Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 98207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
She’s quiet for a moment, and then her chin straightens and she lifts her head to meet my gaze. The tears have stopped falling, and she’s come to a decision. I can only pray it’s the right one.
“Okay,” she says. “You have my word. If I get my son back, I will disappear. None of you will ever hear from me again.”
Relief floods over me because there isn’t a single part of me that doubts she’s being sincere. Over the years, I’ve learned to read people pretty well. I’ve learned how to spot the monsters and the liars lurking just below the surface. This girl is neither of those things.
She’s a pawn, like me. Like I was to Blaine and Donny. She did what she had to. But she has no agenda except for getting her son back. And I believe these guys will do the right thing.
“There’s just one more matter,” I tell her.
“What’s that?” she asks.
“My boyfriend and I have grown rather fond of your dog. And well… we’re keeping her.”
I’m prepared for her to argue, but she doesn’t. She just nods, and that’s that. Daisy is officially part of the family.
Chapter Forty-Three
Ronan
The shite with the feds ends up taking a lot longer than I’d hoped. They questioned me, but with circumstances being what they were they didn’t have enough to arrest me.
The syndicate has a barrister who is used for occasions such as these. He maintains his own connections within the judicial system and he uses them often in exchange for a hefty bonus from Niall. But when the feds get involved it can be a complication. They are used to dealing with mafia now. They know how it works. Witnesses disappear, evidence gets tampered with, things have a way of going wrong before they ever get to trial.
That’s why often times they would rather get you to turn on your mates before it ever gets to a courtroom. But they don’t understand the ways of the syndicate. They don’t understand that the blood oath we swear is real and is for life.
“Fitz,” Crow greets me when I walk into Slainte with the barrister in tow. A few of the other lads are here as well, preparing to discuss the future of the syndicate.
“Crow.” I nod in his direction.
He shakes the barrister’s hand and then we all head down to the basement where we generally meet on such occasions. The room is already set up with drinks when we sit down. Crow takes his place at the head of the table, with me right beside him. He folds his hands over the wood and glances around the room, the expression on his face solemn.
It goes without saying how much Niall means to him. He’s like a father to Crow. He’s been good to both of us, and I have nothing but respect for the man as well.
“I’ve been to see Niall,” he says. “He’s very ill and the docs say it’s likely to be a long recovery for him.”
“So what now?” Conor asks.
The room is quiet for a pause, and Crow’s eyes are glassy when he looks to me. There have been few times I’ve seen the lad get such emotion in his eyes, so I know the situation is more serious than he’s leading us to believe.
“Niall was of a sound mind,” he continues. “And though I insisted we wait until he recovered to make any sort of big decisions, he didn’t agree. He would like to be at home with his family. He’s ready to retire.”
Again, the room falls silent. The gravity of the situation sinks in as the lads reach for their glasses and make quiet toasts to Niall and his family. This means things are going to change now, in a big way. Crow will become boss of the MacKenna Syndicate. And he will choose his right hand man.
I’m not in the least surprised when his eyes fall on me a moment later.
“Fitz.” He clears his throat. “I’m sure I don’t even need to ask ye. But it’s my choice, and if I have to choose from any of the lads, I know who I want by my side.”
I’m quiet, trying to process what this means for me. He wants me to take on the role of underboss. Run Slainte and all the lads who deal operations through here. It’s a heavy role, and I consider it as such.
I don’t just have myself to think of anymore. Sasha might not like it. The higher up you move, the more protected you become. But this also means there’s the potential for a bigger target on my back.
Crow reads the indecision weighing heavily on me, so he helps me along in his usual way.
“I know ye’re going to be a father,” he says. “Congratulations, by the way, Fitzy… I didn’t know ye had it in you.”