by KB Winters
But I felt I needed to drive the point home just a bit deeper.
“Because I need not remind you, gentlemen, that you are guaranteed nothing,” I said, my voice low and menacing. “You work hard and serve well, you’ll be rewarded. You don’t, or you betray me—well, suffice it to say, your penance will be savage, brutal—feckin’ heinous. Don’t take my professional regard in handling situations in the past in light of my position as your feckin’ leader. You would all do well to remember that.”
Silence reigned over the room, and most of the guys looked incredibly tense and uncomfortable. Clearly, they hadn’t expected me to come out swinging like that. And while I doubted I’d earned their respect, it would definitely force their obedience—most of them lived pretty lavish lifestyles because of the organization, and the threat to have it all taken away from them was powerful indeed.
“Any questions?” I asked, looking around the table.
“Yeah, I got one.”
I looked over at Bryan and had to keep from rolling my eyes. Of course, I’d start catching shite from him. I knew he had to try to save a little face after I’d called him out. That and try to assert himself as the dominant alpha in our little pack. As if I was going to let that happen.
“What’s your question then, Bryan?”
“Doesn’t being a goddamn snitch ruin your family’s claim of the leadership?” he asked. “Shouldn’t that invalidate your standing as the head of this organization?”
I smirked at him. “I wasn’t aware I was a snitch,” I said, looking around the table. “Is there anybody else who seconds Bryan’s accusation?”
“I wasn’t leveling that accusation at you, boss,” Bryan said, a cruel little smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I was talking about your brother. Flynn.”
“Aye, I haven’t forgotten you all turned on my brother like rabid dogs.”
“We only turned on him when it became clear that he was the feckin’ rat,” Bryan said.
I walked around the table, unbuttoning my coat as I went. All eyes remain fixed on me as I stood behind Bryan, looking down at him. Sliding my hand under my coat, I pulled out my gun and put it against Bryan’s head. His eyes grew wide, and he thought about turning to face me then apparently thought better of it. Instead, he glared at me from the corner of his eye.
“Flynn is innocent. And I will offer you evidence to support that statement. Until then, I suggest that when it comes to my brother, you hold your feckin’ tongue. Aye?”
Bryan continued glaring at me, his breathing rapid as his nostrils flared in anticipation of my finger inching closer to the trigger. He nodded, confirming he understood my direct order, and I tucked my gun away and then clapped my hands together.
“Excellent,” I said, looking around the table again. “Anybody else?”
Nobody said anything, but the tension in the room was high—suffocating. I knew convincing them of Flynn’s innocence was going to be a tough sell. I had a feeling when I presented the evidence, if I was able to dig any up, I’d be met with open skepticism and probably a few calls of outright lies.
But that was a fight for another day. This meeting wasn’t to convince them of Flynn’s innocence. There were other, more pressing items on my agenda.
“Okay then,” I said, returning to my chair and sitting down. “Now that we have the introductions out of the way, let’s talk shop, shall we? We seem to have a problem. Or at least, I seem to have a problem, which means we have a problem.”
Emmett, who’d been silently amused to that point, spoke up, his tone suddenly grim. “The fucker who hired the clown to take Aidan out decided to get a little more personal this time.”
All eyes turned toward me—all except for Bryan’s. He was still brooding in his place at the table, clenching and unclenching his fists and in general, looking like a petulant child.
“The guy’s name is Flannigan—Amon Flannigan. He broke into my house last night and made some serious threats. I’m not one who takes too kindly to somebody invading my home—and then threatening me. In fact, that downright pisses me off.”
“So, what are we going to do about it?” David asked.
I looked around the table, taking in each of them in turn. “We’re going to kill the fucker,” I said. “Nobody, and I mean nobody, is going to do that to one of us. When some gobshite fuck threatens one of us, he threatens all of us. And we will respond in kind.”
“Who is this guy?” Matthew asked. “This, Flannigan?”
“Somebody who thinks he’s something he’s not,” I said.
I was hesitant to let them know about Amon’s claim that he was part of my family—DNA evidence or not. He wasn’t part of my family. He was the product of some dirty fling my father had. And I’d be damned if he was going to get any sort of control in the syndicate because of my father’s indiscretions. He was a bastard, plain and simple. And as such, deserved no special consideration of anything.
But the possibility that some men at that table—like Bryan—could flock to join him was there, so I needed to tread carefully. I wouldn’t tell them any more than they needed to know.
“He’s a bloody son of a bitch,” I said. “A rabid dog and he needs to be put down. He thinks he can take over the organization, but let me assure you, that is not going to happen. Not on my watch. So, it’s incumbent upon us to make sure that his best days are already behind him.”
I grabbed the bottle of Jameson and walked around the table, pouring each man a drink. When I was finished, I poured myself one, then set the bottle down and took up my glass, raising a toast.
“It’s a new day for the brotherhood, gentlemen,” I said. “We might have started off on the wrong foot, but that’s my fault and I apologize. Things are changin’. I’m going to lead this organization in a new direction. And if you’re all on board with me, I can guarantee you’ll enjoy the ride.”
