Chapter Twenty-Six
Callumtiltshisheadtoward the sky, then lets out a huff of cigarette smoke. It’s August, the weather is absolutely disgusting, and we’re having a meeting in the shipyard in the middle of this heat, instead of in O’Doul’s, the bar we own just two blocks away. The bar that’s air conditioned.
“Why are we here?” Callum asks, seemingly annoyed that he’s been summoned.
And I agree, because fuck this. Sean is the baby of the family and he’s ordering us around like he’s the boss. “You’re allowing it,” I say, swiping at sweat falling from my eyebrow. “You could have at least told him we needed to meet at the bar.”
“I did and he told me there’s too many listening devices.”
One brow scrunches while the other raises. “What does that even mean?”
“It means your paranoid baby brother has decided the technology he uses to keep us safe is unsafe. He believes that since he’s bugged our phones, that someone else has bugged others and he doesn’t want us around spies,” Callum says, dramatic hand waves at the end to showcase how nutty he thinks Sean is.
Callum’s hot, too. I know this because he’s opted for basketball shorts and a t-shirt instead of the usual suit. He blows out his cigarette and tosses it to the ground, stomping on the butt.
“What’s this about, anyway?” I ask.
“Who knows with Sean?” Callum pushes off the brick wall, nodding his head toward Declan, who’s approaching with his hands stuffed in his pockets. “We just had to prevent a war when he hacked the Russians’ bitcoin. Are you surprised by anything he does?”
I snort. “True. I suppose not.”
“Why the fuck am I here?” Declan asks, stopping in front of Callum.
“More importantly, why is Sean late when he’s the one who called us here?” I ask.
“Because, dick wad,” Sean says, approaching. “I was busy formulating my plan. Need to make sure it’s fool proof before King Cal signs off on it.” Dressed in black skinny jeans and a long sleeve Henley, despite the hot fucking weather, he brushes his dark hair from his face.
“What’s going on?” Callum asks, letting out an exasperated sigh.
“We need to discuss the hits on Michael.”
Callum and I both turn to Sean, interested in whatever it is he’s about to say. “What hits?” I ask.
Sean laughs, nodding his head. “So he didn’t tell you. I was curious if he would.”
“He told me you hacked the video feed and found out how Camille got pregnant.”
“I’ve linked three execution attempts on Griffin to Giovanni Sorrentino.”
“And you have proof?” Callum asks. “Hard evidence I can bring toLa Cosa Nostra.”
“The night Scotty was shot, three Italian men flew to Boston from New York. They’re directly linked under Giovanni’s pay roll. I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that you were in New York dealing with Camille that evening, Paddy.”
I nod, recalling the night a few weeks ago. The night that she called me to tell me she’d fallen and was in the hospital. “She called me worried about the baby, and was going to get checked at the hospital.”
“And that doesn’t really check out. Maybe she really did fall, I don’t know. I couldn’t find anything to dispute it. But I think it’s a pretty fishy coincidence. I think she lured you away because she didn’t want you near Griffin. She knew what was going to happen.”
“How do three men fail so horribly?” Callum asks. “They were in an alley at close range. And they shot Scotty, not Griffin.”
“I don’t think they realized Scotty was a guard. Griffin and Scotty were arguing before turning down the alley. They probably thought Scotty and Griffin were in a lover’s quarrel. They weren’t expecting an armed guard to hear them, turn and shoot. I looked at the surveillance in the area. Scotty turned and opened fire first. He saw them and reacted before they could even respond. And Griffin took cover. They had to get out of there before they were caught.”
Callum grinds his teeth, processing the information. Declan’s arms are crossed, and I’m trying to figure out why the hell Michael didn’t tell me this earlier. Was he trying to protect me?
“And the other two instances?” Callum asks.
“I caught someone trying to break into his house without tripping the security system. I took care of it,” Sean says.
“Took care of it, how?” I ask.
