Page 40 of Blood in the Water
The wind carried their laughter out over the water.
21
Nolan sat at the table in his room at the Crowne Plaza, hair damp from the shower, and reviewed the names of Seamus’s men given to him by Christophe. Will had an identical list, but they’d decided to go over it separately, record their impressions, then compare notes to prevent them from coloring each other’s opinions.
He created a reply to the encrypted email listing the names and made notes next to each name, leaving blank the men he didn’t know. Below the names was a list of the locations the Syndicate planned to target in phase two. Nolan would provide detailed descriptions once he was done with the names.
After they’d finished their conversation, Christophe had introduced Nolan and Will to the men in the other room. There were ten of them, all with guarded eyes and enough brute strength to kill twenty men with their bare hands.
Nolan had felt moderately better about their chances when he’d left the room. According to Farrell, the men congregating around the weaponry were only a fraction ofthe Syndicate’s on-the-ground resources. If the situation deteriorated, they would call in more men.
He’d been impressed to learn that all the Syndicate’s soldiers were required to train not only in various weapons proficiency, but in hand-to-hand combat and some form of martial arts as well, a compromise to hear Farrell tell it, between the differing methodologies preferred by the leaders of the Syndicate.
Nolan had talked more with Luca — he’d once been Nico Vitale’s underboss and had only reluctantly taken over the Miami territory after a war with a Columbian drug lord there — and had come away with respect for his strong and silent demeanor.
He leaned back in the desk chair and replayed the events of the day. His interaction with Luca and the Syndicate’s foot soldiers had expanded his understanding of their operation. It was impossible not to compare it — lean, modern, ruthless — with that of Seamus’s, which seemed chaotic in comparison. If it weren’t for Baren Maguire, Oz, and the other IRA soldiers imported from Ireland, Nolan would have given the edge to the Syndicate in a heartbeat.
But there was something to be said for chaos. It meant the Syndicate couldn’t be sure what Seamus and Baren would do next, and that meant an element of uncertainty that Nolan didn’t like. It wasn’t a good model for long-term success, but it made it impossible to discount them.
He was surprised when his phone rang — he’d already checked in with Bridget after dinner — until he saw the name on the display.
He sighed, picked it up, and hit the speaker button. “Hi, Mom.”
“It’s unbecoming to avoid your mother at your age, Nolan.” Her voice was tinny and clipped.
“I’m not avoiding you,” he said. “I’ve just been busy.”
“Busy with your leave of absence?”
“Yes.” He wasn’t taking her bait. Not this time. He didn’t have the time or the energy for it. “What’s up?”
“I’d like to see you,” she said. “I have something important to discuss.”
“What’s it about?” he asked.
“It’s about the woman you were seeing some time ago — Bridget Monaghan.”
A wave of anger washed over him. “I’m not talking to you about Bridget.”
“I think you’ll want to hear what I have to say.”
“Somehow I doubt that.” He had no idea how his mother might have found out he was seeing Bridget again — her eyes and ears were far-reaching thanks to her family’s long-standing position in high society, her role on multiple charitable boards, and Harrison’s political contacts — but he could imagine the conversation.
He’d heard it all before: she was a nice girl, but wouldn’t he prefer someone with a proper (Ivy League) education? Someone with a complimentary background (someone like him with a last name everyone recognized)? Someone with career aspirations (plans to add more money and prestige to the family coffers)?
She sighed. “Now you’re just being stubborn, Nolan. Is it too much to ask for a conversation with my only son about his future?”
“I’m busy with a freelance project right now,” he said.
“When you’re done then.”
“Yes, fine. I’ll call you.”
“I won’t be put off this time, Nolan. This is an important discussion for us to have, however much you may not want to have it.”
“I’ll call you when some time frees up, Mother. Talk soon.”
He felt guilty hanging up. He hadn’t asked her about herself, about Harrison. In fact, his mother’s day-to-day life was a mystery to him. He assumed she spent her time the way she always had — attending committee meetings and lunches, shopping, managing the house and staff on Beacon Hill.