29. Ronan
29
RONAN
W alking into the new pub feels bittersweet. Benny would've loved this place. My brothers and I couldn’t let it just be turned to rubble and plowed away. We worked with Benny's lady to get the insurance situated and the building rebuilt. It's been six months, and I've purchased the entire business because it's more than just a bar we visit. It's our home.
"Ronan!" Lochlan slaps me on the back hard as he holds the door open for me. My eyes sweep over the new dining room. The tables aren't even set up yet, just a cluster of chairs for today's meeting. It's a celebration of Benny's life and the new shell we'll call our home.
"Loch…" I nod at him and pass by as others filter in behind me. I've called this meeting after the past few months of rooting out every bad egg from our family. Anyone who calls themselves a friend of mine is here, and the traitors who lived among us have been dealt with, though I won’t tell Maeve that.
We've been happy—preparing for the arrival of our little one in a few months. She's blossomed into the most beautiful mother, and I can't wait to meet our baby. But business comes first, before life changes and I take on the new role as a father.
I walk toward the bar where drinks are being poured. Connor offers me one, courtesy of our new bartender, Hank. I wave him off and walk to the far end of the room and turn to face my men. There are fewer of us than this time last year, but the ones who remain are pure and loyal. I'm proud to call them my family.
I clear my throat, but they're rowdy and boisterous. Laughter fills the air, and the din of conversation, so I bring my fingers to my lips and whistle loudly, and finally, they begin to quiet down and turn their attention on me. I watch expectant faces as they take their seats and give me their undivided attention.
"Well what do you think, boys?" I open my hands, palms splayed outward, gesturing around the new pub. State of the art plumbing for our new taps, a carefully crafted atmosphere of Old-World charm, and soundproof, double insulated walls to ensure our business stays private.
A cheer goes up from them all, and I grin at them as they applaud and holler. I know buying the business was the right move. It's brought morale to an all-time high after such a devastating season we walked through.
As they quiet down, I fold my fingers in front of myself and they quiet again. After I've taken a deep, calming breath, I bring up the real topic of today's meeting. I've had many conversations one-on-one, but they need to be reminded of what's at stake for us if we don't stick together. Too many of my men were tempted to be lured away by an enemy, and in order to be strong, we have to be faithful.
"I'm sure you all know why I called this meeting," I start, and I hear a chorus of grunts. "Our enemy nearly got us, boys." I eye them and offer a very stern expression. "We were picked apart, some of us singled out. A few of us nearly caved and went the wrong direction."
My eyes find my brother Declan and focus on him. Eamon nearly convinced him to turn on me, my own brother, and that hurts. He didn't make the wrong choice, but he entertained it, and that would've been the hardest thing I'd ever had to do—kill my own brother to keep our family intact.
"Some of us nearly crossed a line that they can't come back from." As I speak, I watch shame wash over his face and he hangs his head. Connor, seated next to him, also looks down. Both of them came very close to finding out if our father made it to the afterlife. It's devastating to think about, but I won't cower. "Some of us need rehabilitation. Some of us need redemption."
I have to pull my eyes from their sullen faces or I'm going to lose it up here. If these men only knew how close my brothers came to destroying our family… I shake my head and take another deep breath to push away my rage. Then I lick my lips and swallow the bile in my throat and look back up at my men.
"So today, we start new again. Today, we embark upon the next leg of our journey. We've lost good men, whose blood has paved the way toward our future. We will rise from these ashes to bring them glory, and everything we do will honor them!" My shout lifts another round of cheers and applause, and I watch Declan and Connor straighten and nod at me in solidarity.
"Today, we celebrate so many things," I tell them when they calm down again. "Today, we celebrate a new building, a fresh start, and an heir!"
I smile broadly as I think of my unborn child. We haven't learned the sex. Maeve prefers to keep it a secret until birth, but we've picked out names. The baby shower is next week, and Maeve has invited her mother—with strict rules that my brothers and I be on our best behavior. I had to chuckle at that one.
As the men get up to come shake my hand and congratulate me one-by-one, I think of how my friends on the force spun Maeve's disappearance as a philanthropic trip abroad. She wants so desperately to return to her life as a surgeon, so I'm helping her set up her own private clinic where she can treat the patients she desires while having the safety of a staff of fully trained personnel and guards whom I trust to keep her safe.
"Thank you," I tell each man as he offers me a tidbit of fathering advice or a slap on the back. Declan approaches with two glasses of whiskey as the crowd disperses, and I feel the bitter taste of bile on my tongue again. He has a long way to go to earn my trust back, but I know he's remorseful and trying.
"I think that went well," he says as he offers me the glass of whiskey. I down it in one gulp and hand it back, and he sighs and looks down. "Ro…"
"Save it," I grumble. I have to bite back my anger, but I do. I won't do more damage where it's not necessary. I know he feels guilty enough. But he has some lessons to learn and I have to be the one to teach him. "I have a job for you." My jaw is set as I watch out over the room of my men celebrating and getting sloppy drunk.
Declan shoulders up beside me and lowers his voice as he responds. "I'm all ears." His eyes scan the room the way mine do. It's not ultra-sensitive, but I already appreciate that he's taking this seriously. It will be a test of his true loyalty, a chance for him to obtain the redemption he desires in my eyes. I have to know I can trust him.
"Someone's skimming." I noticed money going missing. I thought it was part of Eamon's crew, but with everyone we chased off and those we proved are loyal, I'm not so sure anymore. I think it's someone inside.
"And you need me to sniff them out? Ro, I thought we took care of this issue." Declan sounds frustrated. I don't blame him. So am I. I want this to be over as badly as anyone else does.
"It's not Eamon or the people he was working with, but the money is going and I need to find out where the issue is. I need your eyes on this." I turn to lock eyes with him, and I give him my most intense scowl. "If you want to return to my good graces, you need to get this done."
Declan's jaw tightens and his eyes darken. "I understand, Ronan. I fucked up. Okay? And I'll handle this. Don't worry about it."
He grits his teeth, and I know he's received my warning loud and clear. I say nothing more, and he walks away into the crowd. I watch him mingle with Connor and Lochlan. Finn is out—chasing down a lawyer, I believe. He'll get a recap later.
I feel a sense of pride swell in my chest as I survey my clan. As their chief, I will fight tirelessly to make sure we stay united and work together. I will stop at nothing to defend my father's legacy and the one I'm growing for myself. The O'Rourke name will be defended if it's the last thing I do.