Chapter 40
Here to See a Man
Rico
I pull off my shades as Oni and I step into the dark, dank-looking pub in Ireland run by the man we came to see. Mario, Al, and Ed follow us in. We’re patted down, then waved to the back, where some men are sitting at a table.
I notice the strawberry blond we came to see sitting in the middle of the table. He signals for the other men around him to get up and they all leave.
“Ach, I didn’t think I would see ye again so soon. What about ye?” Tim McFarlan says as we walk up to the table.
I shrug my shoulders and unfasten my suit jacket as he points for us to take a seat. Oni does the same to her suit jacket and sits gracefully. I don’t miss the appreciative looks she receives from the men around us.
“It seems you’re not receiving information from the States again,” I say as I take a seat after Oni.
“Aye, I think I did hear something about a wedding, but that had nothing to do with me. No one under my nose would be that fucking stupid.”
I frown. He doesn’t have the control he thinks he does. That’s going to be a big problem for him, but who am I to tell him how to run his business? He’s about to learn the consequences on his own.
“I’m afraid you need to wipe your nose. My wedding was shot up because of the same scumbag who had my father killed in prison,” Oni bites out.
I release a heavy breath. “As far as I’m concerned, you now have two options. One, go to war with me, and you and your people won’t make it out of the week. You know this.
“Or two, cough up Finn Sullivan. We kill him for his crimes, and we’ll leave Ireland and all that’s yours intact. So what will it be?”
Tim sits back in his chair and starts to laugh like we’ve told him a joke. I haven’t come here for jokes or to play games. I haven’t said a thing that’s funny.
When his laughter dies down, he frowns and glares at me. “Ach, you have balls of steel, you do. Who the fuck are ya to come in here and threaten me? What’s to keep me from blowing both your heads off and sending the rest of your bodies back as a wedding gift?”
Oni pulls her tablet, turns it on, places it on the table, then sits back in her seat. I place a hand on the back of her neck and massage it. McFarlan looks back at us and snorts.
“What’s this?”
“Take a look. Anything look familiar?”
I watch as he homes in on the tablet, and his face goes pale. He then looks up at us and swallows hard. I’m not fucking around.
He’s looking at live footage of my men’s current points of view. Red dots trained on each of their targets. Even those McFarlan prides himself on keeping a secret.
“Like I said. You’ll be finished before week’s end. I know where all your family is right at this moment. If we don’t walk out of here at the designated time, if anything shifts in a single one of those locations before my wife or I call, if my guys so much as think you’re up to some bullshit …
“You’re going to lose your family here in Ireland and each one of them in the States. I told you to keep that dog on a leash. He clearly has no respect for you, so here we are. Your choice. Him or everything you love,” I hiss.
Oni sits up in her seat and crosses her legs then leans forward. “And before you even think about growing a pair and testing us … I will freeze every asset you and your men own. It doesn’t have to be today, and I don’t even have to be breathing.
“Any move against me, my husband, or our family will trigger the implosion of everything you own. If you don’t believe me, log into your bank account right now and see what I mean.”
He swallows hard and pulls his phone to log into his account. His face grows white as a sheet. Oni sits beside me, smiling from ear to ear.
“Jesus, Mary, Joesph. What have ya done? Where the fuck is all my money?”
“Do we have a deal?” I say.
“Ye can have him. Travis, get them the address for Sullivan’s hideout.”
“Good. You can refresh your screen,” Oni purrs.
“Ach, this is a load of bullshit. How did ya end up working for the Italians? Didn’t Finn have ya running with one of his crews?” McFarlan asks bitterly.
“I guess finding out my best friend set me up and his family had my father killed was unforgivable to me. Might have even compromised my sanity. Loyalty goes both ways,” Oni replies then stands to walk out.
Oni
“Are you ready?” Rico asks as we turn onto the road to the house Sullivan is held up in.
“Yes,” is all I can manage to push out.
Apparently, Finn isn’t wanted here in Ireland either. He’s been hiding away from some people he owes answers. McFarlan has been keeping him safe for some reason I couldn’t care less about.
