Page 32 of Explosive Union
I scoff. “How? Jade’s not the boss.” That’s never going to happen. “Besides, our father knows my stance on that. I don’t want a woman that’s in this life. I wouldn’t be able to deal with her being in danger. I’d lose my fucking mind at the thought.”
He’s silent for a beat, shaking his head. “All of them though?”
I laugh. “Denis Gallagher married Callie O’Hara. She’s the niece of Gerry Houlihan—the leader of one of the biggest gangs in Ireland. Not to mention her other uncle is Butch O’Hara—the president of the Devil Falcons Motorcycle club. The woman was a multi-millionaire before she married Denis, and since they married five years ago, they’ve expanded their businesses, which means the Gallaghers are getting richer.”
Christ just thinking about these fucking Irish and what they’ve accomplished in the past five years makes me realize that maybe our father is on the right path?
“Denis’ eldest son, Danny, married Melissa Harding. Her father is the head of the Harding gang, although right now, word is that her eldest brother, Zack, is now at the helm. Then Denis’ second son married Raylee Silver. Her father ran stables of women, not to mention ran the Silver gang from Spain. Her brothers now run the gang, not the women.”
His eyes are wide, but he’s smiling. “Of course, Finn married Destiny Carter. I never did like her father. He was a fucking suck up. The man wouldn’t know the right end of a fucking gun if he were shown it.”
I chuckle harder. “So, you see, the Gallaghers are fucking smart about who they marry. Every single person brings either an alliance or money to the table.”
His teeth clamp shut. “Son of a fuck,” he murmurs. “Who the hell has he got lined up for me?”
“No idea, but he’ll let us know once Adelina and I are married to the Irish.” I have an idea of whom our father could be trying to align with. The Carlucas are no doubt on top of that list. Being tied to one of the other five families means we’d be stronger. I was surprised when I wasn’t arranged to marry one of Don Carluca’s daughters. He has three of them.
“Want to tell me why you showed up here at the crack of dawn?” I press when he sits in silence, no doubt trying to figure out who my father has lined up for him, Dario, and Viviana.
He gets to his feet and sighs. “We’ve got a problem. Our product sales are down. The boss wants us to find out what the fuck is going on.”
I crack my neck as I move it from side to side. “Alright, give me thirty minutes and I’ll be ready,” I tell him as we step out of the home gym I have and move toward the kitchen. “Help yourself to whatever you want.”
His grin is wide and mischievous. “I always do.”
My cell rings from the pocket of my shorts, and I grit my teeth when I pull it free and see who’s calling me.
Monica.
Elio lets out a low whistle. “Damn, bro, I thought you ended things with her?”
“I did, but I’m guessing that this time I’m going to have to be a little firmer about the message.” I’m beyond fucking angry. I’d understand if we were dating, but I wasn’t the only one Monica was fucking, and she wasn’t the only one I was. It’s just our benefits lasted longer than with anyone else. Now she’s calling constantly, and I’ve had enough.
Elio grins. “So, we’ll be making a pit stop before we go to the crack den?” He rubs his hands together with glee, that glint back in his eyes. Anything with drama and Elio’s all over it. Around everyone, he’s laid back and quiet, but around me, I see the real him. The fucking childish asshole who is quick to laugh and loves to see me in a bad mood.
“Yes,” I snarl, as I move toward the bedroom. “This time I’m gonna make sure she understands.”
There’s nothing worse than repeating yourself. I have no idea why the woman is calling me, but it stops. I fire off a text, letting her know to meet me at my father’s restaurant and not to be late.
I throw my cell onto my bed as I step into my bedroom. I see Gloria has my suit laid out for today. The woman is worth her weight in gold. She’s my housekeeper, and every time Dario comes over, he begs her to work for him. The little shit has a habit of fucking his ones. Gloria is excited to meet Jade. No doubt it’s because there’ll be another woman around.
I strip out of my shorts and enter the bathroom.
I should have known today was going to be fucking shit. Nothing good comes from getting calls before eight in the morning.
* * *
Thirty minutes later and we’re walking toward my car. “Who’s running the drugs now?” I ask him, trying to remember who we appointed after we discovered the last bastard was skimming from us.
“Cashel Dawkins,” he responds, climbing into the passenger's side of my Bugatti Divo.
I roll my eyes at the name as I slide into the driver's side. “Couldn’t we find an Italian?” I start up the engine and she purrs to life.
His shoulders shake as he chuckles. “Nah, the last ass we had was Italian. The fucker had no loyalty. But Dawkins seems to have his head screwed on right. Not to mention he’s scared that Dario will deflower his little girl.”
Christ, why am I not surprised my brother made that threat?
“Fine, we’ll go find out why the sales are down once I’ve dealt with the fucking headache that is Monica.”