Page 21 of Shattered Union

“Grand, now tell me, boy,” he says, his voice turning harder. Jesus. I hate he still calls me boy. I’m forty years old, for fuck’s sake. “How’s that problem of yours? Have you found out where the evidence is?”

I glance around the restaurant and see it’s filled with men. Our men. This is our restaurant. We own a fuck load of properties in Dublin. All of them make us a whack and all of them help with the persona we portray. It’s almost midnight and there’s no staff here either. This is where my granda conducts his business when he needs privacy.

“No fucking idea where the bitch has it hidden,” I comment, my jaw tightening. “She’s up to something.”

The cunt tried to come onto me this evening. God, I think I threw up a little when she sauntered into the kitchen wearing a silky black robe, black heels, and that’s about it. It’s been over a decade since I fucked her and she thinks she can seduce me. God, sometimes I wonder what the hell goes through her mind. Crazy bitch.

How she thought I’d want her is beyond belief. Hell, how she can even fuck anyone with her face messed up after Melissa beat the fucking shit out of her. She was lucky Melissa got to her before I did. Zoe kept saying bitchy comments to Holly on her fucking wedding day. Melissa had enough and taught Zoe a lesson. Since then, the bitch has been on her best behaviour. I’m just waiting until she turns back into the selfish fucker she’s always been.

“When isn’t she? That woman lives to cause trouble, and it’ll stop as soon as we find that fucking footage. Now, what’s this I hear about your new woman?”

I narrow my eyes. “Granda,” I warn. I have a lot of love for the old man, but there're some things I won’t tolerate. Him dictating how I raise my children and him saying shit about Callie are just a couple of things I will not allow.

He raises a frail hand. “Let me talk, boy.” His voice drops so only I can hear him. “I’ve had my men look into her. I wanted to see what she was like. I’m fucking pleased you’ve found someone who knows how to take care of themselves.”

I’m stunned into silence. Now that wasn’t what I had expected him to say at all.

“She’s smart, fucking intelligent as hell. She’s already made a name for herself. Any pub she opens is an instant hit. She makes millions a year from them. Not to mention her father is one shrewd entrepreneur. It’s clear to see where she gets the brains from.”

I raise a brow. “You’re telling me this because?”

He grins. I don’t think I’ve seen the fucker grin in years. “I’m saying once this distasteful business with Zoe is over, you marry that woman of yours. Let her run the legit businesses. She’s got the brains to turn a multi-million Euro business into a multi-billion Euro business.”

Fuck me, he’s trying to bloody matchmake.

“We’ll see, there're things she doesn’t know.”

He nods in understanding. “It’s going to be a tough feat to keep her when she finds out that she’s essentially the other woman.”

My chest burns at the thought of what’s coming once she finds out not only am I married, but I still technically live with the bitch. Not to mention she just gave birth two weeks ago. Gareth came into the world screaming, he’s a bruiser. I have six children, only two of whom are mine biologically, and yet I couldn’t give a fuck, they’re all mine and when Zoe dies, I’m keeping them all.

“Your father isn’t happy,” he tells me something I already know. “He’s kept his mouth shut in front of your siblings but he’s close to losing his mind with Patrick.”

I groan. My da has four other children, three of whom didn’t know I existed until a few months ago. Finn, the eldest of the other boys, has no problem with me and has welcomed me with open arms. Probably because he adores our sister and Makenna is the fucking shit and spent most of her summers here until she was eighteen and is more than comfortable around me. Not to mention she’s younger than my eldest children and she’s close to them all.

Patrick and Cian are another story altogether. Patrick’s pissed that Makenna, Danny, Malcolm, and I are all bosses while he’s still a grunt man. He hasn’t earned the right to move up the ranks. Whereas me and my boys, we worked hard from a young age. We knew the business inside out before we even made it to captain. Makenna learnt from us, from our granda and she’s now the biggest boss in the United States. The Gallagher name is growing stronger with each passing day.

“What’s the prick done now?” He called out Makenna and was lucky Danny and Makenna’s husband, Dante, didn’t kill him.

“There’s been talk about a revolt.”

My eyes widen in shock. What the actual fuck? “I’m sorry, you wanna repeat that?”

His lips twist into a scowl. “Yeah, the men have reported that Patrick has been trying to recruit our men to revolt against Makenna. He doesn’t believe a woman should be head of the Clann, nor should we be tying ourselves to the Italians.”

I suck in a deep breath, trying to calm myself before I get on a plane and find that motherfucking bastard and put a bullet between his eyes. No one threatens my sister and no one fucking causes a war where my daughter is.

“How much danger is Holly in?”

His eyes flash with understanding. “She’s safe. We have enough men around her. She’s secure. While she’s living with Dante and Makenna, Alex will also watch her,” he tells me. Alex is the head of Makenna and Dante’s security team. He’s a good man, he’s loyal to the Clann and if he continues to excel, there’s no doubt in any of our minds he’ll be promoted to a captain.

Relief washes through me. My daughter is safe. I know Makenna would let no harm come to her and if something happened, my sister would off whoever the fuck did it before I even arrived in the States. Not to mention Holly’s husband is a fucking monster and has vowed to protect her as well.

“So, what is the plan for Patrick?”

His eyes harden and his jaw clenches. “That motherfucker is no longer family. It is going to be difficult to end him, but mark my words, he’ll be ended, just as Zoe will be. No one goes against this family, ever. Especially not blood. Seamus, Makenna, and Cian are going to be the toughest to get on board.”

Cian more so than the rest. My da and Makenna know the rules. Hell, they’ve killed people for less. What Pat is doing, it’s the ultimate betrayal. Family is everything.

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