All of the men got to their feet and raised their glasses—though, Bryan was the last on his feet and was far less enthusiastic than the others. He was going to be a problem—one I would have to deal with another day. He wasn’t the priority right now—Amon was.
“To the brotherhood,” I called.
“The brotherhood,” they replied in unison.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Aidan
Emmett and I sat alone in the back room after the rest of the brothers had gone. I’d wanted to speak to him alone. We had stopped with the whiskey, but he was still sipping on a Guinness. I’d already switched to club soda. I needed to keep my head clear.
“I’d say you got the lads’ attention,” Emmett said.
“Aye. That was the point.”
He nodded and took a drink of his beer. “I’m impressed,” he said. “You actually came in here and kicked some bloody arse. Certainly put the fear of God into some of those lads.”
I grinned at him. “Wasn’t that your advice?”
He nodded. “It was. I thought you’d roll in and lawyer it up a bit.”
“Lawyer it up a bit?”
“You know, try to reason and negotiate with ‘em,” he said. “So, it was a surprise when you came in here breathing fire. I gotta say, fecking that jar against the wall was a fantastic way to open.”
“It’s called showmanship,” I laughed. “I have to do things like that in court all the time—not breaking glasses, just doing something to get everybody’s attention.”
Emmett nodded and took another drink. I had to admit, unloading on those guys that way felt good. By the time we’d concluded the meeting, I no longer felt like I was invisible. I no longer felt like they were ignoring me. In fact, I felt like they hung on my every word.
For the first time since I took over, I felt like the actual leader of the syndicate and not just the kid keeping his big brother’s seat warm. Not that I intended to keep the seat. Flynn would be back, and I could hand the leadership over to him. Gladly. Happily.
Until then, I had to do what I could to keep this organ
ization running.
“Bryan’s gonna be a problem,” Emmett said.
“Yeah, I noticed that,” I said. “He’s not too thrilled I’m the boss.”
Emmett smirked. “He thinks he should have that seat.”
“Yeah, I got that impression.”
He took a sip of his beer and looked at me. “You’re gonna have to deal with him at some point.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I know. Something’s bothering me, though.”
“What is it?”
“When I mentioned the situation with Flannigan, Bryan didn’t seem all that curious about it,” I said. “Call me paranoid, but he didn’t seem surprised when I mentioned the man’s name either.”
“Ya thinkin’ he’s already workin’ with him?”
I shrugged. “Can’t be entirely sure at this point,” I said, “but it wouldn’t surprise me.”
“We should probably have somebody keepin’ an eye on him if that’s the case.”
“Until we know where his loyalties are, we’ll just have to be careful about what we say around him.”
Emmett nodded. “To say the least.”
“I have to tell you that I don’t like this,” I said. “The very idea of ordering a hit goes against everything I stand for. I’m a lawyer, Emmett, not a killer.”
He nodded. “You’re a lawyer, yeah,” he replied, “but you’re also the boss of the O’Brien syndicate. The two worlds mix about as well as oil and water, lad.”
“This is a temporary thing, Emmett,” I said. “I’m only keeping the seat warm until my brother is here.”
“And what if he’s not here? Ever??”
“That’s the million dollar question. I’ve asked myself countless times already, and I still don’t have the answer.”
“Aye.”
It was an ugly, uncomfortable truth and I knew eventually, I’d have to answer it. That day wasn’t here yet, and I could afford to punt it a little further down the line. At least, for now.
“Not something I have the time to deal with right now,” I said. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, Emmett.”
He shrugged. “Fair enough, I suppose,” he said. “Don’t forget that bill’s gonna come due one day, lad.”
My chuckle was a little grim. “How could I when I have you here to remind me?”
“It’s a good point,” Emmett said, “but that brings us back to the bigger topic at hand. What to do about Flannigan?”
I sighed. “I meant it when I told the brothers that we were going to take him out,” I said. “It’s either him or me, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let him kill me first.”
“Good lad,” he replied. “So then, with that decision made, the question becomes how we’re going to make that a reality.”
“We need to find out where he is,” I said.
“Obviously,” Emmett said. “I’ve done a little digging around on my own.”
I looked over at him. “You did what?”
He shrugged. “I knew you were either gonna make this decision,” he said nonchalantly, “or I was going to take him out on my own. No way in hell I was going to let him get to you.”
Part of me thought I should be upset at Emmett for taking matters into his own hands, mostly because I knew that’s how Flynn would be. He was in control of everybody’s actions, and nobody made a move without his say-so.
But the truth of the matter was, I appreciated the fact that Emmett had my back. That he was watching out for me and helping take care of my blind spots—because I had a lot of blind spots. Not being a part of this life until Emmett had forced me into it, had left me unprepared to deal with the nuances of the job.
Which was why I was glad that he was looking out for me—I was doing a piss-poor job of looking out for myself.
“Thanks, Emmett,” I said. “I appreciate you watching my back. More than you know.”
“That’s my job, lad,” he said. “Anyway, as I was sayin’, I’ve been doin’ a little diggin’ and Flannigan is a hard man to find. He knows how to cover his tracks and be invisible when he wants to be.”
