by A. Zavarelli
“Tell us what ye have to say and then be on your way. These meetings are for the lads only.”
“Look, all I’m saying is I know this girl. She goes by Shorty on the street. Girl’s got a wicked bad asshole for a pimp. He’s keeping her son from her to keep her in line.”
“Where are ye headed with this?” I ask.
“When I saw her last, she told me that she was getting her son back. That some guy promised he was going to help her. That he’d pay off her pimp if she did what he asked. Set her up with a whole new life.”
The room falls silent, and the lads piece together the information Scarlett just tossed us. Donny must have promised to get her son back if she testified as a supposed witness. And then the feds would set her up with a new identity.
“That plan sounds like it requires an awful lot of chips to fall just right,” Michael remarks.
“Aye,” I agree. “Donny never did think things all the way through.”
“She’s scared shitless,” Scarlett says. “I just thought maybe you don’t have to kill her. Maybe you could help her get her son back instead. And send her on her way to somewhere else. I guarantee you won’t have any more problems with her if you do.”
“Ye can’t guarantee something like that,” Rory says, the irritation in his voice clear. He knows such a guarantee from Scarlett would likely put her at risk if this plan of hers ever did go south.
“I can and I will,” she says. “I know this girl. She’s had it rough, okay? She just wants out of this life. She’s grasping at whatever life vest will keep her afloat.”
The lads all look to me for an answer. Something that would have made me uncomfortable before, but now I take no issue with it. Because it isn’t just me that’s riding on this working out favorably, but Sasha and my child too. And I need to know that the man who comes home to her at the end of the day is one she can actually stomach to look at. But I also need to ensure her safety.
“We need to speak with this girl,” I say. “Then we can sort it out. Dom, you and Scarlett give Alexei the details and he will get us everything we need.”
He nods and stands up to do exactly that. Only his phone rings, and he answers it before he goes. The words are few and quiet, but the expression on his face tells me it isn’t good news he’s just received.
“We’ve got another problem,” he says when he hangs up. “Niall’s just had a massive heart attack.”
Chapter Forty-Two
Sasha
“I don’t want you to go,” I argue, though I know it’s totally unreasonable.
Ronan gives me a frustrated glance. I’m not being fair, but my anxiety is through the roof.
“I have to get this sorted,” he says. “They’re just going to have a wee chat with me, Sasha. It will be okay.”
“But what about their witness?” I ask. “They’re going to arrest you.”
“The witness is here,” Ronan answers me.
I blink at him, not sure I heard him correctly.
“Excuse me?”
“She’s downstairs.”
My stomach lurches. I don’t want to know the details. But I can’t stop myself from asking, anyway. I have to know. I have to know if he’s telling me what I think he is.
“You mean, as in…”
“Alexei is having a word with her,” Ronan explains. “That’s all. No harm will come to her so long as she cooperates.”
“Right.” I blow out a breath and wrap my arms around myself.
Jesus, this world sometimes… it’s too much. But I’m in it for good now, like it or not. It still doesn’t make it any easier to come to terms with all of these mixed emotions inside of me. I don’t want anyone to get hurt. But I also can’t allow Ronan to go to prison.
He must be able to see the confliction on my face because he walks over and pulls me against him. His palm flattens over my belly, and my pulse flutters when he examines me with a soft expression.
“I’ll do what I have to in order to protect the both of you, Sasha. And that does mean anything. But I want ye to know I’m not a monster. I’m trying to do what’s right. I’m trying to believe we can sort this out another way.”
“Can I talk to her?” I ask.
He frowns and almost immediately goes to shake his head. “This is mafia business.”
“But it isn’t just your business anymore,” I argue. “This involves me too. I want to know we can trust her. I want to protect you too.”
“I don’t need ye to protect me,” he huffs. “That’s my role, Sasha. Make no bones about that, it always will be.”
“I get that,” I say. “I really do. But just let me talk to her. Let me see for myself. Just so I can be at ease. Otherwise, I’ll be going out of my frigging mind wondering.”
Ronan quietly considers my words for several moments, his eyes searching mine. He sees the worry on my face. And I know how it is with these guys. They want to take on the burden of protecting us and never let us fret over a thing. But he needs to realize right now I’m not that kind of woman. And he better just get used to it. Because when it comes to Ronan, I’m always going to worry.
And he may not comprehend it just yet, but I think when it comes to him and what we have, I’d do anything in order to protect it too.
“I have to head on,” he says. “But Conor can take ye down to speak with her while Alexei is there. I don’t want ye speaking with her at any other time. Or getting attached.”
“I understand.” I reach up and graze his cheek with a kiss which he turns into and meets with his own lips.
When he finally pulls away, he’s even more reluctant to go. “Ye make it hard to leave you,” he says.
“Good,” I answer. “That’s the way I want it.”
I move to leave, but Ronan reaches out and grabs my arm.
“Sasha?”
“Yes?”
“You can tell her we’re keeping the dog, too.”
***
The girl in the basement isn’t what I expected.
At all.
She’s young, extremely thin, and can’t even be an inch over five feet. Judging from the way her toes are bouncing off the floor, she’s scared out of her mind.
She’s sitting in a chair with her hands folded in her lap while Alexei stares at her across the table. He isn’t speaking right now, only observing. And while I’ve only known him a short time, I’ve never seen his gaze so cold as it is right now. This right here is the mobster. The other side of the coin. These guys all have one, but his is admittedly a little scarier than some of the others.
And I don’t know whether to thank him or hate him for it. But in the end, my loyalty wins out, because I know he’s doing this to protect us. To protect Ronan. And this girl is a threat. Until she proves otherwise, she will need to be treated as such.
