Chapter 41
Out of Hiding
Mason
“Little Brother,” Lorcan croons as he opens his arms for me.
Numbly, I walk into his arms. I can’t believe Da is gone. We don’t even have a body to bury.
He was killed like an animal. No, his death was crueler than that. Da could be cruel, but he still didn’t deserve that.
“Welcome home. You look good,” Lorcan croons.
This doesn’t feel like home. I haven’t felt welcomed since landing in Ireland. I get the feeling we need to settle our affairs and get the hell out of here as fast as we can.
“How are you holding up? This shit is crazy, ain’t it?” Lorcan says.
“Bro, what happened? How did they get to him? I thought he was in hiding. Who did this?”
“You don’t know?”
“No, how would I? I’ve been in Boston keeping my head down. All I know is what you told me about how they found him.”
“It was that scumbag Rico Gallo and that bitch Oni.”
“Oni? How could she have been involved?”
“She and that motherfucker went to McFarlan for permission to take Da out. He gave Da up and they killed him.”
I pull a hand down my face. This all sounds crazy. Oni is a sweetheart.
She wouldn’t hurt a fly. If she did, maybe Da brought this on himself. We’ve done nothing but hurt her and her family.
“I’m sure she’s only doing what he wants from her. She loved Da. He had a soft spot for her too.”
“Bro, you’re not this stupid. Da didn’t give a fuck about Oni. She was a means to an end.
“She was as expendable as the rest of us. The man didn’t care about any of us. If you weren’t useful, you were no better than shit under his shoe,” he says.
“Fuck, man, he was still our da and knowing Oni was involved … I just can’t wrap my head around this shit.”
“Well, you’re here now. We’ll do right by Da and then we can get the fuck out of here and get our city back. I can’t wait to get the fuck out of here.”
I knit my brows. “What are you talking about? We’re still banned from New York. Nothing has changed.”
“The fuck it hasn’t. Da was too scared of McFarlan to push back. He’s here, we’re there.
“We run shit and bring the paper in. Why the fuck do we even answer to that asshole? It was his ass who gave Da up. Fuck him.”
I rub at my temples. This is the kind of shit that used to make Da kick his ass. Lorcan doesn’t think.
I groan. “It’s shit like that that’s going to have you right with Da.”
“I wish that pussy-ass bastard and his bitch would. I’m going to make them pay. You can either stand with me or fuck around until you’re next.”
“Why would I be next?”
“Because once I start, all this shit is going to come full circle. I’m not going to stop until they all pay for this. McFarlan, Gallo, Oni, and our bitch-ass cousin,” he growls.
“Darragh? He’s only doing what he was told. Fuck, man, you can’t go waging war with no resources, no support, no fucking money.”
“Our crew back home is still loyal. With you by my side, they’ll all ride with us. New York is our home. Why the fuck are you in Boston while I’m stuck here?”
“Because it’s the smart thing to do. So what if we have the old crew? That’s not enough to go up against the Gallos and McFarlan,” I drop my voice as I hiss the end.
“Right now. It’s not enough right now. We get back home, and we put our heads down. Then we make our move when we have all our shit lined up.”
“Lorcan, man, let’s just take care of our da.”
“Fine, but this isn’t over. I’m not letting this go. If you had found Oni like I told you to, this wouldn’t be happening,” he bites out.
A cold chill runs through me. This isn’t going to end well. I’ll have to keep an eye on him.
“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath.