Ciarán: The O'Hanlon Family Trilogy Book One: Social Rejects Syndicate

by Theresa Sederholt

  Me: Shit is about to go down. Plan has changed. You’ll be paid double, just keep Savanna safe.

  I’m hoping she will see it and respond, but I’m not holding my breath. My next call is to a man that is known in my world only as Mr. X. I can’t trust Vinnie to complete the job, since apparently, he has his head so far up Savanna’s ass, he will never find his way out. Eevee is great, but I need to make sure my daughter is safe. He doesn’t do texting, but at least he will answer the phone. He owes me a favor and now is the time to call it in. He picks up on the first ring.

  “Who are you and what do you need?”

  “It’s Aiello. I’m calling in the favor you owe me.”

  “What are the deets?” he asks. I quickly bring him up to speed.

  “Bring my daughter home safely, that’s it. I don’t care who you leave in your wake.”

  “After this, we are even.” He doesn’t wait for an answer.

  Eevee

  No matter how long I’ve been away from my family, they will always be my family. My mom was born in New York, so we were able to hold dual citizenship with Ireland and The United States. If everything becomes exposed, the Feds can come after them. Even if they didn’t, Jason Aiello will make sure they pay. One way or another, the man always wins. The best thing I can do is help them without anyone knowing. I mean, I did tell Patrick I would reach out to a friend, but I can just say I never heard back from him.

  Jian saved my life. He scrubbed everything about me and has kept my secret all these years. When someone says I trust him with my life, I literately did. It’s a seven-hour time difference from here to Japan, so right about now he’s having his first energy drink of the day. I have his number stored in my head. It’s the only place he agreed to. I dial it up and it rings about a dozen times before it disconnects. We have a system, so I wait five minutes and call back. He picks up right away.

  “Hey, beautiful, what’s wrong?” his usual greeting. I quickly give him the lowdown on what is going on. “That’s some ballsy fucked up shit, but it’s also very cool. So, you want me to undo whatever this character Dax did, basically giving everyone a do over.”

  “When you put it like that, it doesn’t sound so bad.”

  “You know by the time people get to me, it’s never good. Tell me everything you know about Dax Sullivan.”

  “Do you want me to forward you the email from Jason Aiello?” I can hear him choking.

  “Have you lost your ever-loving fucking mind, Eevee?! How many times did I tell you—never keep anything! NO. Paper. Trail—ever! I’m going into your account now and wiping everything out. I don’t know how many times I need to tell you; if you plan on staying safe no one must know where you are.”

  He puts the phone down, but I can still hear him slamming away at his keyboard. Jian knows everything. He created a whole new life for me to keep my secrets. Now I hope my lax of judgement doesn’t cost me everything.

  “Okay, I cleared out everything. I took what I needed. Eevee, pull this shit again and I’m taking away your computer. I’m going to work on the Dax shit today. I’ll let you know what happens. In the meantime, get some rest.”

  “Are you sure everyone is safe?” I hold my breath waiting for his reply.

  “Eevee, what does my name mean?”

  “Jian means strong or indefatigable. You are unshaken by any situation.”

  “Good, that’s your answer. Now get some sleep.”

  Just like that, he’s gone. It used to drive me crazy when he would toot his own horn, that is until I needed him. Now, I toot it for him.

  Ciarán

  I hate waiting on everyone and anything. I’ve been this way my whole life and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. I got to the airport early, hoping she would be waiting for me—she’s not. They begin the boarding process, and still nothing. I hang back, hoping she will show up. I finally give up and board. The flight attendant is manning the door, getting ready to close it when she steps back and welcomes two more people on board. Savanna and a guy who has all the making of a bodyguard. She takes the seat next to me while her friend takes the seat behind us.

  “I didn’t think you were coming.”

  “Honestly, I wasn’t sure myself. I almost chickened out two times. Ciarán, I need to have my say. After that, you can do whatever you want with him,” she offers. I give her my whatever you say sneer and look away. Like I need her permission to do what I want with him.

  “I suggest you get some sleep, Savanna; it’s a very long flight.” She smiles, leans into me and closes her eyes. I glance back at her bodyguard and he’s out cold. I hold my phone up, flip my camera and take a picture of both of them. Insurance for later.

  I begin to rummage through the seat back pocket looking for information on how to use my cell service in flight. It’s amazing all the shit they give first class. I find a blanket that is sealed in a small bag. When I open it up all the way, it’s much bigger than I thought. I cover Savanna with it. For some reason, this girl has me thinking some crazy ass shit. I shrug it off and go back to what I was doing. I need to text Patrick and let him know what’s going on.

  Me: I’m in flight. Savanna is with me, along with a bodyguard.

  I quickly add the pictures for safe keeping. Plus, Patrick knows all the players.

  Patrick: Oh, that’s Vinnie Rizzo. He is Aiello’s right-hand man. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is coming with her under the guise of protecting her, when in essence, he’s probably going to whack Dax.

  Me: That’s why I’m giving you a heads up. Get in touch with Ronan and have him stash Dax at the rectory

  Patrick: That ought to be interesting. When can I expect you?

  Me: We have about another six hours.

