Page 5 of Dublin Devil

With my strength flagging, I collapse. My body is shaking uncontrollably, and my legs will no longer hold me. I give up and give in.

I lay there on the damp pavement, listening through the rush of my pulse in my ears as my consciousness fades. If the Russians find me…will they kill me or drag me back to the hotel?

I don’t have the energy to care.

CHAPTER TWO

Sean

One furtive glance cast towards the gavel resting close to my left hand and my men stop their smart-assing and pay attention. They’ve been with me since Tag and I began this MC five years ago, and they know my intolerance for interruptions during church.

Since the inception of the Devils, I’ve built the club up steadily and now we’re more than one hundred strong.

We rule the north side of the river for ourselves and in support of my brother, Tag.

Tonight’s meeting isn’t a regular one where I require a full table. Special circumstances have forced an emergency gathering of the club executives to catch them up on the mayhem that went down at the hand of Gareth Campbell’s men.

“It was an overt act of aggression,” I tell them. “Tag and his girlfriend were leaving the street fair. Campbell’s men prevented him from getting into his truck and jumped him.”

Keefer Gallagher, my club VP, pushes his dark hair away from his face, his silver and black spider rings catching the light.“Since when do the Campbells have the balls to do something like that?”

“That’s the million-dollar question. Either the Campbells have an alliance with one of the major families or they need a reminder of who the Quinns are.”

“Then it’s time for retribution.”

My twin brothers, Brendan and Bryan, both nod. Of course they agree. There’s nothing the Quinn twins like more than mixing it up in a bloody brawl.

“Do you think this is part of the blowback from the McGuires?” Kieran O’Brien, my Sergeant at Arms asks.

I take a swig of my Guinness and swallow. “It could be. Aiden threw us into a blazing fire when he killed Declan McGuire. They were already pushing against the truce. I don’t see it lasting much longer.”

“What does Tag say about that?” Gallagher asks.

“He wants the truce in place for the good of the citizens, but realizes that might not be possible going forward.”

“What about Aiden?” Kieran asks. “As Tag’s right hand, Aiden killing the son of an enemy has to be addressed.”

I shrug. “Thankfully, that’s not my call. I’ve told Tag where Aiden is holed up to recover from his injuries. It’s up to him to decide what to do with that information.”

“What about Siobhan? That bitch played Aiden and Declan against one another. When doessheget what she deserves?”

“The minute one of us gets our hands around her traitorous neck,” Bryan says.

Brendan nods. “Fuck, I hate that bitch.”

I set my pint of Guinness down next to the gavel. “Things are going to get dicey for the next weeks, lads. Let the men know to be ready for anything, day or night. If issues crop up on our side of the river, come down fast and hard.”

“What about the other side of the river?” Gallagher asks. “The McGuires have been making it their business to fuck us over.”

I shake my head. “For now, we’re not antagonizing the McGuires. Stay clear of them and don’t engage. We don’t want any more trouble with them than we already have.”

The meeting adjourns, and the lads rush off to complete their tasks. I help myself to another pint from the fridge and look around our new and improved clubhouse.

We hadn’t started off in surroundings as pleasant as this, but the recent renovation gave us a soundproofed meeting room, a kitchen, two bathrooms, a small room with two cots, an office for me, and a lounge area with a flat screen, music, a fully stocked bar, two pool tables, a poker table and two regulation dart boards.

The boys love to hang out. Many of them never had happy homes and found brotherhood belonging to the Devils. And it’s often a fact that lads who come from the worst possible circumstances are the most loyal and dedicated to the club.

It’s a good fit for me.

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