“Hey, DJ.”
“You remember her?” I say.
“Yeah, I do,” he says and moves to pull her into a hug.
I almost forgot how much DJ used to be around. My life seems like I’ve lived it in compartments. I forgot that at certain points, certain compartments have crossed.
“Let’s get to the VIP where we can sit and hear each other,” I say to everyone.
Kate grabs DJ by the hand and they move forward once again. Noah and I follow close behind them. I note where my guys are standing and shoot them all nods.
We get into the VIP and the music isn’t half as loud. I chuckle to myself as Kate and DJ sit talking at top speed. If you’re not Irish, you’re probably not catching a word of what they’re saying.
“That’s hilarious,” Noah laughs as he nods at the two of them.
“Come over to the bar. We can talk over there,” I say as I shake my head.
I want to give them space to talk and catch up. We turn to head for the bar. Looking around, I can’t help but feel like I did the right thing here. DJ is happy. That’s all I wanted.
Noah and I spend time at the bar shooting the shit and fucking about. I have my eyes on DJ the entire time. She and Kate have been talking nonstop.
I haven’t missed the looks DJ keeps shooting my way. I’m not sure how much time has gone by when Seán comes to whisper in my ear again.
“You have company. He says he only wants to talk,” he whispers.
I look over to where he’s nodding. Devin McCarthy is sitting at a booth surrounded by a bunch of women. I keep my face expressionless.
Whoever invited him can kiss their ass goodbye. I guess someone has shown they can’t be trusted, and now I know what the noise is. This will be another lesson for everyone.
I hadn’t planned on doing any business here tonight and this motherfucker hasn’t said shit I want to hear any other time we’ve crossed paths. He’s always worried about shit that has nothing to do with him. He reminds me of a snake.
“We have a problem?” Noah asks beside me as he follows my gaze.
“Not at all,” I mutter.
I glance over at DJ. She looks so fucking happy. Kate looks happy too.
I feel a little selfish for taking so long to bring them back together. Then I look back at Devin McCarthy and I’m reminded of my reasons for all I’ve done.
Had I known Logan would be gone this long, I would have gone a different route. Now I’m feeling trapped by what I started. I hate feeling trapped.
However, I’m not about to show any weakness tonight. Instead, I turn to head to an empty lounge sofa across from where DJ and Kate are. I take off my suit jacket and toss it overthe back of the sofa. My guns are now exposed, but I couldn’t care less.
Fuck the laws here and fuck anyone who has a problem. I dare someone to say something. The law enforcement here has long been under my family’s thumb.
Noah and I sit, and Seán moves to stand beside the sofa. I throw my arms over the back of the sofa, not having a care in the world. Devin nods at one of his guys and they stand to come over.
First rule. Always make them come to you. If you can change the setting and move them away from their original place of comfort, you’ve already won. It’s like a mouse moving in for the cheese.
They’re as good as trapped. Whatever McCarthy wants, he’s not going to get it. However, showing up here to force me to meet with him is going to cost him.
“O’Brien, I was hoping we could talk,” Devin says as he and his guy stop in front of my table.
“Your lips are moving, but you haven’t said shit worth hearing yet.”
“I think that’s one of the problems.”
“Who has a problem?”
