Book 4 #2
Daragh grinned at him and the glee did reach his eyes.
“Now that’s where you're wrong, laddie.” He smirked and explained it, “Seems ole Shanon went and got her bank accounts frozen like some gombeen. Shay used the fact that she made her money in illegal arms sales and froze her money. So when Lord’s men and hell.
.. her own men realized they weren’t gonna be getting paid they turned and walked out on her.
” He shook his head at this. “I mean wouldn’t ya know it?
There’s just no loyalty at all between thieves and gun runners, I fear. ”
Liam chuckled. “Well, damn brother, that woman sure found herself in a pickle this time.”
Going after Ria...
Under the cover of darkness, they drove down to the docks. Then everyone scattered to get into place.
It didn’t take them but minutes to do that and even less time to take their prisoners. Finn had been right, the Irish men he called in took down the second boat with her guards with a precision that just seemed right, quick and as quietly as possible.
Shay, Seamus and a few others jumped on board Ria’s boat and busted through her bedroom door and found Ria totally unprepared.
She screamed for her men, but no one came to help her.
Then she completely lost it when Finn and Liam walked in and glared at her.
The pendant was lying on the table beside her chair and she fought with the men that held her to get to the pendant, but she couldn’t break their hold.
Finn slowly walked over to the table and gently picked the pendant up and closed his eyes as he held it to his chest. Then he opened his hand and showed it to Liam and Seamus.
He looked over at Ria and sneered. “This is the one thing that never belonged to you. You would have had to kill Mauve herself to get your dirty hands on it. You sure as hell never would have gotten it otherwise.”
“And just how do you know that?” Ria screamed at him. “Patrick himself gave me that pendant, he told me it was mine.”
“That’s a damn lie,” Seamus growled at her.
Turning, she stared at him. Then her eyes softened. “You look just like him.”
Seamus scoffed. “And I’m more like him than you think.
I see you for the skank you are. My da didn’t want you.
He had my mother and me waiting for him at home.
He wouldn’t have even looked at tart like you.
He even told you to leave him alone the day before you killed my mother.
Told you right to your face that he had what he truly loved, waiting for him at home.
He raised his voice to you and that was something he never would have done to someone he cared about.
He never trusted you and that’s a fact.”
Ria just stood there as he dressed her down and the soft look in her eyes changed to a glare.
In fact, her whole face turned ugly. Then she looked over at Shay and sneered.
“So, you’re the cop here? Well, you’re wasting your time.
Whatever they used to get you in on this, is not credible.
They have a grudge against me as you can see.
You’ll never make any charges stick. You don’t have enough to even arrest me, you damn fool. ”
Shay just smiled as he showed her his phone with the images he had been sent. “That’s where you're wrong lady, we found your warehouse and we got you dead to rights this time.”
Ria just stared at his phone as she saw agents ramming the door of her secret warehouse.
Then she groaned as she knew exactly what they would find there.
She had been about ready to send it out but now it was too late for that.
“You have to protect me from the people that should have gotten that shipment. They will kill me if I don’t produce that shipment! ” Her face now looked pale.
Shay just shook his head and told her, “You've been playing both sides again, Ria? Don’t you know that’s a dangerous game to play?”
“Yeah, you manky witch...” Liam scoffed. “Play stupid games and you win stupid prizes.”
The next day...
“What the craic is going on back there, Daragh?” Finn asked.
Daragh shook his head. “Ciara and Sean got back a bit ago from the bank appointment she had today. They brought everything in her mother’s safe deposit box back with them and I think she finally opened it.
That box was plum full of things she has to go through.
But she found something that upset her I think? ”
“What did she find?” Seamus wanted to know.
“Her birth certificate and she’s a wee bit upset about it,” Daragh told them.
“Why?” Liam asked.
“It lists her real father’s name and that’s something she never knew before,” he explained.
“All her life she thought she was Ford Donnaly’s daughter right up until her own mother told her she wasna his kid but she never told him who her father really was, only that he left her before she was even born.
Then she found out right after her mother died that Ford himself killed her ma for the insurance money. She was on her own from then on.”
“So, who is her da then?” Liam asked.
Just then, Ciara herself came into the frame. “Shay, Are you there?”
“Yeah, I’m here.” Shay came up to the monitor to get into the frame as well.
“Can you find someone for me? I think it’s finally time I meet the man that walked out of my life before I was even born.”
“Are you sure that’s what you want to do, find him I mean?” Shay asked softly.
Ciara nodded. “My mom left me a note, she told me they met during the summer and they shared a short time together before he left. She always knew he wasn’t going to stay, so she said she just enjoyed the time they had together.
It wasn’t until after he left that she found out about me.
She didn’t even try to find him but he’s my dad, you know?
He may not want me either but I have to find him.
No, I want to find him and let him know I’m here. Can you help me?”
Shay nodded his head slightly. “I can try, but just don’t expect a grand reunion, ok? That way you won’t be surprised when it doesn’t happen.”
Ciara nodded. “I know, but I want to get this done. Then I can move on.”
“Ok, give me his name and I’ll try to find him for you.” Shay sighed hard.
“According to my mom, it’s Robert C. Marsden. They met in New Orleans and Robert told her that he was headed home from the service. That’s all I really know about him.”
Shay froze as soon as he heard the name. His eyes narrowed and he swung his gaze around the room until they landed on someone. He surged to his feet and marched over to say, “Robert C. Marsden?”
Arthur froze then slowly turned around to face him. “What the hell, Shay?”
Shay reached out and grabbed him by his shirt.
Arthur stared at him while dumbfounded. “What the...?”
“When you were discharged from the Army, did you stop in New Orleans?” Shay demanded.
Arthur thought back then nodded. “Yeah, I did. Why?”
“Did you meet a woman back then? One you might have stayed a few days with?” Shay looked pissed now.
“Maybe.” Arthur slowly shook his head as he looked confused. “That was a long time ago before I even met my wife, Amy. What business is it to you?”
Shay leaned right into his face to answer, “Because asshole, you might have left a small piece of yourself behind. A small piece that grew up the hard way and she just found out your name.” He let go of Arthur’s shirt.
Arthur went pale as he dropped back down on his chair. “What the hell are you talking about, man?”
“You mean, he’s there?’ A female voice drifted to the two men.
Arthur slowly stood from the chair and made his way to the table with the monitor. He leaned down and stared at the young girl on the screen. “Oh, wow. You look just like your mother.”
From the Zoom call, Daragh gasped just then and leaned forward with his cell phone in his hand. “I’m sorry to interrupt but our brother in Miami just texted me. Someone shot him outside his brewery and he’s in the hospital.”
Now Liam’s and Finn’s phone both pinged. They had both received messages.
Liam looked up and said, “His son says that they have been given a warning. It’s about Shanon White. Leave her alone or more O’Malleys will get hurt. Only the next bullet will be deadly.”