Page 42 of The Thief
"Marcus has been Henry's right hand for forty years. He's suspicious of anyone who might change the dynamics he's comfortable with."
"Will I? Change things?"
"Probably. Change isn't always bad, though. Sometimes families need fresh blood, new perspectives."
We sit in comfortable silence for a while, watching shadows move across Henry's perfect lawn. Denis has a calming presence, the kind of steady confidence that comes from knowing exactly who you are and where you belong.
Wish I had that certainty.
"Can I ask you something?" I say.
"Anything."
"Do you think Dad was right? Keeping me away from all this?"
Denis considers the question seriously, not rushing to easy answers.
"Killian loved you more than life itself. Everything he did was to give you choices he never had. Can't fault a man for wanting better for his daughter."
"That's not an answer."
"Isn't it? Killian gave you eighteen years of normal life. He let you be a kid instead of a soldier. Now you're old enough to decide for yourself what kind of life you want."
"And if I decide I don't want this life?"
"Then you don't want it. But you'll know what you're choosing, instead of having the choice made for you."
Fair point. At least now I know what I'm walking away from, if that's what I choose.
"Tell me about Trace Harrington."
Denis' expression hardens. "Dangerous man. Smart, ruthless, patient. His father was part of the Boston Elite Syndicate. It was five families that ruled Boston together, but the Harringtons got greedy and tried to expand. His father's dead and Trace is on a warpath. He thinks killing our people will make us weak, make us fold."
"Will it?"
"Not bloody likely. But it'll cost us. Already has."
"How many have died?"
"Too many. Good people, loyal people. People who trusted us to keep them safe."
The weight of leadership in his voice; the burden of being responsible for other people's lives, other people's safety...
"I'm sorry."
"Not your fault. But it's why you're here, why Henry brought you home. We can't protect you from a distance."
"And if being here puts more people at risk?"
"Then we deal with that risk. Together. As a family."
Family. It always comes back to that with these people. Blood as bond, blood as protection, blood as the only thing that really matters in a world gone mad.
"Alastríona?"
Denis' voice is gentle, understanding. Like he knows exactly what's going through my head.
"Yeah?"
