Page 3 of Finn

“Sure she doesn’t,” Linc drawls out. “There was that one time six months ago…” He looks off into the distance as though he’s trying to recall a memory, then snaps his fingers, turning back to Jude. “Oh wait, no. You lost and stomped off with your panties in a twist then, too.”

Eoghan and Linc share a laugh at Jude’s expense, but the Englishman rolls his eyes, brushing off their ribbing.

“You should bring her to the next fight,” Eoghan offers.

Linc and Jude both shake their heads. “My woman and fight nights probably wouldn’t mix. It would only take one remark from a meathead who has something to prove before she’d be laying them flat on their back,” Jude says with an affectionate smile.

Eoghan laughs and smacks Jude on the back, shaking his hand then Linc’s. “Well, the offer stands. I’ll just make sure to have more security on hand if you come.”

My brother and I say our goodbyes and head to the car.

“How was your meeting?” Eoghan asks after we’ve driven out of the parking lot.

“Fine. Let Ozzy know that we’re taking care of the Italian situation.”

Eoghan lets out a breath and nods. “It’s about damn time, brother.”

“It’s not as easy as you seem to think it is, Eoghan.”

My brother whips his head toward me. “You don’t think I know that? My problem with the inaction you’ve taken isn’t because I don’t know what it would take. My problem is that you haven’t done anything. If we thought Francesco was bad, he’s nothing when it comes to Carlo. Now that the old man is in prison”—he shakes his head and blows out a low whistle—“I’m afraid we haven’t seen how bad things can get.”

What he’s saying isn’t wrong, which is why I’ve been entertaining the offer from Mario Amatto, head of one of the Italian Mafia families who hold territory in Massachusetts.

The Italians split the state in three. The Cataldis have everything from Boston to Worcester, including control of the ports, which they oh so graciously allow the other families to use for a fee. The Amattos run everything from Worcester to Springfield, and then there’re the Farinas, who are in charge of Springfield to the border of New York. It’s a system that’s been in place since before my time, and as far as I could tell, it was working well for them.

Until Carlo Cataldi got greedy.

The Amattos have been having problems at the ports, shipments going missing and such, even though they pay a ridiculous amount to the Cataldis. Old Man Cataldi would say it’s beyond their control and things happen, but we all know these issues are well within his purview, just like everyone knows they’re most likely “missing” at the hands of Carlo. I don’t know why Francesco allowed this bullshit, but seeing as the Amattos are the closest family to our territory in Boston, aside from the Cataldis, we’ve heard plenty of rumors about their escalating unhappiness with the way port business was being handled. The three families have seemed to have a sort of uneasy alliance for years, but with Carlo coming into power after his father’s incarceration, those ties are shifting.

Naturally, my family circumvents the Boston Harbor completely, but that doesn’t come without its own set of problems. It would be nice to have control of those ports and Mario Amatto just might be my ticket in.

“So, what’s your grand plan?” The doubt in his voice isn’t exactly subtle.

“I’ve been in talks with Mario Amatto. He’s interested in an alliance.”

“You think you can trust Mario any more than Cataldi?”

Another fair point, one that I’ve thought of myself, but Eoghan doesn’t know the one detail that will cinch his loyalty.

I nod, keeping my eyes on the road. “He will. I’ll have something of his that means more to him than any vendetta or whatever he has against Carlo.”

Eoghan scoffs. “Oh yeah, what’s that?”

“His daughter,” I reply.

From the corner of my eye, I see Eoghan’s gaze bore into the side of my head as I drive down the highway without a care in the world. Don’t get me wrong, I have plenty to worry about where this crazy offer is concerned, but I’m not displaying any of that in front of my little brother.

“Come again? What are you going to do? Kidnap the poor girl? That’s not what we do, Finn.”

He’s right and I would never dream of going there. I’m nothing like that piece-of-shit Carlo.

“I’m going to marry her.”

Thankfully, we’re close to my house right outside of the Boston city limits, so I won’t have long to deal with the impending freak-out that’s about to ensue in three, two…

“What the fuck do you mean you’re going to marry Amatto’s daughter? You have got to be fucking kidding me.” Eoghan scrubs his hands over his face then opens and closes his mouth as though he’s looking for the words to express what he didn’t just yell in my ear.

“Can you lower your voice, brother? It’s not like I can’t hear you. I’m sitting right next to you.”

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