Liam (The O’Sheas Fitheach #3)

CHAPTER 12

LIAM

Halloween came and went quickly. Sera stepped up and got her team to train Adam’s crew. They were flying through the backlog of jobs, and Adam had already started to fill the books for the next year.

Sera and I’d settled into a routine like she’d always been part of our lives. Her girls would be moving into their own places this weekend, and I wondered how she would feel once they weren’t on her doorstep anymore. Not that they were moving far; they were less than five minutes from the office and twenty minutes from our home.

All three clubs were doing well, and we were fast approaching December and the busy party time. Both nightclub VIP sections were fully booked every night we were open from the first week of December until the New Year. Life would be perfect if it weren’t for the annoying thefts that were still happening. Knowing there was nothing I could do about it, I turned to the order list that my manager had given me.

I’m deeply entrenched in numbers when my office door bangs open and Evie comes barrelling in, shouting excitedly, “I’ve figured it out.”

Glad for the interruption—anything to get me away from the tedium of numbers that weren’t adding up—I look up and have to smile because Evie is bouncing around like a kid who couldn’t wait to tell you a secret, and as I’d known they would, the rest of them follow her in, including my queen, who wastes no time in sauntering over to me. Knowing what she wants, I push away from my desk to make room for her. Wrapping my arm around her, I wait for her to settle back against me before asking Evie, “What did you find, deirfiúr bheag?”

Evie’s head jerks towards me and then to Billie, who is grinning.

“What did he call me? Is he swearing at me in Irish?” she asks suspiciously before turning back to me.

I’m silently laughing at her but hold it in, waiting for Billie to explain.

“No, you idiot, he called you ‘little sister.’ You should know by now that Liam would never bad-mouth us. I’ll call you a bad name, though, if it will make you feel better,” Billie smirks at her.

Evie turns towards Sera and me, her eyes a little teary. “Aw, you called me sister,” she says, then narrows her eyes at me. “That doesn’t mean you can tease me relentlessly, though, because unlike most other women, I’m deadly and won’t take that shit lying down.”

The laughter I’d been holding in bursts free. I lay my forehead against Sera’s back. When I have myself under control, I look up to find Evie still watching me, her arms folded.

“I’ve no intention of teasing you, Evie, or any of you,” I tell them. “All it means is that I have a bunch of sisters that I never expected, and that they can look after themselves is a bonus. It’s one less thing for me to worry about.” Knowing I have to get them back on track, I say, “We’ll do a welcome-to-the-family celebration another night. You were going to tell me you figured it out? What have you figured out?”

Evie relaxes, and then her eyes widen in excitement, “Oh yeah. I’ve figured out how you’re losing money. And can I please, please have fun with them? As an honorary O’Shea sister, I feel like I should be able to issue a beat down.”

“Depends on who they are,” I tell her. “If they are family of one of our crew, they’ll be dealt with by their family; if they aren’t, then I don’t see why not. Who is it and how are they doing it?”

“I’ll show you,” JoJo states, going to the monitors. She finds what she’s looking for and takes stills. Gripping Sera’s hips, I move her from my lap so that I can get up and get a closer look.

“Good news for you, Evie, they aren’t family,” I tell her, turning away from the screen. Folding my arms across my chest, I lean back against the desk and cross my feet. “How are they doing it?”

“It’s pretty simple, really, and clever. First, they never work on the same night in the same club, and that’s why it always looked random and probably why you didn’t pick it up that easily. We’d probably still be stumped, but for some reason, they’re both working tonight, and we decided it would be a good night to check the clubs out.” She waves a hand. “Anyway, that’s neither here nor there. How they’re doing it—it’s so fucking simple, for fuck’s sake.

“First, they only target big groups that pay cash, not card. They take their order and get it filled; that order is paid for as it should be.

“Then, about ten minutes later, they tell the bartender there’s an issue with the drinks and since you guys have a policy to replace one order if there’s a complaint, it’s pretty easy for them to pick up the exact same order, deliver it to the table, and they just tell the table that an order was placed again, and because everyone is having a good time, they pay for it. But the money for that order never gets to the till; it gets pocketed. Pretty smart.

“They also don’t seem to do it more than two or three times a night and always to different groups, so nobody catches on. It’s only because I overheard a conversation in the staff bathroom that I realised what they were doing. Once we knew what to watch for, it was easy to see how they were doing it.”

