Page 19 of Dublin Devil

Piper wakes up screaming, but a second kick to her shoulder knocks her onto her back. Then the one with blood staining the front of his leg grabs her and hauls her to her feet.

Despite the size difference and the fact that Piper has likely never made a fist, she launches at him and makes a damned good effort of clawing his eyes out.

“Well done, beautiful.”

The fatter, older one catches up and slaps her across the face. The force of the blow has her head spinning and my heart pounding. Two of them. Two grow men put a beating to her and she’s still alive to tell the tale.

Or not tell it, in Piper’s case.

“This is my favorite part,” Seamus says, pointing to the action on the screen. “Wait for it.”

Heaving forward, Piper spews all over the one who kicked her. The guy is obviously revolted and when he shoves her away, she runs again—this time, over the Grattan Bridge.

“I knew it was bad, but fucking hell.” I lean back and run my fingers through my hair. “Who are they? I take it you ran their faces through recognition software?”

Seamus ends the street footage video and pulls up black and white photos of the two men we just watched beating the hell out of Piper.

“Vladmir Volkov and Arkady Sidorov.”

“Russians?”

“Aye. Known representatives for the Shadow Sickle Syndicate out of St. Petersburg.”

“Bratva? What the fuck are they doing in Dublin?”

He shrugs. “I just report the news. I don’t try to make sense of it. How delicate is this information to you and yours?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Well, now that I’ve seen them here, I could get into a lot of trouble if I don’t tell the guns and gangs boys.”

I sit back in the booth and consider the facts. “If Bratva are making dealings with the McGuires, that can only mean one thing—guns.”

And guns areourterritory, not theirs.

“Once again, Mattie McGuire is breaking the terms of the truce and thinking himself above the territorial agreement he made with our father.”

Seamus curses. “Then I really need to bring this to the right people. But how do you know they’re here for the McGuires?”

“Because the woman in the red dress is Mad Mattie’s daughter, Piper. He must’ve enlisted her to show the Russians a good time, and then something went sour.”

Seamus slides a thumb drive across the table and closes his laptop. “If you get wind of guns coming our way, I’d appreciate a heads up. No one wants more guns on our streets.”

“Aye, if I hear of anything, I’ll give you a ring.”

Seamus extends his hand, and I meet the guy palm to palm. “Give my best to Tag and your brothers.”

“I will. I’ll also tell them how you helped us out on this one. They’ll appreciate it.”

Before I leave Dinky’s, I text Finn:

Drop everything and hack into the NYX Hotel’s computer system. Find anything tied to the McGuires, Vladmir Volkov, or Arkady Sidorov. Then widen the search and see who we’re dealing with.

Then I phone Tag. The call goes straight to voicemail, so I leave him the highlight reel at the beep. “Things are happening, brother. I have the full story and it’s not good. I’m headed back to our guest now. Come as soon as you can.”

CHAPTER SIX

Piper

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