Page 102 of Dublin Charmer
I agree. “He’d say, May neighbors respect us, trouble neglect us, the angels protect us, and Heaven accept us.”
Sean chuckles. “Except it’s the Devils who protect us.”
“Aye, I suppose it is.” Tag laughs. “And a good bunch of lads they are, Sean. Make sure you treat them well, so they know how grateful we are for all they’ve done over the past year.”
“Consider it done.”
Tag smiles as he takes us in. “I’m proud of us, brothers. Da understood that there will always be crime, greed, and danger, but wanted to keep Dublin safe for our children and our citizens. As long as we make that our goal, we’ll continue to make the old man proud.”
I stare at the notes on my screen and agree. The plan is solid. Dublin will be unified for the first time in decades, under Quinn control but with McGuire faces to soften the transition.
It’s a new era for our family and for the city.
I just wish Nyx were here to share it with me.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Finn
Four Months After Leaving - May
The McGuire estate is all polished stone and glass, not as grand as our castle and compound but impressive in its own right. It’s been four months since we unified Dublin under Quinn control, and today’s visit is part check-in, part family gathering.
I follow Sean and Piper through the front door, my laptop bag slung over my shoulder. The house feels different now—less like enemy territory and more like an extension of our own operation.
Piper leads us through to the back patio where Brody and Rory are waiting, beers already in hand, meat sizzling on the grill.
“The prodigal sister returns.” Brody stands to come over and hug Piper. He extends his hand to Sean and then to me, and we shake in greeting. There’s a genuine respect and trust building, which is nice.
The early days of our ‘unite Dublin’ arrangement were tense. Mattie McGuire, and then Niall after his death, ran their organization very differently than we run ours. That meant a lot of changes needed to be made in the beginning and not all were welcome by the brothers or by the men in their organization.
But things have settled into place now.
Once the boys started running things on this side of the river, they realized how woefully unprepared they were for the complexities of the business. Being only twenty-six and twenty-three, they got a lot of pushback by long-standing hoodlums that had been working for their family since Mattie held the reins.
A cleaning of house was necessary. Tag and Sean have been there every step to keep things running smoothly.
“How’s my favorite sister?” Rory steps away from the grill to give Piper a bear hug before offering Sean and me each a beer.
“I’m your only sister,” Piper laughs.
We settle around the table overlooking the garden. It’s a perfect spring day, warm enough to be outside but not hot enough to be uncomfortable.
“So, how’s business?” Sean asks, cutting straight to it.
Brody sits back in his deck chair and takes a sip of his beer. “South side is stable. Revenue’s up. The new distribution model is being accepted. I think we’ve weeded out all the bad eggs.”
“And security?” I ask.
“No major incidents,” Brody confirms. “The Devils run regular patrols. Having them visible in our streets has made it clear we’re now part of the Quinn territory and the Quinn Laws apply here, too. That seems to have deterred most of the would-be troublemakers.”
Sean nods, satisfied. “Good.”
Rory has busied himself at the grill and isn’t saying much. When he brings a plate of burgers to the table, he sets them down next to the condiments and potato salad. “Eat up.”
Sean accepts a plate from Piper and reaches for a burger. “What about you, Rory? Everything okay on your end? Any issues or concerns?”
He scoops into the potato salad and plops it on his plate. He hands the spoon to his sister and shrugs. “No concerns. Everything is grand.”