  Patrick: I’ll be ready for you. Have a safe flight.

  Patrick

  Any thoughts I had of sleep last night eluded me. I don’t know how he did it, but I’m glad Ciarán was able to bring her here. Now I need to figure out what to tell Eevee. Will she think we are crazy going forward with this plan? At the end of the day, she is family, and she knows family always comes first. That’s it, decision made—I’m going to tell her the truth.

  As I head toward the kitchen, I see a box sitting on top of the hall credenza. That’s the landing zone for all the mail. Upon further investigation, it’s from some candle store in Vegas, and it’s addressed to Eevee. I’ll never understand why woman waste their money on all this shit. I head into the kitchen and find them both sitting there having coffee while reading the paper. On the outside, this all looks very normal, but I know it’s not. I don’t know what happened from yesterday to today, but Dax is cold as ice and Eevee is in the “I’m just going to ignore everyone” stage. Hey, at least I’m keeping them apart. I don’t know, how but I am.

  “Eevee, a box came for you. It’s on the credenza in the hallway.” I grab a cup of coffee and when I turn around, she’s gone. “Dax, what are your plans for today?”

  “Look, Patrick, you don’t have to babysit me. You can see by your sister’s attitude that she wants nothing to do with me. Feel free to go do whatever it is you do all day. I’ll be here doing some work. I might be in hiding but my work doesn’t stop.” He folds up his paper, tossing it on the table. He gets up and heads back to his room. I can’t wait for Ciarán to take over as babysitter. If the plan is going to work, I need to bring Ronan on board. I never call him. First, I hate talking on the phone and second, I never know what he is up to. I’ll shoot him a text.

  Me: Hey I need to go over some stuff with you. You know, family stuff. When can you be at the house?

  Ronan: Confession is from four to five. I can leave after that and head home. Is everything okay?

  Me: Get here as soon as you can, so I can bring you up to speed.

  Ronan: Very cryptic, bro, but I’ll be there.

  While I have to wait for Ronan, I might as well use my time wisely. I decide to have another conversation with my sister. Her door is partially cl
osed, so I knock and head in. She is startled and quickly slams her laptop closed.

  “Can we talk, Eevee?” She quickly pushes her blanket over the box as if she was trying to be subtle it—didn’t work.

  “What could we possibly have to talk about?”

  “Were you able to reach your friend?” Her entire body stiffens to the point of total uneasiness.

  “I told you I would let you know if I hear anything.”

  “Okay, just thought I would ask. Ciarán is on his way back home. Oh, and Ronan is coming by after mass,” I inform her.

  She rolls her eyes. “Does life get any better than this?”

  “No reason to get snarky, Eevee. After all, we are all family: good, bad, or otherwise.”

  “Thanks for the reminder. I’ll be downstairs later.”

  “Oh, and before I forget, Ciarán is bringing Savanna and a bodyguard with him.”

  She huffs, gets up and practically pushes me out the door, locking it behind her.

  Eevee

  Patrick is the worst when it comes to snooping, which is exactly what he was doing. I think I got the box covered in time. I dig around under the blanket and find it. I always wanted to try an obsidian scalpel. I hold it up in the sunlight and marvel as the light glistens off the blade. Unless Jian can figure a way out of this mess, I’ll have no choice but to carry through with the contract. More than my life is at stake if I don’t. I put the blade back in the box and hide it in a hidden panel in my closet. Now, I need to get some rest before everyone gets here.

  Ronan

  “Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. It’s been eight weeks since my last confession. Here are my sins.” He begins a long list of his transgressions against God. His voice is so deep and raspy that I have to lean in to hear him. They are typical sins until he gets to the part where he confesses a murder.

  “Do you realize you broke one of the most sacred of the ten commandments?”

  “Well, Father, that’s not the only one. They were written so long ago, I don’t think they mean the same thing today, otherwise, they wouldn’t be so easy to break.”

  “Do you ever wonder if everyone thought like you what this world would be like?” I question. I can hear his low laugh.

  “Well, Father, you would be very busy. When I confess to you, it’s like lifting a very heavy weight off of my shoulders. Knowing I can tell you anything and you can’t say a word to anyone is better than any therapist,” he confides. It sinks into me that he is using his confession to take the burden off of him and transfer it to me. On top of that, I can tell from his accent that he is not one of my regular parishioners. I try to peer through the wooden screen, but he looks like a shadow.

  “If everyone used the confessional like you do, it would be a very heavy weight for me to bear. Have you thought about that?”

  “Not really, but if you can’t take it, then you might want to look for another job.”

  I don’t like to believe it but there are some people that don’t want redemption, they just want a clear conscience. They don’t want to atone for their sins. They do their penance and go home like nothing ever happened. Clearly, this man is one of them. He’s no different than my own sister Eevee. She is carrying around a huge chip on her shoulder, most of it being directed towards me. I really wish I knew why.

  “Are you here on vacation or might you be moving to the area?”

  “You are very observant, Father. I’m in town on business for a few days. The outcome of my business will determine where I go next. Maybe during that time, you might start looking for that other job we talked about.” His laughter is a little bit more robust.

