Chapter Four
Davin looked around the room. He didn’t bother to count. When Finn’s father had run things, they’d never had so few men. Of course, he’d never been one to tolerate men leaving the family, at least not while they were still alive.
Davin stood quietly next to Finn as the men finished filtering into the new club Finn had recently opened. These business ventures were key to the Kellys going straight, and they seemed to be working out, given that Finn had two profitable clubs with plans to open another two.
A chuckle threatened to erupt. For all the talk of Finn being soft, the truth was the guy still was a master leader and businessman. In the end, the point of the family business was to make money. Any stupid thug could kill people.
From where Davin stood, Ennis had been an idiot for leaving. He’d joined with the Russians and turned the town into a warzone, cutting into profits for everybody. If he’d stayed with Finn, they could have ruled the town and business sector with ease. Plus, less blood, more cash.
Kane and Torin moved and stopped beside Davin. They were his closest men and had been with him the longest.
He looked over at Torin who still seemed a little green from the festivities from the night before. He smirked.
“You look like you could use a big greasy burger with a runny egg on top,” Davin said.
Torin swallowed hard before shooting him a death glare. Which wasn’t really hard for the big guy with his shaved head and tattoos.
“Fucking cocksucker,” he mumbled under his breath.
Davin snickered.
“Should have quit when I told you,” Kane said with a shrug.
Kane was the oldest in the group and the deadliest, with or without a gun. Years ago, the brooding giant was king of the underground fighting circuit, taking out man after man in a single night. Everyone wanted a shot at him, but they all regretted it once they got it.
With big profit on the line, his manager got the bright idea to drug Kane so he’d lose a long-shot match with 100/1 odds. It didn’t matter. Kane got the shit beat out of him in that match, but he still managed to squeak by with a win.
The manager lost a fortune, so he and his goons took Kane out back and nearly finished the job.
Nearly.
They likely would have if they had known the sort of hell they’d unleashed.
It was that sort of fire in Davin’s men that made them so good at what they did. Made them deadly. And that’s exactly what they needed to be in order to go up against people like Boris.
Davin frowned as he thought about that. The Kellys always had a certain restraint, even going back to the Old Country.
Sure, no one deluded themselves that they weren’t criminals, but they still thought of themselves as sort of dark servants of the people.
Boris and his people though didn’t give a shit. Everyone was just a tool to make money and expendable.
Finn gave him a small nod before standing in front of the gathered men. Davin and Finn had talked several times about the best way to handle the situation. In the end, even gangsters had to worry about politics and appearances.
No matter how it was sliced, no organization wanted some outsiders stepping in to handle their garbage. At least the normal grunts wouldn’t, but it didn’t matter.
As long as they were firm about the changes, the men would do what they were told to get a check. Loyalty and money would be the glue keeping the family together as long as they didn’t strain the bonds too much.
“Let’s get this started,” Finn said to the group.
Davin stood behind him, staring down the men. They returned angry glares. They knew before he’d even started what was about to happen.
“The Russians have been quiet for the past few months,” Finn said. “We scored a large cache of weapons from them, and this likely hurt more than they want to admit. This also gives us a window of opportunity.”
Several men mumbled their approval.
“But they are far from on the run. We know they have roots in a casino in the town over. They’ve infiltrated the police and the ones in town have been tainted as well, according to sources.”
One grizzled man near the front snorted. “Who gives a fuck about some pigs? Fuck them. If they’re dirty, they’re dirty.”
Davin frowned and stepped forward. “You should,” he said flatly, and then looked to the other men in the room. “You all should. The cops keep order and keep things from sliding into too much shit. Do you want your home looking like a garbage dump?”
The man glared daggers at him. “Maybe I do,” he countered.
Davin wanted to roll his eyes. These men were fucking idiots. Not a one of them understood the order of things.
“We operate a business out of this town,” Finn said calmly. “And the point of business is to make money. If all the shops close up, and the people leave, we’ll have no business, and we won’t make any fucking money.”
Davin glanced over to his cousin. Finn was a far more even-tempered leader than he could ever be. But then, Davin wasn’t really a leader.
He kept men under him that understood his end goals and were smart enough to reach their own conclusions. He didn’t have grunts. He had warriors.
“Who the fuck is this?” another man asked, pointing to Davin.
Finn placed a hand on Davin’s shoulder. A sign of camaraderie. “This is my cousin Davin,” he said. “A few of you may recognize him from years back, or you may not, as he was just a scrawny kid then.”
Despite himself, he had to agree. Last time he’d been in town, he was still in training. It wasn’t until he met his great uncle of the Murray family that he really was able to hone his craft, so to speak.
“I’ve brought him and his men in to help with our problem,” Finn said.
Several of the men started to grumble.
“I don’t need some kid coming in to tell me what to do,” said one of the men.
Finn slammed his hand against the table in front of him, and silence filled the room. He stared down each of the men.