“Fuck, that is easy. Looks like we’ll be overhauling some of our policies, it seems,” I mutter, running a frustrated hand down my face. “What do you girls want to do? You can’t kill them for something like this, but if you want to make an example out of them, I’m happy with that.”

“What about the cops?” Billie asks. “Will we have issues if they run to the cops?”

“Nah, we have friendlies in the local force; it won’t be an issue. Plus,” Liam smirks, “as far as I’m aware, you were all here the whole night? We have video to prove it.”

“We certainly do,” JoJo agrees. “I’ll make sure of it. You girls pick them up and have fun.”

“Where are we taking them?” Ange wants to know.

I hold up a finger and take my phone from my pocket. “Give me a minute,” I tell her.

Not leaving the office because there’s no need to, I trust these women with my life. Adam answers, and I immediately tell him what I need. “Adam, the girls need The Hole; can you have your crew ready it for them? They’ve found the thieves.”

I go quiet as Adam fumes, “Thieves, Liam, not just a thief. Thieves. What the fuck? Who is it?”

“Yeah, brother, you heard me—thieves. And they’re women, which is why Sera and her girls’ squad will be taking care of them.”

“Jesus, Liam, are you sure that’s a good idea? I have a feeling the girls could be ruthless. Do we need to take it that far? Don’t you think firing them will be enough?”

A surge of anger fills me; it wasn’t often that Adam and I butted heads, but he also didn’t have the responsibility of keeping our town clean and safe, even if we were no longer running guns. It seemed that I was constantly having to push back against those who wanted in. Maybe it was time I let Adam and Johnny know how many gangs and crews wanted in on our territory. I’d not spent years bleeding to keep this town clean for some other fucking crew thinking they could come in just because we no longer worked outside the law. Fuck that!

My frustration must have come through in my voice, or maybe it was the way I’d tensed at Adam’s words because Sera walks over and leans her shoulder against mine, her ear close enough to my phone to be able to hear.

“No, Adam, I don’t fucking think I’m being harsh in having the girls deal with them. They’ve stolen close to a hundred grand from us.

“I’ll not have the O’Sheas coming across as weak. We may no longer be running guns, but that doesn’t mean we don’t own this town. I’ll not have anyone come in here and think they can steal from us and not face consequences. We may not touch women, but the girls don’t have that problem. Now, if you don’t want to be involved, that’s fine with me, I’ll take care of it. I don’t need your help. This was a courtesy call as The Hole is usually your domain.”

Anger thrums through me, and I grind my teeth in frustration. Closing my eyes, I press my fingers to the bridge of my nose; Sera hasn’t moved, and I appreciate that the girls are quiet while I get my temper under control. When I feel like I can talk without snapping, I lift my head. Looking at Evie, I tell her, “Pick them up and take them to the property. Sera and I will follow, and I’ll show you to The Hole. JoJo, if I could ask you to handle the club, I’d appreciate it. I’ll have Colin come and give you a hand; unfortunately, my manager is away tonight, or I’d call him in.”

JoJo waves her hand at me as if it weren’t a big deal and it probably wasn’t to her. In the short time I’d known her, she’d shown us how organised she could be; added to the fact that she knew how to take care of herself and that she knew things that only those who had worked in the underground would know had me wondering about her. But I respected her need for privacy. I’d be patient and wait until she felt comfortable enough to let me know about her past.

“It’s no problem, Liam, I can sort this with my eyes closed. No need to wake Colin. I’ll be good.”

I’d still send Colin to her, though, sending a quick text message to him to get his arse to the club.

“Thanks, JoJo,” I say, standing up from where I’d been leaning against the desk. “If you girls want to go and get them, Sera and I’ll meet you back at the property. I appreciate you girls having my back.”

“Eh,” Billie grins, “we Irish like to stick together. As for the rest of the girls, well, they’ve been a little bored, so this will be a nice bit of fun for them.”

Evie and Ange nod in agreement at Billie’s words.

“Yep, I’m pretty excited to cause some mayhem. Come on, girls, let’s evict these two. Nobody messes with our family,” Evie directs Ange and Billie.

With those words, the three of them leave. Going to my desk, I pick up my keys and grab my jacket, turning towards Sera, who is waiting for me at the door. So far, she’d been quiet, and I wondered what was going through her head; she didn’t look upset or worried, though.

