Racer’s been my Road Captain for a couple of years now. As soon as he patched in, I knew he would be the one to take over the position. He has a good head on his shoulders, but he’s also focused. He’s a good lad.
“Grand,” I tell him. “Meet you back at the compound. And tell everyone church will start in thirty.”
We’ll need to sit down and figure this shite out. I can’t have people thinkin’ we were responsible for this blast. And we also need to keep the peace with Dublin. I know Bragan had a wife who ran off across the pond. It means I’ll have to contact Jameson and see if he has any contacts over there who might know somethin’.
Once the brothers have left, I turn to Donahue. “Find her a place. I don’t want her in my home for longer than I need to.”
“Cathal—”
“It’s Monster,” I interrupt him. Anger at the fact he’s here, at the house of the man I want dead, courses through me. “Did you know he was here all this time?” It’s no secret to him I believed Bragan killed Ma. I made it very clear what I wanted, and who I wanted. “Because if you did,” I say, pausing for a moment before I continue, “I will end you. Make no mistake about that.”
Without another word, I saunter off to my bike. I leave the priest and sergeant at the site while I pull out onto the road.
I’m still unsure of what to do about the girl. She’s going to cause shite within the club, and I don’t like it. My men may be loyal, but women are serpents. They’ll lure you in until you have no other choice but to give them what they ask for.
The rumble of my engine is the only thing that calms me down. I consider what Ma would say about the girl. She always believed I would find love. Even though I didn’t. Relationships distract. I don’t need that in my life. My brothers mean more to me than a woman. There was only one person I loved, and it was my mother.
I didn’t even love my father, which says something about the man he was. I looked up to him in certain respects, but as a man, he was a bastard. The road is busy as I weave through traffic heading west. Our clubhouse is just outside the main city centre. A place we can be ourselves.
When I pull up to the clubhouse, I offer a nod of greeting to the prospects who are busy cleaning a couple of the brothers’ bikes. Killing the engine, I head inside to find the bar already packed. Some of the brothers sit with their old ladies, while those who are single have some of the club whores on their laps.
“Church,” I call out as I stalk through the bar. I don’t stop for a drink, but I do notice the new girl sitting with Callia. I can feel her stare, her gaze on me, as I make my way to the back of the building and walk through the doors. There’s no need for me to notice her, to look at her, but I can’t help my glance from darting her way before the rest of the men enter.
She’s watching me. The moment my gaze lands on her, though, she looks away. This is going to be a problem. Each of the brothers take their seats. It’s good to see all the brothers here, safe. With the shite we’re having to deal with, I need their support. Their focus.
Once everyone has set their phones in the box, Tye, who is our resident Tech, takes it and sets it outside the meeting room. No phones allowed while we’re in here. It’s more a security measure than anything else. Also, I need the men focused.
We’re all settled before I start. “We all know about the explosion at the Bragan compound. I’m not convinced the bastard is dead,” I tell them. “Tye, I want you looking into every possible contact this fecker has. Also, let’s dig into his wife. Find out where she is and let me know. Jameson is always willin’ to help, and I think we’re going to need him in on this.”
“No problem.” Tye nods with a grin. “I’ll have info for you before dinner,” he tells me easily. He’s good at what he does. Even though he’s a youngen, I trust his expertise. I’ve watched him hack into the Garda’s network far too many times, and every time, I’m impressed.
“There are places a man like him can go,” I say before looking at every man in the room. Each of them brothers. Family. They may not be blood, but I trust them more than I would anyone else in my life.
We have been through some shite together. Each time I had a lead on who killed my mother, on finding Bragan, my brothers would be there for me. After he murdered my ma, the bastard didn’t stay in Ireland, not for long anyway, that’s for sure.
The property he ended up in may have been close by, but the mob have so many properties to hide their soldiers. We had no idea where he was, and as the leader, he was able to stay underground and never get his hands dirty. A man like him would hire people for that shite.
“Pres,” Sully says. “I cleaned up the warehouse. Found this on the body.” He pushes a metal clasp—with a shimmering emerald on the front—along the table, and it slides down to where I’m sat. I pick it up and find it looks expensive. It could be his wife’s.
“Find out if the arsehole had any family, kids.” I didn’t even think about the outcome before I killed him. They’d be better off without him anyway. At least, that’s what I tell myself.
No child should grow up in that life. They shouldn’t know violence.
I know it can’t be stopped, but if there ever was an option to save a youngen from being brought up around violence, I’d do it.
“Look into this,” I tell Rebel as I hand him the sparkly object. “I’m going to get on the phone to Jameson in New Orleans. Feckin’ time difference will put it at about midday over there, I reckon. Once his men find Bragan’s wife, we’ll have to either fly over or bring thecailínover here. One way or another, we will speak to her, and we’ll get answers. If Bragan is still alive, she’s the first person he’ll go to.”
“How do ye know?” This comes from Brute. That’s his road name. The fecker’s real name is Hades. And at times, I wonder if the bastard has come from hell itself.
“If ye were hidin’ out, ye’d go to the one person who would lie for ye.” I shake my head. “Doesn’t matter if they’re no together anymore. Safety’s what matters. And I’ve a feeling she’ll take the criminal in.”
“We also need to find out about any kin,” Racer suggests, and I nod again. He’s right.
“Aye,” I say, then look back at Tye. “Can you dig into the records and find out if they had any wee ones?”
“Will do.”
“Anythin’ else I missed?” I look at each brother, face-to-face. None of them offer up anythin’ more, which means the meetin’ is over. “That’s it,” I say, hitting the gavel on the smooth wooden surface. “Let’s drink.”