“We are outmanned and outgunned. The men Ennis left with have joined the Russians, and we’re running out of options if we don’t want to lose control of our town.”
It wasn’t a plea. It was a warning. They all knew what would happen if the Russians took over. They would either need to sign up with them or leave town. At that was assuming they were even given a choice.
Finn nodded to Davin to have him help fill in the gaps.
“Listen, I’m not your leader, and I sure as hell don’t plan to be,” Davin said. “We just want a place to settle in, and this is how we can help best. Plus, we’re new, so the Russians don’t really have a good handle on us yet.”
A man in front looked to Finn as his cousin spoke.
“What are we supposed to do then?”
“You’re going to do what you have been doing,” Finn said. “Keeping an eye on our assets. Making sure our houses and businesses are safe.”
The men seemed mollified by the idea they would have the most important job: keeping people safe. It didn’t hurt that many likely had families of their own and other people they wanted to protect.
That was why Davin and his men worked so well together. None of them were attached. In a sense, a family or lover could be a weakness an enemy could exploit.
It was hard, but sometimes you needed to leave the people you cared about behind to protect them. His heart twisted again. A small, nagging reminder of his true feelings.
“Now everyone needs to get back to their jobs,” Finn said. “We’re starting a war, and shit is about to get very real around here.”
As the men broke up, Davin followed Finn into the back office, with Noel, Kane, and Torin close behind. They closed the doors behind them.
“Where’s Conor?” Davin asked.
Conor was one of the few men still in town besides Finn Davin had kept in contact with over the years. He was also Finn’s right-hand man and oddly absent.
Noel shook his head. “He’s with Claire,” he said. “Pregnancy isn’t going so smoothly. Doctors have put her on bedrest, and Conor needs to be there to take care of her.”
Davin found himself surprised. Although he knew that Conor and Claire had married, he wasn’t aware they were having a child. Had it really been that long since he’d talked to any of them?
Finn seemed to catch the surprise on his face. “You’ve been gone a while,” he said softly.
Davin nodded and took a seat on one of the couches and ran a hand through his hair. “Guess it just doesn’t feel like it.” He shrugged.
Finn raised a brow. “Doesn’t it?”
“I guess I just thought since I knew the overall situation, I knew more about what was going on.”
When Davin thought about it, he realized just knowing a few big moves didn’t mean shit. In the end, it did seem like a long-ass time, especially when he thought about Morgan, and Finn knew it.
“You know, when I said you should go get some training, I didn’t mean for you to stay gone,” Finn said.
Davin shrugged. There was nothing to say really. He couldn’t come back. He couldn’t be in the same town as her and not act. When he’d met Morgan, he protected her, and he knew that dragging her into his world would endanger her. And a relationship with her couldn’t help but drag her into his world.
Hell, even now he was finding it difficult not to stop by her store. He needed to keep his mind focused on something else.
“So what’s the plan with the Russians?” Davin asked.
Finn leaned on his desk, his hands clasped together and circles clearly evident under his eyes. The strain of this whole situation was wearing on him.
“We know Boris is up to something,” he said. “We’ve had word there was a brief encounter, but otherwise, he’s lying low.”
Davin nodded. An enemy they couldn’t see was a danger to them all, especially someone like Boris.
“Any thoughts?” he asked.
Finn leaned back and heaved a large sigh, but it was Noel that spoke.
“We think he’s watching us. He’s too smart to get caught on camera, but we’re certain he’s testing the limits of the security systems in our buildings, particularly the clubs.”
Davin nodded. He’d already noticed they needed a total update on the electronics. “I’ve got a guy that can work wonders.” He stared at his cousin. “Don’t worry. We’ll keep your family safe.”
Finn gave a small smile at the mention of his family. It shaved years off him. “I have to protect them.”
Davin nodded. He could understand that. Maybe he’d have his tech guy Griffin stop by the book store as well and see what he could do. Although Davin might not be a part of Morgan’s life, the least he could do was make sure she was safe.
Noel stood. “The doors will be opening soon.”
Davin nodded. “We’ll come up with some plans for tracking that bastard and securing the area first thing in the morning. I’ll send you over the details.”
Finn stood as the other men shuffled out of the room and grabbed Davin’s elbow.
“You know it’s worth it,” Finn said softly.
Davin frowned, not quite sure what he was getting at.
“Opening yourself up to someone,” Finn said. “It’s worth it.”
Davin gave a small shake of his head. “Maybe for you, but I’m not exactly the settling down sort of guy.”
Finn gave him a half smile. His brow raised in just the right way. “Aren’t you?”
Davin frowned. This wasn’t up for debate. He’d made his choice, and that was just the way things were.
“I’m good,” he said, and pulled his arm away. “I’ll let you know the plans tomorrow.”
He could hear Finn sigh as he walked away but ignored him. It wouldn’t do any good to dwell on the past.