We’re just about to leave when JoJo calls my name, “Liam.”

Turning towards her, my eyebrows raise in question, thinking that she may need clarification on something. It wasn’t clarification, but her words surprise me.

“If you ever get pushed by anybody from the Wise organisation or their allies, you let me know, okay? I’ll handle it.”

Surprise shot through me, and Sera makes a choked sound. The Wise organisation was one of the biggest underground organisations around, known mostly for being loan sharks; they did have their fingers in many other pies, though. It was then that I remembered her surname was Wise, and I realised exactly who she was.

“I appreciate that, JoJo; I won’t take advantage, though.”

JoJo smiles, and for the first time, I could see why she’d been the most feared woman in the underground until she’d disappeared after her husband had died of a terminal illness, leaving the organisation to be run by his brothers.

“I know,” she replies. “It’s why I offered. You keep treating my girl like the queen she is and giving my sister and the squad what they need while still living good lives, and I’ll do everything in my power to ensure this town stays clean. And my power is considerable, even if I’m retired. To protect family, I’ll come out of retirement if I have to. Now off you go because the girls have just loaded your thieves into the van.”

With those words, she swings her chair back towards the monitors, basically dismissing us.

I had to chuckle at being dismissed from my own office, but in a way, I was grateful because having JoJo Wise at my back was no small feat.

“Fuck,” I say softly as Sera and I walk down the passageway. “Did you know?” I ask Sera.

“Of course,” Sera replies. “Bryson was at school with us. JoJo and he were together from the age of fourteen, much to his dad’s disgust. He didn’t like that Bry had made his choice so early without first sampling other wares, as he put it.” Sera rolled her eyes and shuddered. “His dad is a real dick. They never let it bother the two of them. The rest of his family love JoJo, and they couldn’t have asked for a better woman for him because once his dad retired, the two of them built themselves an empire. JoJo is seriously smart when it comes to business. When Bryson got sick and they realised he'd not make it, the two of them ensured that his younger brothers were capable of running it. JoJo is still on hand if they need her, but when Bry died, she decided to retire. That’s not to say she’s not still got power, though, because she does.”

“Jesus,” I retort as we reach the back door of the club. “Fate really knew what she was doing when she sent you all this way, didn’t she?”

“Yep,” Sera agrees, walking towards her bike, and I follow her to mine. We’d taken to riding together when we could. “I’m warning you now, Liam, I’m not happy with the way Adam spoke to you. And neither will the girls be, especially knowing that you never put yourself first. If he doesn’t apologise when we get home, he and I are going to have words. I don’t care if he’s your brother or not because I know you had his back when Tilly had her issues.”

My heart warmed at her words, although I knew that Adam and I would be okay. I understood where he was coming from, and it wasn’t all his fault. I’d been protecting them for so long, and I shouldn’t have. We worked better as a team. I knew that when we got home, Adam would apologise; he’d have done it immediately if I hadn’t been so angry and put the phone down.

And I was right; Adam was waiting for us in the garage where we parked when we got home. I’d no sooner taken my helmet off than he was apologising. “I’m sorry, Liam, you’re right. But, brother, you need to stop protecting me and Johnny. You have to let us know if you’re getting pressure. We work better as a team and I’m happy to pound heads if I need to.”

Getting off my bike, I held back a laugh at Sera’s slight huff. Walking towards Adam, I pulled him into a hug, pounding a hand on his back.

“I know, Adam, and thanks for the apology. I’ll let you and Johnny know from now on. I’m sorry I haven’t; some things are hard to let go of.”

“I get you,” Adam replies, and out of all my brothers, he’d probably be the one that understood the most, as we’d lived the most violent lives out of all of us. Softer, he asks, “Do I need to worry about your queen? She’s looking at me like she wants to gut me.”

Chuckling, I pushed him away, holding my hand out to Sera to take, “No, you’ve apologised, so all’s good.”

Adam had her softening further when he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and bussed a kiss along her cheek, “Thanks for looking out for him, Se.”