That time is over. I have something special just for Finn Sullivan. This kill will mean more to me than any of my others.
This is the man who had my father killed. He set in motion my losses. I don’t care that I used to spend all my time in his home with his son.
Fuck breaking bread with them at their table. A rat will eat the food from your hand, then bite you. The Sullivans are no better than a bunch of rats.
The sooner I put Finn down, the better. We pull up to the house and hop out of the SUV. I gently grab my bag to bring with me.
The front door opens before we can get to it. Finn sees me and his eyes light with recognition. My stomach turns in disgust as he smiles at me.
“Oni Raven. I didn’t think I would ever see your face again,” he croons.
Rico rushes forward and wraps his hand around Finn’s neck, shoving him back inside the cabin-like house. I take my time following them inside. Mario, Ed, and Al bring up the rear.
“Why didn’t you think you would see her, you smug prick?”
“Because I thought I’d be on my way back to the States for your funerals. I had much more success with having her da set up and murdered, the traitor bastard.”
I pull my gun and cock it. “What did you just say?”
“Aye, I did it. I had Jack locked up and then made sure he never got out. I treated him like family, only to find out he was trying to infiltrate my crew to help that Italian scum take me down.
“Gallo all but left him for dead and he decided to go against me. Aye, but you were a little gem. I made sure Mason kept you around so I could mold you.
“Too bad those Italian fucks got ahold of you first. I should have let Lorcan pull you in. He’s the one who would have kept an eye on you and made sure you didn’t get anywhere near this son of a bitch,” he snarls.
Rico punches him in the face to shut him up. I’m numb. It was one thing for others to tell me he was involved, but hearing him say the words with his own mouth, confirming what Carlotta thought all along, aches something fierce.
“You had to bring your little boyfriend with you to handle a grown man’s job. Why don’t you go back to the States and find Mason, let him take care of you and bring your real family back? Stop playing with filth,” he snarls.
I snort and begin to laugh. “You know, I was going to have mercy on you because you were like a father to me at one time. I couldn’t reconcile the monster with the sweet old man I thought you were.
“Now you’re going to die screaming like the filthy pig you are. And as you die, it can play in the back of your head that I’m going to find Mason and Lorcan’s dead-playing asses. And when I do, they’re going to die screaming just like you,” I hiss.
He laughs like I just told a joke. However, I’m the one who will have the last laugh. Mario and Ed rush forward to help Rico secure him to a chair while I set up.
I open my bag and pull on a pair of chemical-resistant gloves. Then I unzip the pouch with the borosilicate glass syringes. Rico ties his arm off for me and steps away.
This is going to get messy. I carefully pull one of the fat syringes from the case and pluck it with my finger. The bubbles inside the glass bring a smile to my lips.
“They said my father was stabbed a hundred times before he bled out on that prison floor. That had to burn and sting, don’t you think?” I say as I walk over to him.
“I hope like fuck it did,” he bites out.
“I’m so happy you feel that way,” I sing.
I then plunge the syringe into his vein and push the liquid into his arm. He screams like his veins are on fire because they are. I just filled them with acid.
I grab another syringe as his veins pop in his neck while his arm melts at his side. I plunge the needle into his neck and sigh with satisfaction as blood and foam spill from his mouth.
I pat his dead cheek and snort. “What was that? I can’t hear you.”
Rico scoffs. “Let’s go. Someone will come find this sludge later. We have a plane to catch.”
“Damn, that shit was vicious. Remind me not to piss you off,” Eduardo says.
“Don’t fuck with my family and you’ll never have to see this side of me for yourself.” I shrug and collect my things.
“Keep that bag away from me, please,” Al says.
“Wimps,” I snort.
“Psycho,” Ed and Al murmur in unison.
Rico and I laugh and walk out. Sullivan is as good as forgotten. My father can rest in peace knowing I took care of the man who took him from me. Ireland owes me nothing.
I came, I saw, I conquered. The world will think twice about fucking with Rico or Oni Gallo from here on out. To think we’re just getting started.