  “Well, I’m not changing my job, but I’m also not making it easy on you. You have to say twenty-six Hail Mary’s, ten Our Father’s. Now you can say The Act of Contrition.”

  He thanks me before he says his prayer and leaves the confessional. I get up and check outside to try and get a look at him but all I catch is the back of a well-dressed man in a suit as he’s going out the front door. I look around for any last minute straggler, however, the church is empty. I close up and head home to see what kind of craziness awaits me there.

  Ciarán

  I’ve spent a good part of this plane ride staring at Savanna. She looks like an angel. Her bodyguard spent his whole time snoring. I wouldn’t want him to be protecting anyone I care about. The blanket slides down. I instantly reach for it. Her eyes open and focus on me. She gives me a yearning look as she parts her lips. Oh, hell no, lady, you are barking up the wrong tree.

  “We should be landing soon. Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

  “Ready for a chance to have my say? Hell yeah. I don’t know if I’ll ever have this opportunity again.” She shifts in her seat. Hopefully, all my hard work will pay off.

  “Have you thought at all about how you are going to handle all of this?”

  “Well, I know I’m not going to go in guns-a-blazing, if that’s what you’re asking. I’m an adult, and I want answers. I’m glad I found out before we got married that he is nothing but a spineless bastard.”

  “Do you think you’ll ever forgive him?” I’m trying to act like I’m full of passion and believe in true love. The only thing I’m full of is an abundance of bullshit.

  “Ciarán, forgive him?! I’m not here to forgive him. I’m here for answers. I don’t know what your angle is, but my dad promised me that nothing will happen to Dax until I get my answers.”

  “Well, buckle up, sweetheart, we are getting ready to land.”

  Ronan

  I was expecting crazy. On the contrary, what I got was Patrick sitting by the fire with a beer in his hand. No sign of Dax or Eevee. Maybe Patrick wanted it this way. I grab a beer and take a seat in the chair next to him. He turns his head, nods before turning back towards the fire. We both staring into nothingness.

  “Patrick, I don’t think you called me here to sit by the fire and enjoy a beer. What’s the problem?”

  “You know Ciarán and I try to keep you out of the family business, but this time we weren’t able to. There are way too many players and if this shit comes back to bite us in the ass, I don’t want you to be blindsided.” His statement was a little more than I was prepared for. I take a deep breath and get ready for what he is about to throw at me.

  “You know what Dax did for Dad. Well, Ciarán used that program to build up the laundering side of the business.”

  I hold up my hand to stop him before he goes any further. “I already know this; are you looking for absolution?” He looks at me but then quickly turns away.

  “You might want to hold that thought until I finish.” He quickly explains the hit that’s on Dax, the fact that they think Eevee was the one hired to do the hit, and the icing on the cake—Dax’s insurance policy.

  “So, you and Ciarán will be exposed. Maybe this is just what this family needs.” I shrug lightly. He’s looking at me like I’m pulling leprechauns out my ass.

  “Ronan, you’d be exposed too, along with our biggest client.”

  “Why the hell would I be exposed?”

  “The business is in all of our names. Well, everyone except Eevee.”

  I’m letting it all sink in when something he said hits me. “You said your biggest client, who is that?”

  “The Catholic Church. Every Thursday they wire in the money. Every Saturday we wire the money out, minus our commission, of course.”

  The reality of the situation, or should I say our situation sinks in. “All of this puts me in a very bad light. Who is his contact at the church? Maybe I can talk to him and work something out.”

  “He is high up in the Vatican.” He looks away and that’s when I know it’s towards the top or possibly the Pope himself.

  “Where is Ciarán now?”

  “Well, here is where it gets dicey, at best. Ciarán and I came up with a brilliant plan. Ciarán went to Vegas to convince Savanna to come home with him. She thinks she is coming here to have her sa
y with Dax. That might be her plan but not ours. This is where you come in. We need you to marry them. It doesn’t have to be real, they just have to think that it is. Once the deed is done, Aiello won’t mess with his daughter’s happiness. He will have to call off the hit.”

  I damn near fall out of my chair. “How deep are you going to keep digging before you realize you need to stop? You can’t force people to get married and you can’t expect me to perform a fake wedding for your benefit!”

  “Might I remind you it’s for all our benefit.”

  I get up and put my bottle on the coffee table. “Patrick, doing something wrong for the right reason doesn’t make it right no matter how you spin it. When you’re standing before St. Peter, trying to gain access through the pearly gates, wrong will still be wrong. You will always remain on the outside looking in.”

  “I guess now is not the time to ask you stash Dax at the church?”

  I don’t answer; I turn and walk out. I need to figure out a way out of this mess.

  Ciarán

  The long-ass flight was made even longer due to computer issues when we got to customs. Add to that Savanna and Vinnie not being residents; they have to go to a different area for clearance. When we finally got out of the airport, we had to wait on Vinnie to meet up with one of his contacts. He probably had to get a piece, since he couldn’t take one with him.

  “Savanna, I made reservations at The Merrion Hotel for you. I’ll drop you off on my way home.” At this information, she glares at me. I’m not taking her right home with me, no matter what look she gives me. I need to see what condition everyone is in first.