Her shoulders slumped slightly, “Well, fuck, now I can’t kick your arse because I promised if you apologised I wouldn’t.” Then she straightened her shoulders to look Adam in the eye before continuing, “But Adam, I’m warning you now, don’t ever disrespect Liam like that again. I understand siblings argue and shit like that, but when it comes to business like this, you always have his back. Liam calls me his queen, but what you have to realise is that he’s my king and will always come first for me, even before my girls. You’d best let the rest of your crew know that Liam and I come as a team and I’m more than capable to kick arse if I need to.”

Her words had me hard as a rock, knowing that she felt the same way about me as I did about her.

Adam nods, taking her at her word, “I know, Sera, you’re right, which is why I apologised. I’m happy to know Liam has you behind him, ready to kick arse if needed. How we all managed to find women that slot into our family like you all have, I’ll never know, but I’m not going to knock a gift like we’ve been given in any way. We’re lucky fuckers and we know it.”

“I’m glad you know it,” Sera retorts with a smile.

I was glad that she wasn’t the type to hold a grudge; as far as she was concerned, now that Adam had apologised for what she saw as a slight, all was good.

Adam hugged her, then let her go with a soft laugh, saying, “Come on, your girls are here already. I had my crew show them the way to The Hole. I don’t think I’ve ever had it oohed and aahed over, though. I left them to get our guests comfortable.”

The three of us made the short trip to The Hole and descended the stairs to find the girls had already started on their guests. The look on Sera’s face as she looked around had me and Adam exchanging amused looks. Johnny and Adam’s closest crew were leaning up against the wall, watching the girls with slightly raised brows but also hints of admiration.

Adam and I joined them. Sera wandered around, taking everything in while the other three worked our thieves over; they were pretty casual about it, and I wondered how they’d all ended up like this, so casual about violence. Sera finished looking over everything, walked over to me and leant up against my chest. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pulled her close, widening my stance so that she fit perfectly against me.

“What type of background do your girls come from, a stór, ” I whisper softly in her ear, making her shiver slightly.

Sera gave a small laugh, tilting her head back to whisper in my ear, “Billie and Ange’s dads were enforcers in the Wise organisation, and Evie and JoJo’s dad was the accountant for them. I’m the only one that didn’t have any ties to the organisation. My childhood was nothing like theirs. But their parents didn’t want them to get too deeply entrenched. I don’t think they ever thought they’d follow me into the military, though. It always amused me that two of them became medics, but I guess knowing the best places to kill a person helps you save them too.”

“They’re efficient, I’ll give them that,” Johnny says with a hint of admiration in his tone.

“Fuck, aren’t they just,” Lou groans quietly. “Is it wrong that I’m getting hard watching them?”

Adam leans over and slaps the back of his head, glaring at Lou, “Yes, it is. They’re my fucking sisters.”

“Sorry, boss,” Lou replies, discreetly adjusting himself, “but fuck, where were they when we were running guns?”

“Serving our country,” Sera tells him dryly. Turning my head, I press my lips to her temple.

“And we thank you for that, mo bhanríon,” I tell her, proud of all of them.

“Can I just ask why they’ve left their faces alone?” Lee queries in a puzzled tone.

It was Evie who answers him, “This way they’re hurting but can still go out without anyone wondering what happened to them. Not that these two will have to worry about that because they’ll be leaving town tonight.” Evie kicks the chair one of them was tied to, “Won’t you?”

“We’ll leave, just please, no more.”

Billie squats in front of her and tilts her head back with the knife she holds, her brogue thick as she says, “See, now I’m not sure I believe you,” she tuts. “You stole from our brothers, and we don’t like that. Now you’re lucky that Liam is kind and doesn’t want us to kill you. Me,” Billie shrugs casually, “I think that’s a mistake. I’d not let you go, but he’s the boss. I’d remember this, though. If you ever come for them again or even try something like this, we,” she waves her knife around to Evie and Ange, “won’t be so lenient. Nod if you understand.”

They both nod frantically, snot and tears running down their faces; both had pissed themselves, and one had thrown up.

Ange wrinkles her nose a little at them. Turning towards us, she asks, “Is there a hose? There’s no way I’m riding with them in the car smelling like this.”

I didn’t blame them; they were pretty rank.

“I’ll get it for you,” Lee replies, walking over to the wall and pulling the hose out, uncoiling it and connecting it to the tap. They were just about to start hosing when we heard the knock to gain entry. We all exchanged looks; Sera straightened when I did. It was Adam who went to the door, and a few minutes later, he was coming back down with Colin following him.

