Wolfe eyes me as he speaks to Cian. “Hope you had a relaxing honeymoon and you’re ready to get back to work. Things have been a bit more exciting around here since you left.”
“Walk with me. What’s going on?”
I linger behind them, half eavesdropping, half studying the foyer and considering the pros and cons of moving. The only con I see is Cian being further away from his men.
Wolfe and Cian head in the direction of his office. “We had a bit of a skirmish with some new Irishmen in town. The Monahans. Ever heard of them?”
“I haven’t.” Cian’s voice echoes down the hallway.
“Well they’re trouble. Skirmish almost got us killed.”
“Tell me everything. Spare no detail.” His office door clicks shut.
We just entered a peaceful time between the Irish and Italians, don’t tell me we’ll be at war with some other Irish mob soon. Hopefully a skirmish is like a misunderstanding or something easily resolved. Thought it doesn’t sound good.
Even after a long day of traveling, I’m not tired, so I dig right in to searching for real estate for sale in Upper Manhattan on my phone. Brownstone or penthouse? Newly renovated or fixer upper? The place needs to be large enough to raise a family as Iwant this to be our forever home. There are so many details to figure out.
CHAPTER 32
Cian
As I promised myself and Wolfe, once I returned home from my second honeymoon with Ravenna, I’d dive into work. This skirmish with the Monahans monopolizes my attention as soon as I sit down at my desk. Apparently, there was a misunderstanding over turf lines. They tried to open a gambling den on a property that I control, and when forced out, they didn’t take it lying down.
Shots were fired, but thankfully no one was seriously injured. This time.
We’re in a time of peace, and I intend to keep us out of any mob wars that might pop up. Including this one.
“Tell me about the Monahans,” I urge Wolfe.
He claims the seat across from me, arms folded over his chest. “I looked into them. They’re relatives of the old Flanagan family, and it seems like they’re taking over that turf. Clearly they don’t know where the border line’s drawn.”
“Or they’re testing the boundaries.”
Wolfe nods. “Could be. Three brothers lead the Monahan family. The eldest living one is Cormac, who has quite the reputation as a ruthless motherfucker. His younger brothers are Liam and Killian. There’s a nephew too, the son of the deceasedbrother. They’re fresh off the boat from Ireland. That’s about all anyone knows about them.”
“That’s a good start. Keep an eye on them. We need to hold firm to our borders, don’t give the Monahans an inch. Also, make sure they know we have the Italians to back us. That should give them some perspective of who they’re fucking with.” Hopefully, they won’t want to fuck with us.
“Will do. Do you want me to arrange a meeting with them?”
Considering that option for a second, I shake my head. “Not yet. Hopefully we can both peacefully coexist.”
“All right.” He runs his hand over his shaved scalp. “Had a hell of a time trying to replace Seamus. Most of our guys don’t know shit about computers. Never expected to find out Brendan had such brains. I guess we all underestimated him because of that pretty boy face and crisp suit.”
“So you think he knows his stuff?” I wouldn’t have guessed it of the Dunne lad either. He’s always been the quiet, serious type. Didn’t think he was especially bright though.
“He’s already run circles around what Seamus installed. We’ll finally get a real security system around here.”
“Good.”
Wolfe settles back in his chair. “One other thing. After you’re finished with Brendan and the security system, we need to go over the accounts. I think a betting ring in Harlem is skimming money. The Italians might be lax about such things, but we sure as fuck aren’t.”
I suppress a sigh. It’s going to be a long day. Never a dull moment in this line of work.
“Are you sure your heart’s set on a brownstone?” I ask Ravenna over dinner. We still wake up with each other in the mornings, but our days are mostly spent apart. Our evenings have been drifting in separate directions as well, so I insisted on us having dinner together tonight.
“Yes, definitely. I mean, we can look at some penthouses if you want. I have a list of interesting ones, but if I want to be close to my cousins then we should move into my old neighborhood. Plus, those old houses feel like home to me, I can’t imagine living in a different style of architecture We can renovate to update it if need be.”
I give her an indulgent smile. “If that’s what you want, then put together a list and we’ll schedule the viewings around my work obligations.”
