Ciarán: The O'Hanlon Family Trilogy Book One: Social Rejects Syndicate
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“I’m trying to make things right for everyone involved.”
“Why so much interest in one guy?”
“Tommy, I’m sure you know that Dax has an insurance policy. If he turns up missing or dead, we’re all fucked.”
“Like I told Patrick, Aiello doesn’t want Dax dead, so you have nothing to worry about. He wants revenge and the kind of revenge he wants takes a woman’s touch. Now I’ve told you all I could, so why don’t you turn around and go hop over the pond where you belong.”
“If he doesn’t check in in a twenty-four-hour time period, everything blows up. Are you prepared for that? Is Aiello?”
Before I can say anything more, he gets up and throws a few c-notes on the table and walks out. I keep running everything over and over in my head. Takes a woman’s touch. Shit!
Me: I just finished my meeting with Tommy. I think I figured it out. Eevee is definitely in it up to her eyeballs. No matter what, keep her away from Dax.
Patrick: Did you find Savanna?
Me: I’m on that now. I’ll check in with you later.
Armed with her photo and all the clubs she likes to party at, I head out on my mission to find the elusive Savanna Aiello.
After throwing around a lot of cash, I finally find her at the Marquee in the Cosmopolitan Hotel along with two bodyguards. They are easy to spot, but they make it hard to get close to her. I could send over a drink, but that’s too common. Nope, instead I look over toward her and hold up my glass, then I turn away from her and nurse my drink. I can see her in the mirror as she heads toward me. Her two guards are not far behind her. She squeezes herself between my chair and the one next to me, pretending that she’s trying to get the bartender’s attention. I’ll play along with her. I get up and offer her my chair.
“Thank you, I’m trying to get Angel’s attention. It’s like he left us at the end of the bar. We are past the need for refills.”
I do a quick wave to the bartender and he comes right over. “Apparently my newfound friend here needs some service. Please, give them whatever they need and put it on my tab.”
“Thank you; you don’t have to do that.”
“I know. I’m Ciarán, and you are?”
“Savanna. Why don’t you join us. I mean, you’re sitting here all by yourself.”
“I was just going to get something to eat. Besides, it’s way too noisy in here to have any kind of conversation. How about you join me? Don’t worry frick and frack can come too.” I wave toward her bodyguards and she laughs.
“Yeah, they kind of stand out like a sore thumb. How about we walk over to Eggslut. It’s an experience you don’t want to miss,” she says before gently picking up the dirty martini Angel just placed in front of her. She guides the glass to her lips in a slow, seductive manner and holds the toothpick spearing her olives while she takes a sip. She then lifts the toothpick and encircles it with her mouth before sliding the olives slowly off the tiny spear. I give her a little playful smirk and nod in agreement. Calling Angel back over, I settle my tab while she lets her friends know she’s leaving. We finally make our way out of the club. Between the jet lag and the loud music, my head is buzzing.
“So, Ciarán, did you just get in from Ireland?”
“Am I that obvious?” I ask. She laughs.
“The accent gave it away. Well, that and the fact that when you took out your wallet, I noticed your driver’s license.”
“Wow, you’re good.”
“You have to be to survive in this town. So, why are you here?”
“I have some business to take care of, and I thought I would extend the trip for a little R&R.” Okay, so it’s somewhat truthful.
We get to the restaurant and, thanks to her, avoid the lines. I’m sure it’s because of who her father is. She doesn’t say anything about it, and I play it cool. As we sit down, I realize I have not eaten all day.
“You’ll find a lot of unusual things on the menu. They are all good, so don’t be afraid to try any of them.”
“Trust me, I’m not afraid of anything.” I glance over my menu at her and catch her smiling. “What?”
“You’re not afraid of anything?”
“Okay, here’s the deal, but I will deny this to my grave, I’m deathly afraid of spiders,” I admit. Now, she’s laughing.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to laugh at you, but a big, strapping guy like you afraid of spiders just seems funny. Can I ask why?”
“When I was nine years old, I went to summer camp. One of my cabin mates was sleeping and a spider crawled into his ear. I won’t get into the gory details. Let’s just say for years I slept on my side with my hand over my ear.”
“That’s really gross. I don’t think I’ll ever look at a spider again and not think about that poor kid.”
When the waitress comes over to take our order, I inform her that I’ve never been here before so I’m having my newfound friend Savanna do the ordering. As she begins to order, I see another side to her . . . a side that is very decisive and confident. It sends an electric current right to my dick. So much so that I have to remind myself why I’m here. Wiping my visions of fucking her out of my head.
“I hope you’ll like what I ordered for you?”
“As long as there’s coffee to wash it all down with, we’re good. Now, tell me about you.” She grips her coffee cup and gets a sad look on her face. “Hey, why so sad?”
“Sometimes life doesn’t always go according to the plans that we make.”
“That’s when you have to pull yourself up by the bootstraps and do a total reinvention of yourself. Remember, Savanna, nothing is ever set in stone. One of my brothers is a priest and he always says tomorrow is a new beginning of your story, not you’re ending.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, he says a lot of shit like that. Usually, we just yes him to death.”