Colin walks straight up to me with paperwork in his hand that he hands me, “JoJo said to get them to sign this before you got rid of them.”

“What is it?” I ask.

Colin shrugs, “Not a hundred percent sure, but she said you knew her background and that she’d take care of you.” His tone indicated his curiosity, but he’d not get that curiosity satisfied by me. I did notice that Evie, Ange, and Billie exchanged looks and relaxed slightly.

“Oh and,” Colin turns towards Evie, handing her something, “JoJo said you’d know what to do with this and if they didn’t sign to kill them and she’d take care of it.”

There was an intake of breath from every person in that room except for the girls. Evie nodded and held up a ring with a clear W on it. Her eyebrows rose in query when she looked at me, “You good with this, Liam?”

“I am,” I agreed, scanning the papers I’d been handed. “When you’re done doing whatever she wants you to, then you, Ange, and Billie are to take them to Brayden and Seth; they’re expecting them.”

“Ooo, JoJo’s mad,” Evie claps. “You girls really fucked up, huh? You’re going to wish you’d never laid eyes on the O’Sheas, and you are definitely going to wish you’d not pissed off JoJo Wise. She’s feral when it comes to those she considers family. Billie, pass me the torch and those heatproof gloves; we’re going to have us a little branding party now.”

“What?! No! Why?!” one of the girls stutters before turning those eyes to me, “Liam, please, we’re sorry, okay?”

“I’m sure you are,” I reply, “but only because you got caught. Before the girls continue, I’d like to know why, though. I pay good wages, treat my staff well, and if you’d needed money, you all know that my door is open. You’ve worked for me for nearly two years and stolen close to a hundred thousand, and I’d like to know why.”

“Because we could,” she replies. “We knew you were no longer running guns and had gotten soft. At least that’s what our brother said. He wanted to see how far he could push so he can take over this town as part of his territory.”

“Uh huh, and who is your brother?” I ask, relaxing back against the wall. I already knew JoJo had included it in her note and told me it was being taken care of. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that yet. It didn’t sit well with me letting someone else take care of my problems, but I’d leave it for now. One problem at a time.

“Harvey Dixon,” the girl replies with a slightly haughty tone. There was no way I could have stopped the laugh that escaped me when she said his name.

Johnny, Adam, and his crew snorted with derision. I had to agree with them. Harvey Dixon was scum; he liked to think he was big, but he was just a nuisance, one we’d been dealing with for years. It seemed that maybe we should have put him down a long time ago.

Shaking my head, I slap the papers down on the table to the side of the room. Nodding at Evie, I tell her, “Do what you got to do, then take them. They’ll be working off their debt in the Wise organisation cleaning toilets in the club.” Turning back to the girls, who’d gone pale at my words, I tell them, “You really fucked up; you’ll be paying off this debt for the next five years. While JoJo has dealt with you, I’ll be dealing with your brother.” Not taking my eyes from the girls, I casually say, “Adam.”

“On it, brother. Seems The Hole will be getting a workout tonight.”

Adam and his crew left swiftly. Billie washed the thieves down with water, getting rid of the worst before Evie heated the ring with the large W and pressed it to their biceps, making them both scream with pain. Ange bandaged and dressed both wounds, Sera joining them to help as they stripped them of their clothes and dressed them in the tracksuit pants and T-shirts that we kept on hand in case we needed a change of clothing. The fight seemed to have completely left them as they signed the paperwork JoJo had sent. I felt a twinge of sympathy for them but instantly squashed it. I’d been in this game long enough to know that sometimes you had to make a stand and protect what was yours. It seemed that this was our stand.

An example would have to be made, and this was the way to do it. I hated it but also knew that it was the life we’d been born into, and even though we were no longer part of it for the most part, there would always be someone, somewhere trying to gain a toehold. It was time to stop being nice and start to bust some heads O’Shea style.

Once the girls left, Johnny, Sera, and I cleaned up The Hole after Adam notified us that Harvey had done a runner. We’d find him and we did.

It was a bloody two weeks, but we made sure that everyone was aware that while we might now be legitimate business owners, this was O’Shea territory and not to be fucked with.

Through it all, Sera stood by my side, helping, strategizing, and making sure I didn’t lose myself.

Every night as I sank into her body, taking comfort from knowing she was mine, grateful that somehow she’d found her way to me.