Page 86 of Shattered Union

Ava smiles. "Of course, what about you, Ray, want the same?"

Raylee shrugs. "Sure, why not."

The guys put in their drink orders and she wanders off to get them for us.

"This place is busy," Dante says, his American accent thick and tinged with a bit of Italian.

I glance around the pub and see it's getting filled up. "Eh, this is just the early lot. Wait until about ten and then it'll be busy. Usually, we'll have to turn people away on a Friday and Saturday night."

His brows raise in surprise. "That busy?"

I shrug. "This is a busy location. Temple Bar is the place to be."

"How did you buy it?" Makenna asks, a little snarky.

"Daddy bought it for me," I respond sweetly, batting my eyelids.

"I did fucking not," I hear from behind me and laugh when I spin around and see the man in question standing there scowling at Makenna. "She bought it herself, as she has with the other pubs she owns. I gave her one pub on her eighteenth birthday and she's made an empire since then."

"Hey, Dad, what are you doing here?" I ask him as I glance around and realise Mam's not with him.

He crosses his arms over his chest and glares at me. What the hell is it with men that do that when they're pissed.

"Bernard called. He told me what happened. Why didn't you?"

And this is the worst thing about having a close-knit family. "Dad, I've literally just got rid of the Gards. I'm about to eat and I'm waiting on the little grass to get his arse here and tell me who called them."

"Fine," he huffs, not happy that I have nothing more to give him. "I'm going to get a drink and wait for your brother."

I groan. "You called Mav?"

He gives me a get real look. "Of course I did, he called Stephen and your uncles."

Of course he did. "So I expect both Jer and Butch to turn up too."

Dad nods with a smile. "Just call it an impromptu family reunion."

"Yeah, with Bernard here, it's going to be a fucking riot," I tell him and he just smiles and walks away.

"Who's Bernard?" Holly asks, and I see the look her husband gives her. "What? We're all family now," she says and I'm wondering what changed her tune?

"He's my cousin. He's kind of the black sheep of the family."

"I thought that was your da?" Denis says.

I shake my head. "No, not really. My dad didn't follow in the footsteps of his brother, but neither did his sister or her son, Bernard. When Mary-Ellen died because of the shit Butch was into, Bernard did something that Butch has never forgiven him for. He became a Gard."

"You're shitting me?" Malcolm says. "You really are connected, aren't you?"

I laugh. "Not really. Besides, Bernard deals with sexual assault cases. He steers clear of anything that could mean he's working against the family."

"So does he help you if you need it?" Makenna asks, and wow, I'm surprised. Not a bitchy tone at all.

I glance around and make sure no one can overhear. "Yes, so he'll call if something is going to happen that he knows about and most of the time he does."

"You mean so no one gets raided?" Danny questions.

"Exactly, although both my uncles have cops on their payroll, so they don't need Bernard's help. But he offers it if needed. He also gives them the scoop if someone's going to testify against them."

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