wounds. The coppery scent of the blood is heavy in the air, clogging the back of my throat. “My wife is a better leader than you could ever hope to be.”

  I bite back a smile as a cheer goes around the warehouse. My men are truly loyal and have my back even though I am indeed a woman.

  “She’d have died for you and you fucked it up.”

  Lawrence stands up straighter and I’m itching to end the bastard's life as is my da, but we don’t, we stay where we’re standing and let Dante deal with him. “You’re nothing but an Italian inbred mutt and you’ll never have our respect.”

  Dante shrugs, “I have my wife’s and that’s all I give a fuck about.” He lifts his knife and I watch on in sick fascination as he stabs Lawrence in the eye, blood pools from the socket as he squeals like the pig he is. “You on the other hand will die with everyone knowing that you are a traitor; that you betrayed the family and stole from your Boss.” He nods to Romero and Finn and they step forward to hold Lawrence upright. Dante jabs his knife into Lawrence’s other eye and I can’t hold back my smirk this time.

  “Your wife will be shunned, your sons considered traitors too.” Dante informs him and it’s true, their father’s betrayal will always look bad on them. “You’ve ruined their lives and they’re going to hate you for it.” With that parting message, Dante slices through the fucker’s throat.

  Finn and Romero step back quickly, dropping Lawrence to the floor to escape the blood splatter. Once Lawrence hits the ground, there are cheers and hollers. The men are happy that the traitors are dead.

  “We celebrate tonight,” I yell above the cheers and the men quiet once again. “We rejoice in the fact that we’ve rid our organisation of rats. Tomorrow, we work harder than ever.”

  Michael and Jason catch my gaze, the pleading in the old man’s eyes has me nodding. “Gentleman, as you’ve probably guessed, Michael will not be with us much longer. Jason has more than proven himself capable of taking over. As of today, he will be the Underboss of Maine. Liam, you have two weeks to prove that you can take care of Miami. We’ll be watching. Patrick and Cian, you have done well so far. The next few weeks you’ll be trailing Romero and Finn as they take over their territories. The next meeting will be held when I return from London.”

  A chorus of ‘Yes, Boss’ echoes around the room.

  “Dismissed,” Dante clips out, he’s still pissed.

  “Yes, Boss,” is once again repeated and I can hear the begrudging respect the men have for him. He took on seven traitors and didn’t break a sweat. He’s earned the right to be called Boss.

  “Da, I’ll talk to you later,” I tell him as I reach for Dante’s hand. “Finn and Romero, you�
�re taking Patrick, Cian, and Alessio with you. You’re training them.”

  “Yes, Boss,” Finn replies and Romero nods.

  “In a hurry?” Dante questions. As we walk towards our car, Da’s calling the clean-up crew to get rid of the bodies.

  “Yes. You were fucking hot killing those arseholes,” I say, my voice husky and full of need.

  Dante chuckles, “Oh, baby, that’s how I feel every time I see you do what you do best.”

  I shake my head. “We’re fucking nymphos.”

  “Yep and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  I lean up on my tiptoes and plant a soft kiss against his lips. “Love you,” I whisper.

  His eyes soften. “Love you too. Now let’s go home, I have my husbandly duties to take care of.”

  I glance back at the warehouse where my da is standing, a smile on his face as he looks at Dante and I. God, my life is amazing. I never thought I could love anyone as much as I love Dante and he loves me harder than anyone ever has before.

  I’m looking forward to spending the rest of my life ruling the world with him at my side.

  Epilogue

  Dante

  I hear movement in front of me and I glance up at Stefan. I bite back my smile. He’s got a white bandage over his nose, green and blue bruises mar his skin under his eyes. He glances at my wife and the respect shines through. It wasn’t always like that, but Makenna being Makenna wouldn’t and doesn’t tolerate any bullshit. When I introduced her to my men and informed them that not only am I the Boss, but she is now as well, there was a hell of a lot of hostility.

  Thankfully, Makenna had the foresight to show the men just how capable she was at running the show and we had set up a boxing ring in the middle of the fucking club. Six men went in against her, including Stefan and my best fighter, Danilo. My men were shocked to say the least. When she said she wanted to fight them, they laughed at her. But Christian thinking that he’s the shit, climbed into the ring and started throwing jabs. I chuckled when Makenna threw a haymaker and knocked the fucker out. With each man that went into the ring the rest of the men’s respect started to grow. When she had Stefan hitting the canvas, I knew that the men would respect her as the Boss.