Page 58 of Corrupted Union

What the fuck was Nana Byrne doing here? I glared at my father.

He raised his hands in annoyance. “Don’t start with me. She has a doctor’s appointment in an hour. You needed to meet? This was the only way it worked.”

Christ.

Nana continued toward the bar, leaning heavily on her walker.

Stormy grinned. “I’m happy to have Nana’s company while you boys talk.”

“That’s sweet o’ ye lass,” Nana said. “But for now, just hit me with a quick shot o’ whiskey, then I’ll listen in on the current state of affairs.”

“Ma, it’s nine o’clock,” Pop fussed. “And we’re about to go to your cardiologist’s office. You really want to show up stinking of whiskey?”

She scowled back at him. “And what’s he goin’ to do te me, Jimmy Byrne? Put me in time-out? I’m eighty-five, and I’ll have a nip if I feel like it.” She turned back and nodded at Stormy, who bit back a smile and poured a respectable shot of whiskey.

Nana downed the liquid as though it was apple juice, then turned herself around. “All right, let’s get this show started.”

No one was willing to argue. I gave a nod to Stormy, telling her to make herself scarce, and we selected a table large enough to fit our group and pulled up chairs.

“We not waiting for Oran?” Conner asked.

My father looked at me expectantly, his curiosity piqued. Family meetings generally involved the heads of each branch of the family. Of the three original Byrne brothers, Brody was now deceased, and Tully, who was the least involved of the three, rarely participated anymore. Torin, though he was the youngest of Tully’s children, had assumed leadership of that line. Conner had stepped up as representative for the single Byrne sister, Mirren, and my father and I often worked together as he wasn’t ready to pass the torch just yet. That left Brody’s line unaccounted for at our meeting.

“I didn’t invite Oran because he’s the subject of our meeting, and for the same reason, I didn’t think it wise to call in Shae either.” As the one and only female Byrne heavily involved in the family business, she was also Oran’s younger sister.

My father sat back, eyes narrowing. “What exactly is this about, son?”

Four sets of blue eyes bore into me. I forged ahead.

“My concerns started the day of Uncle Brody’s death.”

Pop grunted. “Not this shit again.”

My hackles raised, and in an uncharacteristic show of temper, I slammed my hand on the table. “I don’t like this any more than you do, but it needs to be said, and you’re going to fucking listen.”

Tension filled the room with a raging flood.

I took a slow, even breath and told my family everything I’d learned in recent weeks. How Oran had been the only person to know where Brody would be the night of his death. About the woman I’d seen him with and her disappearance. And finally, the stolen guns that had reappeared in the hands of the Russian.

I shouldn’t have been surprised when Nana was the first to respond, her pruned lips pursed tightly together. “These are some very serious accusations, Keir.”

“Agreed, that’s why I wanted to discuss it as a family before making any decisions.”

“Aye, and that’s exactly what should be done,” she said, nodding and crossing her arms over her chest. “Oran is family, just as much as any of us, and he should be given an opportunity to explain. You’d want at least as much if it were you in his seat.”

“I planned to do just that,” I told her. “But I think we should all be on the same page about how we approach him.”

“Sooner rather than later,” Torin said with an edge to his normally dry tone. “If there’s reason to be concerned, I wouldn’t want him getting wind of our suspicions.”

“I agree,” Conner chimed in. “I say we do it this morning. Wait for him upstairs. That’s our best shot of getting honest answers.”

My father frowned. “I can’t join you, but I suppose it’s best you three handle the situation. He’s your cousin,” he said reluctantly. It wasn’t easy for Pop to let go. If Nana hadn’t been there, I wasn’t sure what he’d have done.

“What are we going to tell Shae when she asks why she wasn’t informed about her brother?” Conner asked. “I’m the one who has to work with her, and I don’t want to spend the next six weeks having to watch my back in my own damn office.”

I’d thought about that and had an answer. “Dad’s got her babysitting Devlin, the guy sent over from Dublin.”

“What guy from Dublin?” Conner challenged, sitting taller.

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