Page 1 of Beyond Rosy Irish Twilight

1

ASHER

Money is power.

The popular phrase played on repeat in my head, but meant absolutely nothing to me. This was a job, one I fucking hated. The expensive suits, the fancy cars, the appearance that I was a king in this fucked up world known as The Syndicate. It was nothing but a bunch of power hungry rich men that traded deadly tools for the glory of a crown. In the underworld, you didn’t get anywhere without that crown.

And I was now one of them.

I fucking hated it, but this was the job I signed on for. There was never a challenge I backed down from. No job was too big for me. And when Rafe dangled it in front of me like a carrot, I snatched it up, not realizing just how much I would have to sacrifice to get to the top. I killed men—bad men that worked for me. It shouldn’t bother me, but proving that I was the best man to take over for Seamus O’Toole was proving to make me nauseous. There was no gratification in taking out men that I worked with on a daily basis—men that proved their loyalty to me by killing anyone that threatened my empire. But if they fucked up, I had no choice to make an example of them to keep the others in line. Too much was riding on me succeeding. Anything else would result in my death, and the death of the only two men truly loyal to me. Patrick and Chase.

I shifted uncomfortably in my suit. Ever since I forced Seamus O’Toole out—killed him—I’d changed this organization. It was clear that I wasn’t going to make any progress doing business the way he did. Within a week of taking over, I’d realized none of the other members of the syndicate wanted to do business with him. He was just like his predecessor, Liam Doyle.

“You ready for this?” Chase asked, sitting across from me in the back of the armored vehicle.

He acted as my right hand and Patrick was my driver. They were the only men I trusted to do the job right and have my back. I’d been with them ever since I got out of the military. We hadn’t served together, but we’d worked together long enough to trust each other completely. The rest of these men were loyal to money, and would turn on me if given the chance. I knew they respected me more than their previous leader based on the increase in pay, but that only lasted as long as the money.

I adjusted my tie as the vehicle came to a stop. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

I was meeting with Ambrose Buchanan, owner of one of the most prolific banks in the United States. He was also known to most of the criminal world as the go-to money launderer for all illegal activities. Getting in with him would put me in contact with even more members of the syndicate. It was said that he hosted a monthly party for members, but you had to be in the inner circle. I wasn’t sure how I was going to accomplish that yet, but I had to try.

“Just remember, Ambrose doesn’t trust anyone until they give him a reason to.”

I nodded. “Well, he called this meeting. That must mean he has something to offer me.”

“That or he’s here to take you out.”

I looked over at him. “Thanks, that’s very reassuring.”

He grinned at me, then opened the door and stepped out, buttoning his jacket as his face became a blank slate. He slid his sunglasses in place and glanced around before nodding to me. If I didn’t have this false persona, I wouldn’t have him stepping out before me, danger or not. I didn’t need anyone to protect me, but I had a part to play, and I had to allow him to do his job, otherwise this whole ruse was worthless.

I got out and mimicked his steps of buttoning my jacket. I was meeting Ambrose at a club that catered to the rich. However, this was his club, so his rules applied. I didn’t doubt for a second that Chase wouldn’t be able to follow me wherever I went. We’d already discussed the possibility and planned for all eventual plot twists.

I strode up to the entrance nodding at the men standing guard outside. They were here for Ambrose, that much was clear when they stepped in front of me.

“Sir, we need to check you before you go inside.”

I smiled at them and held out my arms. “Of course.”

The first guard quickly patted me down and nodded for me to enter, but as expected, he shook his head at Chase. “Mr. Buchanan only requested Mr. Black.”

I bit back the grimace at the made up name. I kept my first name, Asher, knowing it would be hard to adapt to hearing a new first name. But Rafe insisted that my last name had to change. So, here I was, pretending to be an entirely different person for the sake of getting into The Syndicate.

I nodded to Chase as I stepped through the doors of the club. The elegance and beauty of the club reeked of a man desperate to prove he was worth billions and wouldn’t take an ounce of anything less than the best. I took in a headcount of men lingering around the club as we wound through it. The number of guards posted around the various rooms far outranked the number of patrons, but no one seemed to care.

As we approached the back room of the club, the guard held up his hand, motioning for me to wait. He opened the door and stepped inside, leaving me out in the hall. After a moment, he opened the door all the way and stepped aside for me to enter.

A woman turned to look at me, her eyes blazing with fury as she drank me in. Petite, green eyes, full lips, long chestnut hair…fucking beautiful. I didn’t let my eyes linger. It didn’t matter what she was here for. My purpose was to talk to Buchanan, and eyeing the woman in his room would only piss him off.

“Black,” Buchanan boomed, walking over to me with a grin on his face. I didn’t trust it. He wasn’t happy to see me. He was assessing me, trying to find out how far he could push me.

I nodded to him, holding out my hand as he approached. His grip was firm, sending the clear signal that he was on top. I kept my grip equally firm, not wanting him to think I was a pussy, but allowed him the courtesy of gaining the upper hand in this pissing match.

He released my hand and stepped back, jerking his head for me to follow. “Drink?”

“Thank you.”

I followed him over to the bar and took the drink he offered. He picked up his own glass and held it up for a second. “To new acquaintances.”

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