Her eyes fly to mine when she sees me standing in the corner of the room. Alexei turns a moment later as though he didn’t hear me come in. Conor is at my side, and he makes sure to tell him that Ronan gave me permission before he slips out the door. And then it’s just the three of us.
“I wanted to see her myself,” I explain to Alexei.
He nods and gestures at an empty seat at the table. I walk across the room and sit down, and the girl never takes her eyes from mine. She’s looking at me like I’m the one who holds her fate in her hands, though it couldn’t be farther from the truth.
“Hi,” I greet her. “I’m Sasha.”
“Hi,” she whispers.
The room is quiet for a moment, save for the harsh breaths coming from her chest. Her fingers are wrapped around each other so tightly they’re almost white. She’s so thin that at first glance, one might assume she’s a junkie. But her gray eyes are clear and I recognize the expression on her face all too well. That isn’t drugs, but stress.
“Look,” I begin. “We have a problem, you and I.”
“We do?” she swallows, her eyes darting back to Alexei.
I’ve never been i
ntimidating in my life, but right now, there’s something else taking over inside of me. Maybe it’s a mother’s protective instincts. Maybe it’s a love so fierce that it’s given me the courage to do what I never could before. Either way, I feel calm and assured with what I’m about to say. And I know now that the choice is hers.
“We do,” I answer. “Because you see, it’s my boyfriend that you’re ratting on. The father of my child.”
Her eyes well up with tears, and her body starts to shake.
“We love each other,” I tell her. “And we’d do anything to protect what we have. Do you get that?”
“I do,” she whispers. “You have no idea just how much I get that…”
“So do you still think Donny is worth all of this?” I ask. “Because let me tell you…”
“He was supposed to help me get my son,” she cries. “That’s what he said. I’m doing this for my son. That’s all. I have nothing against any of you. I just wanted to get my son back.”
I glance at Alexei, and he nods. What she’s saying is true. And a little bit of my resolve cracks. But then he throws me a bone.
“I have offered to retrieve her son for her. And Crow will send her away with what she needs to start a new life. If she should so choose.”
“Right.” I blow out a breath.
I look back at the girl, but it’s clear she doesn’t trust us. She doesn’t believe that we’ll follow through on what we’re promising her. But she can’t honestly expect us to be any worse than Donny. I can only imagine what he did to make her agree to this. He had a way of exploiting weaknesses. I’m not surprised in the least he chose to exploit hers too.
“We all have to do things we don’t like in this life,” I tell her. “I’ve had to do plenty of it. Make the hard choices. You’re going to have to do that too. And if you choose right, then you will live. That’s as simple as it can get.”
“But how do I know I’ll get my son back?” she asks. “I need more than your word to go on…”
“What choice do you have?” I ask her.
A tiny sound of defeat spills from her lips as she shakes her head and tears fall down her cheeks.
“Look, I don’t know much for certain in this life, honey,” I tell her. “But the one thing I know as sure as the sky is blue is that these guys don’t go back on their word. If they say they’ll get your son, they will get you your son. And they will walk through hell to do it. But that doesn’t come free. Nothing in this life comes free.”
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.”
Some of the lads laugh, but it doesn’t bother me in the way that it used to. I have Sasha, so they can laugh all they like.
“You’ll be running the operations here at the club,” he says. “No more foot work out on the streets. You said ye wanted more responsibility, Fitz, and this is it. This means less time in the basement. More time for you to spend with your family, which I’m sure Sasha will be happy with.”
He leans back in his chair and gives me a moment to think about it. “So, what do ye say? I really can’t do without you.”
Crow has always been there for me. Has always had my best interests in mind. Even though his focus is keeping the syndicate afloat and running, his lads never fall by the wayside. I told him I wanted to do other things. Take on more responsibility. And this is my opportunity to do so. To prove to Sasha I can be the man she needs. The man our child needs.
“Aye.” I give him my answer with a nod.
A smile cracks across his face and he slaps me on the back.
“Grand,” he says. “T
hat’s just grand, Fitzy. We’ll swear you in this evening.”
“What about Sasha?” I ask.
Crow makes a gesture to Conor who scrambles out the door to retrieve the barrister who’s still waiting outside. He comes and takes a place at the table, and we get down to business.
“Sasha.” Crow looks to him. “What do we need to do to keep her safe?”
“At this stage,” he says. “It’s best she stays wherever she is. Once all of this has blown over, she can come back. But right now they can’t use her against you if they don’t know where she is.”
I nod, because I suspected as much. But his next words catch me off guard.
“I’d also recommend you two get married, sooner rather than later,” he says. “So for future situations such as these, you have spousal privilege to fall back on.”
Crow looks to me and smirks. “Told ye to make an honest woman of her, Fitz.”
I shrug, but even I can’t hide the smile on my face this time. All of the lads are looking at me like I’ve gone mad. I doubt they’ve ever seen me smile before.
After the meeting wraps up, they filter out of the room and I stay behind with Crow. He probably suspects I want to speak with him in private. I do, but it’s not about the matter at hand like he thinks.
He pours us both another drink and then gives me his attention.
“I need a baby,” I tell him.
He’s silent for a long while, tipping back the glass in his hand and downing the liquor inside it. “I’m not sure I heard ye correctly,” he says. “In fact, I’m sure I didn’t.”
“For practice,” I explain.
Now he’s looking at me like I’ve gone mad as well.
“Don’t tell me you couldn’t do with some too,” I argue. “When’s the last time you were even around a wee baby?”
He shrugs. “I haven’t a clue, Fitz.”
“Aye.” I nod. “So find us a baby.”
Chapter Forty-Four