Page 12 of Dublin Brute

I toss him over a couple of scones, and it doesn’t take me long to figure out what bug is up his ass. He’s sitting next to Piper, who’s practically bouncing in her chair with excitement.

“What have you got there, P?”

She grins at the stack of glossy posters sitting in the center of the table opposite Finn. “Feast your eyes on these babies! The design team outdid themselves.”

I settle into my usual spot opposite my twin and raise an eyebrow at the promotional materials. The poster shows Bryan and me in a fighting stance, our fists raised. “Och, that lighting makes us look properly menacing.”

“Right? The Dublin Beast and the Brute, ready to bust heads.”

Sean snorts and looks at his young bride. “Ready to bust heads? Really?”

She grins. “What? Ladies all across Dublin will wet their panties when they see these.”

I take a bite of sausage. “I should’ve been on the left, though. That’s clearly my better angle.”

Piper laughs and tosses her napkin at my head. “It wouldn’t make a bit of difference. The two of you are identical, you muppet.”

Yes, and no.

Bryan and I are identical twins, but when we stand side by side, there are subtle differences for those who know us well enough to tell us apart. Bryan has about twenty pounds on me and is bigger through the chest. I’ve got a scar on my neck, just behind my ear. And, of course, I know how to smile. Bryan’sheart has been dark and icy for so long, he’d rather grunt and scowl at the world.

Laine sets her tea down and rubs a hand over the round of her swollen belly. “Don’t tease her, boys. Piper’s done an amazing job with the PR campaign. The pre-sales are through the roof. This Sunday has the potential to be an all-time money-maker for the youth initiatives.”

“And that’s all that matters,” Tag adds.

I extend my fist across the table for Piper to give me a knuckle bump. “Well done, P. Truly. You’re an asset to the cause. You’ve done a great job.”

The way her eyes soften whenever she’s paid a compliment makes me feel both sappy and murderous. That she was made to feel useless and invisible her entire life as a McGuire is fucking unforgiveable.

She nips at her bottom lip and draws a deep breath. “So, can I press my luck and rope you two into giving me a couple of weekend afternoons of your time?”

Bryan’s gaze narrows, but Piper is looking at me and doesn’t notice. “A couple of afternoons for what?”

“Well, I was speaking with Mr. O’Toole, the man who runs the outreach center, and we thought you guys might come in and give the kids a bit of a self-defense lesson. You know, show them how to make a proper fist and throw a punch—the girls especially.”

Aye, the streets of Dublin can be a dangerous place. And while I’d prefer if women didn’t find themselves threatened or afraid, that is the world we live in.

Images of my blonde angel flash into my mind. She was so ill-prepared for violence last night. I’d bet the lovely Nora Kelly has never made a fist in her life. “If we can help girls stay safer on the streets, then we’re all for it, aren’t we, bro?”

Bryan arches a brow, but after reading my sincerity, he dips his chin. “Aye, that’s a better cause than most. Tell us when and where.”

Tag shifts at the head of the table, his presence commanding even in these casual moments. When things are settled with Piper, he closes his paper and sits back in his seat. “Now, tell us what happened at the Confession Box last night. Who the fuck sent a spray of bullets into a crowd of civilians?”

I set down my fork, meeting his steady gaze. “I have no fucking clue. I was walking toward Kieran at the same time Petey arrived, and then all hell broke loose. A woman went down in front of me, and I tackled her friend out of the line of fire. By the time the rain of bullets ended, the area was clear.”

Tag frowns and turns to Sean. “You and Gallagher checked out the scene?”

Sean tilts his head from side to side. “As well as we could, with cops swarming the area. Brenny was right. The shots could’ve come from the roof of a building across the road, from a window in the apartment building, or from a passing car. Without witnesses pointing it out or the cops giving us a trajectory to go on, there was no way for us to tell.”

“But it was Gravely and the McGuires, right?” Finn asks.

I shake my head. “I don’t know, Finny.”

“Who else could it be?”

Tag leans forward, picking up the cheese knife from the charcuterie board in front of his place setting. Pressing the point into the pad of his finger, he sighs. “Unfortunately, Finny, there are many enemies out there and not all of them come from south of the Liffey. Gravely and the McGuires are top of the list, but since the trouble with the Campbells and the Russians, tensions are high.”

“I thought the Russian trouble was sorted. We hooked them up with the Chicago market.”

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