“Nobody’s invisible,” I said. “Everybody can be found. Everybody can be gotten to. If there is one thing being a defense lawyer has taught me, is that no one is ever as safe as they think they are. Especially not when you’re dealing with a determined enemy.”
“Careful, lad,” Emmett said. “You’re starting to sound like you’re growing into the job.”
I smirked at him. “Not really. Just doing what I need to do.”
“Well, I don’t know how we’re gonna do what we need to do when we can’t find the son of a bitch.”
“Let me work on that,” I said. “I’ve got a few contacts around the city that might be useful.”
Emmett nodded. “And when we find him, then what?”
“Then we’re going to flush him out, and put him down like the rabid old dog he is.”
He smiled wide and raised his glass. “Spoken like a true leader.”
I appreciated Emmett’s support and was thankful for his encouragement as well as his belief in me. I only hoped that when push came to shove, I’d be able to pull the trigger.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Maggie
“So, who are the goons?” Maya asked me.
I gave her a smile and a shake of my head. “Would you believe it if I told you they are my personal ego boosters?”
“Ego boosters?” She raised an eyebrow at me.
“Yup. We walk around town and they spit out personal affirmations on command.”
Maya laughed and threw a wadded up napkin at me. Aidan was off doing business, so I wasn’t going to see him tonight. It had been a while since I’d had a girl’s night out, so when Maya called, I was more than happy to go out for a few drinks with her.
We found ourselves at a little pub called the Blarney Stone. It was a popular neighborhood place where hipsters mingled with corporate types. It was upscale and trendy, but it wasn’t an authentic Irish pub. Not like the Golden Shamrock—the gritty neighborhood pub I knew Aidan to frequent with his brothers. But then, they didn’t have the same element in the Blarney Stone that they did at Shamrocks, which tended to make it safer.
“Seriously, what’s up with the bodyguards?” she asked. “You going Hollywood on me or something?”
I grinned at her but hesitated before I spoke. I obviously couldn’t tell her about Aidan and the syndicate. Couldn’t tell her about the threat to Aidan’s life—basically, I couldn’t tell her anything about my life with Aidan at all. I had to choose my words very, very carefully.
“Aidan’s just being careful,” I said. “He has some nut threatening him, and since he has some guys following him around, he thought that it’d be best if he had somebody keeping an eye on me, too. Better safe than sorry, I guess.”
All in all, it wasn’t a lie. Amon was a nut, and he was threatening Aidan’s life. So I hadn’t really lied to Maya. I’d simply omitted a few things. Yeah, I could rationalize and justify just about anything when I put my mind to it.
“Wow,” Maya said. “An unsatisfied client, huh?”
I grinned. “Yeah, something like that.”
A waitress dropped off a couple of fresh drinks for us and bustled away, very pointedly giving Gary and Peter an up and down glance. She was clearly interested in them, and I couldn’t blame her. They were big, strong, fit, good looking men. I had no doubts both of them did very well with the ladies.
To their credit, they stayed professional and ignored the perky little waitress and kept their focus on me. They stood statue still, but their eyes were constantly moving, searching out any potential threats anywhere around me.
They were right when they told me to pretend they weren’t there. It had taken a little time, but I’d gotten used to them being my shadows. I thought they were both really nice guys. We talked a lot, and it was more like they’d become friends rather than guys paid to risk their lives for me. But that familiarity and c
omfortable rapport I had with them made me feel a lot better about them being around.
“So, tell me about this boss of yours,” she said. “You two have been spending a lot of time together lately.”
I couldn’t stop the heat from rising in my cheeks. I looked away, unable to meet her eyes. I hadn’t told anybody about this—thing—between Aidan and me. Of course, I’d wanted it for a long time, but now that I had it—I didn’t want to talk about it and jinx it.
“Come on, girl,” Maya giggled. “Don’t be holdin’ out on me now. I know something’s going on between you and that sexy Irishman. Give me the dirt!”
“There’s no dirt to give!” I said.
“Yeah, right,” she replied. “So, you blush like that for no reason, huh?”
I put my hand to my cheek and felt how hot my skin was. Yeah, I was really convincing. I was pretty sure a blind man could see me blushing and would be able to tell I wasn’t being truthful. But then, I wasn’t about to tell her that our relationship—such as it was—came about because of a dead body in his office.
If it hadn’t been for the assassin’s failed attempt to kill Aidan, he never would have seen how valuable I could be, he never would have watched me as closely as he had, and he may never have noticed me in the way that he did. It wasn’t much of a stretch to say that if not for the corpse in his office, I could have worked for him until I was old and gray and never attracted his attention the way I had.
I sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know what’s going on,” I said. “It’s like…there’s something there between us, but it’s really too early to call it one thing or another.”
“Ahhh—so, you’re just banging him then?”
“Maya!” I said, but couldn’t hold back the tide of laughter that came spilling out.
“What? It’s an honest question!”
“It’s a terrible question,” I said, my laughter starting to subside.
Maya took a sip of her drink, clearly enjoying the fact that she’d made me squirm. That was Maya though. As long as I’d known her—which was most of my life now—she’d always taken pride in being able to do that.
