″I was stealing from WhoreSmasher. Didn’t realize they were part of the Bratva. Just wanted the fucker to pay. Found them on the dark web selling a kid.”
I jolt back in surprise. ”Wait, what?”
″WhoreSmasher. You understand we hackers all have tags, right? It’s like a gamer tag when you play Xbox. They were selling a sixteen-year-old for bitcoin. I waited and once the transaction went through, I stole the coin. Then I gave the money to various children’s foundations.” Sean shrugs as he pours us each a cup of coffee.
″Why didn’t you just come to me so we could figure something out?”
″Would you have helped? Because I’ve gone to Da before and he tells me to fuck off.”
″Over a kid being sold into trafficking? Sean, I would have broken down the door to the fucking Bratva to save a kid. Now you’ve gone and pissed them off, and you have no child saved to show for it. You don’t know who this WhoreSmasher is, and you’ve spent their money. How am I supposed to fix this damage?”
He chews on the corner of his bottom lip. “Shit. I was so pissed, I didn’t think about it.”
″You need to start thinking before you react. I’m not going to clean your shite up the way Da did.”
His shoulders dropped. “I’m sorry, Cal. What can I do to help?”
″Well, for starters you’re going to purchase bitcoin. However much you stole, you’re giving back. Then I need you to get a real name for this fucker. We need to find out how tied they are to the Bratva. And you’re going to house the Russian girl until we figure out what to do with her.”
Sean nods. “She’s not bad company. And her English is wonderful. Seems like the man you killed was holding her against her will. She has a husband and a child in Moscow. He brought her over to clean houses, but liked her so much he kept her.”
Darkness fills Sean’s eyes as he tells me of the woman’s past. He’s always been sympathetic towards others. It’s why I’ve never made him kill. He’d been there when I killed Liam Doyle, but he didn’t watch. He had turned his head, wincing at the screams of our sister’s attacker, while I beat his face in.
″How does she seem physically? Should I ask Haley to give her a check-up?”
″I guess it wouldn’t hurt. She does have some bruises.”
″Haley’s busy with her friend today, but I’ll see about her coming over tomorrow.”
″What’s with Vito? When does ourrealdoctor come back?”
″He came back last week.” I shrug, knowing he’s curious why I would offer to ask Haley to take a look at the prostitute over our normal doctor. “He’s getting older. Should probably look at bringing someone else on.”
Sean raises an eyebrow. “Your girlfriend though? What happens when she’s tired of you and leaves your ass?”
It’s my turn for my eyes to darken and my fists clench his countertop. Haley isn’t allowed to leave me. I may not have fucked her yet, but I’ve claimed her.
Pushing off the countertop, I adjust my tie. “She’s not getting rid of me so easily.”
″Then you better figure out how to keep her.”
I don’t need my baby brother telling me something I already know. I roll my eyes. “Get a name for me so we can get this shite under control before the Russians attack.”
″I can build some extra firewalls on our security systems, but it will do nothing if they take some firepower to the motherboard. A few gunshots to the lock systems, and they’ll be out.”
″We should call in the Italians for some manpower. I’ll get Declan on it.”
″Good idea.”
″I’ll see you,” I say, as I move to leave the apartment, pleased with how well speaking to him went.
My fists clench around my glass of whiskey as my brothers and I sit in the private room of O’Doul’s. Paddy is discussing business with the cartel, and how we can slowly cut ties with them. The family meeting after my gunshot wound had been spent agreeing we need to end our drug business and focus on legitimizing our escort and security business.
The more money we had coming in legally, the easier it would be to launder the dirty money.
″We can’t just cut it out completely. The cartel will be angry, and they may retaliate,” Declan says.
Declan interjects, “what if we allow them to sell it themselves? We’re already giving it to men outside of the Southies. We wash our hands from it and give them the contacts.”