"You ain't exactly been a gentleman with your exes," Finn retorted. "None of us have been." He grimaced as he swiped his hand across his chin. "Fuck."
"Is now really the moment for this conversation?" Eoghan grumbled.
"Not particularly." Trust Savvie to derail things when she wasn't even in the room.
Still, I sent her a text:
Me:If you need me, let me know. I can be home in twenty.
It didn't come as a surprise that she didn't answer, but I knew from Conor's end of the call that she was at the apartment, i.e., safe, so I didn't worry too much.
"I like Savannah's idea to be honest," Conor mused. "Infiltrating the Sparrows, getting those inside men close to key members, draining the swamp from the inside out—sounds like a great plan."
Declan nodded. "Otherwise, how the hell else do we take down an organization of this size?"
"It's one thing to say that leading it is how you steer it toward an iceberg, but this ain't the Titanic, Aidan," Brennan argued.
I scowled at him. "Did I say it was?"
"No. But you ain't the type to be a savior."
"Never said I was."
Bren just arched a brow at me, and I could sense his disbelief from all the way across the room.
"You told me we were going to war for Da," Eoghan rumbled.
"And we are. But wars don't always have to be fought how he tackled them," I sniped, rubbing a hand over the back of my neck, digging my thumb into the nape where a tension headache was brewing. "I meant it when I said I wasn't about to have Da's killer be a martyr for the cause."
Eoghan pulled a face. "I don’t see no war."
"Didn't think you'd want one," Declan pointed out. "Thought you’d dealt with enough of that bullshit."
His tone was uneasy as Eoghan said, "I have but, I don't know, the ECD are... dangerous."
"Why do you think I want to lead them?"
"Clearly you're a headcase," Finn mocked.
I rolled my eyes at him. "To use the Titanic analogy, if I captain the ship, I can decide when and where it goes."
"You have no intention of unifying Ireland," Eoghan retorted.
"No, but I have every intention of bleeding Eamonn Keegan dry. I have every intention of using the ECD for our gain."
"Do you intend on eradicating the ECD at some point?"
"Eventually," I told my youngest brother. "Give me time."
"When's the first meeting?"
"Keegan said he'd introduce me to the ECD before Thanksgiving."
"Why so late?"
"Because the ECD don't get together every fucking week. The Five Points haven't gotten together this much in fucking decades. It's not unusual for a bunch of criminals to not meet up weekly for a sleepover," I snarled at him.
Eoghan raised his hands. "Calm down, Aidan. We're just pointing shit out to you. What use would we be if we only kissed your ass?"