Page 81 of Mob Saint

Me

It’s not safe for Nikki. It has to be someone else or I don’t go.

Dillan

Let me work on it

Me

I’ll ask my dad.

That is going to make Tiera monumentally uncomfortable, but I don’t have any other choice if no one else can deal with Mitchell’s situation. I trust my father without any reservations. My dad and uncles usually guard my mom and aunts, so it’s not like he’s sitting around doing nothing. He and my uncles still serve our family, but they aren’t in the thick of things like they were when they were my age. Instead, they’re what I’d call semi-retired mobsters. They go on missions when they’re needed, but rarely.

They’ve always had regular jobs, but they’ve always been at businesses they own. Now they work full-time without their senior execs or managers having to cover for when they’d disappear unexpectedly or couldn’t come in for a few days because of injuries. If my mom and aunts are going about their day-to-day routine, and it’s predictable, they have a rotation of our most trusted guards. But if anything deviates, and they’re going places where they don’t already have men positioned, then my dad and uncles go with them.

Dillan

If you think he’ll be okay with it.

Me

If he’s available he will be.

My dad will understand if I ask him to do this. He knows about Tiera. He’s the only one who does. Cormac’s guessed but hasn’t pushed me too hard on how serious I am. The other guys are probably getting the abridged version of next to nothing from Cormac. I’ve talked to my dad about what a relationship might be like. My mom and aunts are the daughters and sisters of former mob bosses. One is the mother of and two are the aunts of the current mob boss. They’re like Tiera. They’ve never known a life without the mob. My dad and my uncles come from a mob affiliated family.

Dillan

I’ll leave it up to you.

Me

Thanks if he can’t I’ll try your dad and Uncle Ronan.

I’m an O’Rourke from both sides. The two branches haven’t been closely related for like ten generations, but each generation keeps having sons. It’s kept the name alive, but it’s also meant our family can never leave. Three brothers married three sisters, so my dad and my uncles understand the overpowering need to protect the women we care about. They understood when Dillan, Finn, and Sean started dating their wives. They’ll understand about me too.

My dad’s been really encouraging since I first talked to him. It was on the way home from the scrimmage against Tiera and her team. He told me to go slowly. She’s known the mob, but it’s been from a few tiers removed from the top. Even though her father has a senior position, he’s not one of the senior leaders. I am in my family.

Dillan

My dad’s headed to the Shore with Mom for the night.

The Jersey Shore is the only time any of us enjoy going to New Jersey. It’s the closest set of beaches, so it’s not a horrible place for a night or even a weekend. But if we have more than a weekend off, we’d rather not spend it in New Joyzey because we’re not Guidos. But for all the shite everyone who isn’t from New Jersey gives the state, the Shore is pretty nice. I’ll take the Caribbean and the Med over it anytime, but for a night, it’ll be okay enough for my aunt and uncle.

Me

I forgot. I’ll ask Uncle Ronan if my dad can’t.

Dillan

Okay keep me posted

Me

We still need to talk about Tiera’s security after today. I don’t want her alone at all. There’s shite I can only explain in person. Let’s just say it’s like when Declan ran things.

Our moms’ cousin swooped in and took over during the one time Dillan went on a vacation without the family. Uncle Donovan fucked around and found out the bratva will punish anyone who goes near their women. They aren’t any different from us. Dillan was so pissed we lost a shite ton of money because Uncle Don refused to listen to Dillan’s warnings.

We felt bad for our moms—mine, his, and our Aunt Breda—because he was their brother, but no one liked him by the end. Only a few respected him. Dillan was always the presumptive heir since Uncle Don had no children. Declan thought otherwise.

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