“I’m an only child. I wish I had a sibling. My mom was very sick, which is why we moved here. She died when I was five. My dad never remarried, so it’s always been just us.”
“So, if you don’t mind me asking, why the bodyguards?”
The waitress picks now to bring over our food. She makes sure she bypasses my question while we eat. However, she continues to tell me all about her life while questioning me about my family and my life in Ireland.
I look at my watch and then back toward her. “So, you’ve danced around my question for the last twenty minutes. Eventually, you’ll have to explain the guards. Are you in some sort of danger?” She sinks her teeth into her lip at my inquisition and damn it, it’s sexy as hell.
“My dad is an important businessman. The guards are for my safety, nothing more. Now, tell me more about your family.”
“Hmm, not much to tell really. I told you my youngest brother Ronan is a priest. My dad thought he was going to be some sort of gigolo or something. It was a shock for everyone when he joined the priesthood. My middle brother Patrick and I own a bar. We work together. I have a younger sister who actually lives in Vegas. I was going to surprise her with a visit, but she’s on a business trip. So, I’m here for a few days on my own. That’s my life in a nutshell.”
Certain that she will not reveal any more to me about her family, I keep the rest of the conversation light while we work our way through our meal. Before long, the atmosphere changes (we’ve both placed our napkins on our plates and nonchalantly glance around for the waiter) as our meal comes to an end.
“Well, Ciarán, I need to get going. Maybe we can get together again before you leave. Where are you staying?” she asks as she pulls the strap of her purse up onto her shoulder.
“I’m at the Bellagio,” I pull out one of my business cards and write my personal cell number on the back before passing it to her, “I would love to see you again. I’ll leave it up to you to call me.” We get up and head outside after I grab the check. With her guards following close behind us, I walk her toward her waiting limo.
“Can I drop you off?”
Patrick
Why the hell Ciarán thinks I can keep Dax and Eevee apart for any length of time is beyond me. I keep finding stupid shit for him to do on the computer. It’s only a matter of time before I run out of stuff for him to do.
“Hey, Dax, do you think your insurance policy is really going to get you out of this mess?” He stops what he’s doing on my computer and gives me a look that makes me question my own sanity.
“That insurance policy has kept me alive all these years. I would like to think it can help me out of the mess I’m in.”
“Yeah, I get it, but you said yourself that Aiello is not one of your clients, so what why would he care?”
“Because, from his second-in-charge all the way down, I’ve got my hooks into all of them. Besides that, my program is being used by other members of other families all over the world. It’s in everyone’s best interest to keep me alive. If Aiello is presented with my head on a silver platter, it will only be a matter of time before he will get the same treatment for causing such a big mess.”
He goes back to what he’s doing, however, the smug look on his face remains. So much so, I want to wipe it off with my bare hands. “Why the hell did you have to include my family in your mess?”
“Patrick, my entire business started when Red asked me for help. Before that, I was just a senior in college; I had nothing. I built my entire program around his business.”
“Did my dad know about your insurance policy?”
“Red knew he was dying and, with Ciarán starting to take over more of the business, he wanted to make sure his family was protected. I assured him as long as I was safe, everyone else was too. He was satisfied with that, so why aren’t you?”
My stomach feels like it just did a freefall on some carnival ride. My dad knew and never said anything. “Why would I be satisfied, Dax? My ass is in a sling and your head is wanted on a silver platter, so excuse me if it’s not all sunshine and fucking roses.” I throw my hands out in exacerbation. He shrugs off my concerns and goes back to what he was doing.
I’ve had time to think while Ciarán has been in Vegas and I’m hoping I might have a solution. “Question for you, Dax. What’s to stop someone from hacking into your computer and canceling your little insurance policy?”
“They can try, but I have a lot of fail-safe keys in place. Look, Patrick, it’s not just a simple log in. There are five keys to get to the log in. If the sequence isn’t done correctly, the email with all the accounts and their individual paper trail goes to the Feds.”
“I’m helping you out of this mess, can’t you remove my family from everything?”
“If I did that then there is no reason for you to help me, now is there?”
Blackmail: the worst position to be in is letting someone have so much power over you. I have no idea what the hell my dad was thinking. Then again, this business really didn’t go global until after he died. Still, nothing he says is changing my urge to throat punch the smug motherfucker.
“I thought you cared about this family?”
“Business is business, Patrick, so don’t take it personal.”
With every word out of his mouth, I can feel my temper slowly rising. I look up at the monitor and see Eevee coming our way. As usual, the door swings open and she barges right in.
“I’m here to take you both to lunch. I don’t want to hear any arguments, Patrick. I’ve haven’t been home in a long time, so you owe me.”
All of a sudden, I owe everyone something. “And if I say no?”
She cocks her head and gives me a smile. “Then I guess it will be just Dax and me. Are you okay with that?” The gotcha look on her face says it all. I grab my keys off the desk.
Dax steps out from behind the desk and offers his arm to Eevee. “Thank you for rescuing me. Your brother is a tyrant.” He chuckles. He should only know what a bastard I can be. We head out and all I can do is pray Ciarán is having better luck with Savanna.
