Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90642 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90642 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
“You’re right, it’s okay, but if I can avoid you getting upset again—” I stop there because I don’t want to reveal just how much this matters to me. “Just trust me when I say that it’s in everyone’s best interests if my people provide more support to your brothers.”
“I doubt that,” she says softly and climbs into my truck, not looking at me. I’m not sure why she seems upset, but it doesn’t matter.
The Quinn clan’s going to war for the first time in their history.
Chapter 20
Brody
The conference room is too hot. I complained about it to the office manager but there’s nothing she can do aside from call the building supervisor. I unbutton the top two buttons of my shirt and lean back in my chair, a bottle of cold water in my hand, the condensation rolling down the plastic.
My siblings stare at me with varying levels of unease.
“Explain to me again why we need to put our people at risk for the Biancos?” Seamus says, arms crossed over his chest, every inch of his posture screaming fuck this shit.
“Dad always avoided fights,” Molly says and looks around the room. “Didn’t he always say you don’t take risks?”
“Sometimes you have to roll the dice,” Declan says, cracking his knuckles. I didn’t expect him to be my most vocal supporter, but that’s how things shook out. He seems almost eager.
“Right, maybe if that risk involved our own people,” Seamus says, glaring at him. “But there is absolutely no benefit to sticking our necks out for a family that’s already ten times more powerful than we are. Let the big guys duke it out.”
“We don’t always have to be passive,” Caitlin says, but nobody really listens to her. My poor littlest sibling and youngest sister. I smile at her, since I appreciate her support and value her input, even if the others steamroll over her.
“I say we fight.” Nolan flicks a pen around his fingers. “Why the fuck not?”
“We’re lawyers,” Seamus says, throwing his hands in the air. “We’re not fucking thugs.”
“Actually, we sort of are,” Nolan points out. “I mean, we’re lawyers, but most of our organization—” He waves a hand at the windows, gesturing toward the city.
Seamus rubs his forehead. “Yes, we have a ground game, but that’s only in small pockets of the city and mostly in the big Irish enclaves. What you’re talking about is much bigger.”
I let them bicker for a little while longer. Seamus is adamant against fighting and Molly generally agrees, while Declan and Nolan are pro-war and on my side. Caitlin’s somewhere in the middle, though I think she would prefer if we remained in our own lane and didn’t risk any bloodshed.
But in the end, the decision falls on my shoulders. It always does. No matter how much I want to spread the responsibility around, I took my father’s position because I knew it had to be me. It was always going to be me.
“We’re fighting,” I say once there’s a lull in the conversation. “Seamus and Molly, you both make good points, and if either of you decides you don’t want to be directly involved then I won’t force it on you.”
Seamus rolls his eyes. “Fuck you, bro. If you fight, we fight.”
I’m grateful for that, but I’ll express it later. “You all need to understand that this is about growth. We’ve stagnated for a long time under Dad’s leadership and you all know it. Yes, we have a good thing going, we have some territory and a good amount of men working for our organization, but the world is changing. Small groups like ours can’t compete like we used to, and our margins are getting thinner, and our scores are getting smaller, and one day we’ll find that we really are just lawyers and nothing else. I want to make sure that doesn’t happen. I think this is our opportunity.”
Everyone’s staring. I can feel some of Seamus’s skepticism beginning to waver.
“How?” Declan asks, breaking the tense silence.
“Bianco and Santoro are going to fight, but one of them will win, and the other will lose. Once that happens, there will be new territory to split up, money and opportunities to seize. I’m betting on the Biancos, and I want to make sure we’re right there when it’s time to redraw the lines.”
“You really think Simon Bianco is going to reward us?” Seamus asks, looking dubious. “It’s a big risk.”
“Don’t forget who my wife is. He’s not dumb.” I look at my siblings, one at a time. “I won’t force this on any of you, but I’m going to tell the organization in the next few days what the plan is. We’re officially joining the war.”
I let that sink in. Seamus still isn’t convinced, and Molly looks nauseous at the thought, but at least Declan and Nolan seem like they’re both ready and raring to start pulling the trigger. Caitlin slips out first, shaking her head as she leaves.