Arthur shrugged.“Fromwhat I always knew...A secret is a secret as long as only one or two people know it, don’tcha think?”
“Oh, aye.”Finn nodded.“That’s surely a fact.What I’m wondering is what this secret’s all about and why he thinks this is so important that he can use it to bargain his way out of the hoosgow?”
Arthur smiled faintly.“Well, this secret isn’t that kind because that old witch’s men all know it.”
“And just what do they all know?”Liam asked.
Arthur leaned back against the wall and shook his head.“That Sanchez woman has a grudge against every member of your family and now that grudge is out in the open.She’s in hiding until her men get into position to do what she wants.All was going well with her plan until her son screwed the pooch and got himself arrested.”
“Aye...”Seamus ran his hands over his head.“But I have a feeling we only figured out half her revenge and that may not even be right.”
Arthur sat back and studied the men in the room.“ I heard that she started making her plans a long time ago.Whatever started some of this mess had nothing to do with her.You guys have your own enemies, don’tcha?”
Seamus nodded.“This didna start with her but she thinks she can just step up and end it.That would be her first mistake.”
“No laddie.”Finn shook his head.“Her first mistake would have been going after yer da and getting told no.Giving out all the time about how Patrick belonged to her.”He sat back in his chair.“That was her first mistake.”
“Aye,” Liam agreed.“And her second mistake was taking yer ma away from yer da.To think he never knew that Ria murdered her.That was her second strike, this secret is her third strike and this is where we throw her arse down to the ground.”
Arthur shook his head.“And what do you want from me then?Why did you send for me?”
Finn studied him for a moment and told him, “We called you in because Ms.Darleen told us that you might know more about this than we do.That you might have information we need to finally stop her.”Shrugging he added, “So we sought you out to see what you might know.”
Arthur frowned and looked over at Darleen.“Is that true, child?Did you offer me up to them?”
Darleen shook her head.“No, Arthur.I didn’t mean to offer you up to them.I simply told them that you always know what others don’t.I came here to warn them about the attack tonight, then we all watched her son get arrested on video.He was shouting about knowing something the O’Malley’s needed to know.He was looking to make a deal that would get him out of jail.Just goes to show he would literally throw his own mother under the bus to save his own skin.I can’t imagine that’s going to settle with her so well.”She shrugged.“I know you Arthur and I trust you more than anyone else in the world.I also know you listen to what’s said, secrets no one else would care to know or even think about.You hear the pulse of this city, you know who the movers and shakers are and I have an idea that you know what the O’Malleys are up against too.”
Arthur nodded as he openly admitted, “Yeah, I know more than I let on.”Then he turned and studied the men sitting at the table.“So would you like to know what I’ve learned about your family?”
Finn nodded.“Aye, we would.”
Arthur leaned against the wall again and was silent for a long moment.Then he said, “I’ve been living on the street for a long time now.I’ve seen businesses come and go in this area.I was there, watching you guys from almost day one.I saw you moving in and building your business up.I’ve watched you over many years and I’ve concluded you are honorable men.You have built a good business here, you’ve hired good people and you’ve treated them very well.You don’t push and shove them around.You don’t talk down to your people and in turn, they are loyal to you.The good Lord knows we need good people to provide jobs to survive.But her son is correct, you got a real worry with this woman, she’s out to take you down and take you down hard.And she doesn't care who gets hurt in the blowback of her scheme.That alone makes her dangerous.”
Liam shook his head.“It seems that well over forty years ago she lost her damn mind when my brother rejected her for the love of his wife and wee son.And now we have to clean up the mess she chose to make.”
Seamus stared at Arthur and asked, “What do you know about Ria Sanchez?What is her darkest secret?”
Arthur looked back at him and shrugged.“I don’t know her from Eve but then I don’t know a lot of people in this city by name.I watch and I listen and I know the type of woman she is very well.But she would never notice a man like me.She thinks she’s above people like me and Darleen.”He paused.“But you know something?People like me and Darleen, we know more about the people of this city than anyone realizes.We see how they treat each other too.We know secrets no one else thinks we do.We hear and see more than we should but we never tell anyone unless they step out of line and raise a hand against someone we protect.This woman...”He shook his head.“She thinks she’s bribed one of your men to do her bidding.She’s given him a bomb to blow up your operation here.She’s also arranged the very same for every other one of your family’s operations.They are all supposed to go off at the same time and it will happen in two days.It's some sort of anniversary for her.”
Darlene gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.
The whole room went silent as Arthur’s words sunk in
Seamus’ mouth fell open.“What the hell?”he whispered.He looked around at his uncles and asked, “What kind of anniversary could she be talking about?”
Liam and Finn both shook their heads.
“We don’t know, laddie,” Liam stated.
Finn paused and glanced over at Seamus.“I think I might know what anniversary she’s blathering about.Mauve’s accident and her death.The day after tomorrow must be the day your dad threw her out and told her not to bother him any more.In fact, I do remember it was this same month when that happened.The day he told her no and finally made her see he wanted nothing to do with her.”
“Sweet Mary, mother of Christ,” Liam muttered under his breath.
Finn looked over at his son Oran and said, “Call everyone in and I meaneveryone.We have to find the man, or woman she bribed.”
Arthur shook his head.“You don’t have to call everyone in.”
Finn swung his gaze over to him.“I need to know which one of my people would dare to turn his back on me and my family.If he’s set up a bomb somewhere in this place I need to find it and get rid of it before it blows.Then I’m going after the old witch herself.I’ll wring her neck for even daring to disrupt my family.”
