Page 3 of Dublin Brute

Tag is our leader. There was never any question about that. He’s the oldest of the five of us and is smart, strategic, and good under pressure. He is also a champion in good standing with the citizens of our fair city.

Sean’s the second born and runs the Dublin Devils MC. He’s always been more of a doer than a talker, so putting him in charge of a leather and steel army with over a hundred men with bendable moral compasses keeps him busy.

Finn is the youngest. Aside from a bad spell when Da first died, where he was sneaking out at night and coming home with bloody knuckles and black eyes, he’s always been more of a behind-the-scenes member of our mafia family. Finny’s got a knack for computers and isn’t hindered by little things like security protocols, privacy laws, and firewalls.

And then, there’s me and my twin brother, Bryan. We sit at the table with the MC and are muscle for Sean when he needs us.We’re handy with sharp objects and love a good torture session if there’s an interrogation, but for fun, Bryan and I have another passion.

We cage fight for charity.

The rush of unleashing my savage side and beating my opponent to a pulp is unlike any other high.

“Earth to Brenny.” Sean snaps his fingers and tilts his scarred face into my field of vision. “What are you daydreaming about over here, B?”

I accept the Guinness he’s holding out for me and cast a gaze around the interior of the clubhouse. It cleared out while I wasn’t paying attention and now Sean and I are the only two here. “I was thinking about the fight on Sunday night. I have a first-round pairing with that fucker, Paddy the Predator.”

“Och, that’s a shite draw. He’s a tough one. I see why you’re worried. Have you been watching his fights?”

“Aye. I’ve studied him a bit. He’s got a few moves on him, but I’m not worried.”

Sean arches an ebony brow. “Then maybe you’re not as smart as I thought you were.”

“Fuck you.”

Sean chuckles and leans back on the couch opposite me. “You’ll be fine. Just don’t let him snap anything. I need you here with me on Monday. Remember, the fights are for charity. It doesn’t matter who wins.”

I press a hand against my chest. “You wound me, brother. It matters a helluva lot. I’ve got a following to inspire, a reputation to uphold.”

Sean laughs. “They’re called belt bunnies. Don’t get your nuts in a tangle over the long lineup of ladies who are hot for you. If you lose, they’ll be just as eager to nurse you back to health.”

Rude. “They’re not all horny women. I have some male fighting fans, too.”

“Aye, you don’t say. Point one out to me on Sunday.”

“Fuck you.”

We both laugh.

The two of us sip on our beers for a bit and I marvel at my older brother. Since he got with Piper, he’s a lot less broody and ready to hang people from bridges. I never would’ve guessed he’d fall for a girl ten years younger and from the enemy mafia camp—but hey, life is full of surprises.

It’s all grand, though. Piper is great, and her love has smoothed out most of Sean’s rough edges.

Tag’s the opposite. Now that he’s got Laine and a baby on the way, he glares at everyone as if they’re a potential threat. Being burned by Siobhan when they were young taught him the pain of losing love and his hopes for the future.

Blood will flow like wine if anyone tries to take his new family away from him.

Sean runs his thumb through a trail of condensation on the side of his beer bottle. “On another subject, Piper tells me that my futile attempt to kill Billy Gravely has left him crippled on his left side and that the fucker is meaner than ever.”

Right.Piper had lunch with her brother today. “What do we hear through the McGuire grapevine? How is the power struggle going?”

Sean lifts one shoulder. “Nothing surprising. With Mattie dead, Gravely and Niall are at odds about who is in charge of McGuire business. Niall had months to dig in while Gravely recovered from the gunshot wound, but now that he’s on his feet again, things are heating up. Rory told Piper that there’s a lot of tension behind the scenes.”

“Aye, well, Billy has always been a dangerous fucker. Without Mattie to rein him in, he’ll be challenging Niall’s decisions at every turn.”

Sean swallows. “Another inch or two to the right and I would’ve put the fucker down.”

“Better luck next time.”

“Aye, if I hadn’t just had my bell rung, taking two to the vest, I might’ve been able to save us a lot of trouble in the future.”

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