Page 155 of Cross & Crown

of mine is in trouble.”

“Life or death trouble?”

“That’s the one.”

A hint of sadness passed over Mikey’s dark eyes, and he

nodded slowly. He walked by them, leading them past the

hostess toward a point in the middle of the catwalk where

chairs and sofas had been set up in an isolated lounge.

Two large men stood in their path, both dressed

impeccably in tailored suits. They refused to let the group

pass.“It seems the sister organization in Boston is far better

dressed than the ones in New York,” Julian commented. He

sounded like he approved.

A man sitting on a sofa behind the bodyguards stood and

greeted them with a crooked smile. Something about it struck

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Kelly deep in his gut, like it was familiar to him. “You dress

like a thug, you get treated like a thug,” the man told them.

He pulled at his bow tie and raised a glass to them. “Nicholas, join me a moment, won’t you?”

Nick stepped forward and held his hands up so Mikey

could pat him down. Then the bodyguards let him by, leaving

Kelly and the others unable to get to him if anything went

wrong. Kelly shifted from foot to foot, not liking the way any

of this felt.

The man they called Paddy handed Nick a glass of

champagne. “To celebrate your safe return from war.”

Nick hesitated only briefly before touching the tip of his

crystal glass to Paddy’s and taking a sip. Kelly was fascinated and confused by the ritual. It seemed almost like Paddy was

taunting Nick for coming to him for help, forcing him to

consort with the very criminal element he had sworn an oath

to protect the city against.

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