Ciarán
I still haven’t heard from Savanna. I decide to get out of my room and get some air. I’m not sure what I was thinking; it’s midafternoon and hotter than Hades out here. I’m watching the water show that my hotel puts on hourly. It’s better than throwing my money away in the casino. I want to call Patrick with an update on my progress, but unfortunately, I don’t have anything significant to report. The vibration of my phone startles me back to reality. It’s Savanna.
“Hey, Savanna, I was just thinking about you. How is your day going?”
“Good. If you’re not busy, maybe we can get together.”
“I would love to, but please make it something indoors.” There’s that sweet laugh again.
“Are you an adventurous person?”
“It depends what you mean by adventurous.”
“I’ll pick you up in an hour. Wear comfortable clothes.” She hangs up before I can answer. I have no idea what’s in store for me, but I’ll have to put contacting my brother off until later. I’m blaming my procrastination in contacting him on the eight-hour time difference. However, maybe it’s more than that? Whatever. I quickly shrug it off as I go back upstairs to change into casual. It doesn’t take me long. When I get back outside, I’m hit with a blast of heat, like Hades turn the dial up on his oven. Luckily, I don’t have to wait long for her limo to pull up. The door opens and when I climb inside, she’s wearing short white shorts, a tank top, and runners. I’ve got on jeans, a t-shirt, and runners. “This is as casual as I get. Will this be okay for whatever you have planned? I wasn’t planning on being in town very long.”
“Yes, but if you’re staying any longer, you might want to pick up some shorts.”
“Can I ask where you’re taking me?” She smiles and then sinks her teeth into her bottom lip. I feel an instant blood rush.
“Well, the only thing you said you were afraid of is spiders. You never said anything about heights. We are going to a place called SlotZilla. You get two choices; I’m hoping I know which one you will pick.”
“Okay, tell me my options.”
“One is seven stories high and you zip line in a seated position. The other one is eleven stories high and you zip line in a superhero position. Both choices have you going through a giant slot machine down Freemont Street. It’s all covered, so no blazing sun beating down on us. Which one would you like to do?”
“I want to be a superhero.”
“Somehow, I figured you would say that. At least when you go back to Ireland, you can tell your family that some woman you hardly knew took you on an adventure of a lifetime.”
I take her hand and give it a gentle squeeze. “Maybe you can tell them yourself.” She gets very quiet, but I seriously need to push this along. “That is if you are up to an adventure.” Talk about bad timing. The car comes to a stop. She jumps out, not waiting for her driver to open the door for her. I quickly follow her over to the ticket booth to get the tickets. As her soft hand touches my arm, I literately feel a jolt.
“Ciarán, I invited you out for an adventure. I already ordered our tickets. They are at will-call.” She picks up the tickets and we get in the queue to wait our turn.
“Wow, that’s very sweet of you. After we fly through the air like superheroes, I would be thrilled if you would show me around the real Vegas, not all the tourist stuff. Oh, and it’s my treat.” I tuck a lose strand of her hair behind her ear and, in this moment, I realize this is going someplace it probably shouldn’t. However, I can’t and won’t stop it.
“You’ve got a deal. Now it’s our turn—enjoy!” Before I can say anything more, she’s hooked up and takes off. I quickly follow behind her. I have to say, this is an amazing ride; eleven stories high, c
overing five city blocks.
The entire process took about an hour. Now that we are back on the ground, it’s time to speed this up.
Dax
I never would have thought running away to save my life would lead me to her. She’s young but, hell, I plan on living a long time, so what the fuck do I care? I can’t figure out where the hell Ciarán went or why Patrick is trying his hardest to keep me as far away from Eevee as possible. For Christ sake, I feel like I’ve got a babysitter twenty-four-seven. Even at lunch Patrick made sure he wedged himself between Eevee and me. I couldn’t wait for it to be over. As we head out to the car, I stay back a little, which prompts Patrick to do the same. “Listen, Patrick, not sure why you’re acting like you have to watch my every move but stop it. I need to breathe a little. I promise I’m not going to fuck with your sister. Does that help?”
“This has nothing to do with Eevee and everything to do with you. That being said, I still have to watch my sister’s back, and I don’t want her to get caught in the crossfire. You’re a marked man, so maybe you should act like it, instead of some sort of gigolo,” he states with an award-winning seriousness. I try to stifle my laugh. I’ve been called a lot of things in my lifetime, however, I think gigolo is a first.
“As long as you keep me safe, she won’t get caught up in anything.” I shrug.
He stops and turns toward me, his entire face turns red hot, but his eyes are dark as coal. “How about you play by my fucking rules? I’m not the one who has a bullseye on his ass. I’m just the one trying to save it.”
“Let’s not forget, Patrick, you’re also trying to save your own ass in the process.”
“You know what?—fuck you! Save yourself and I’ll make sure I save my own damn family!” He yells before heading out the door with determination in every step. I’m left standing here with everyone’s eyes fixated on me. I snap out of it and quickly follow him. I just make it to the car as he attempts to pull away.
“Unlock the damn door and let me in.” I demand as I bang my fist on the roof of the car. The window slowly rolls down, but only halfway.