Page 36 of Dublin Devil
I slide to the edge of the bed, grab my boxers off the floor, and close the door behind me so Piper doesn’t wake up. In the bathroom, I take a piss and hop in the tub to take a quick shower.
I’m wrapping a towel around my hips when my cell rings. #1 Brother comes up on my screen and I grab it off the vanity. “Hey, Tag. What’s up?”
“I just got word our shipment arrived early. It’s at the docks and will be unloaded later this afternoon.”
“Okay, what do you need?”
“Well, with the McGuires gunning for us, I want to take every precaution. I need you and the Devils to oversee the unloading and escort the shipment to the factory.”
“On it. I’ll send a dozen of the boys there now and will join them shortly.”
“Where are you? At the clubhouse?”
“No. Still at the safe house.”
“Why do you sound funny?”
“No idea. I just got out of the shower.”
“Late morning. Is babysitting making you lazy? You’re not getting distracted, are you?”
I laugh. “Says the guy who’s been sneaking home for afternoons in bed with his girlfriend.”
“Caught on to that, did you?”
“Hard to miss. You’ve got a goofy ‘just got laid’ face you wear after a good workout. You’ve been wearing that face a lot lately, brother.”
He chuckles. “I didn’t know I had a tell.”
“Fuck it. Happy looks good on you. Hey, did Laine have a chance to look at that contract, giving Piper to the Russians?”
“It’s totally bogus. She’s not sure what it’ll mean to the Russians, but it won’t hold water here. If Piper were younger or had consented or lived somewhere else, it could’ve gotten messy, but as it stands, it’s a no-go.”
“Good. I didn’t think it would have any legs, but it’s good to hear.”
“Yeah. Mattie is seriously off his fucking rocker.”
“There’s nothing more dangerous than a desperate man, T. The other families have to see it, right? They must know he’s losing his grip.”
“I would love to say yes, but after the Campbells attacked me last week, I haven’t got a fucking clue.”
“Anything new on the aftermath of that?”
“Maybe. Andrew was going through the security tapes for the compound perimeter. A truck has been spotted across the road a few times and drew his notice. He’s not sure, but he thinks someone’s watching the house.”
“That could be the Campbells or the McGuires.”
“Assuming they aren’t one and the same.”
“You think they’ve made an alliance?”
“I’m not discounting it—especially after Laine and I were attacked.”
Never known for minding his own, Gareth Campbell will be pissed that Laine shot one of his boys. It was totally justifiable as self-defense, but Old Man Campbell is a sewer rat. He’s not big on facts.
“We’ve been so busy with the McGuires, we haven’t properly addressed the overt act of aggression on you two. Maybe it’s time for retribution.”
“Yeah, I’m thinking so. If Campbell isn’t with McGuire, it’ll remind him of the hierarchy of power. If he is, it’ll knock him down a peg.”