Chapter Forty-Three
Ronan
The shite with the feds ends up taking a lot longer than I’d hoped. They questioned me, but with circumstances being what they were they didn’t have enough to arrest me.
The syndicate has a barrister who is used for occasions such as these. He maintains his own connections within the judicial system and he uses them often in exchange for a hefty bonus from Niall. But when the feds get involved it can be a complication. They are used to dealing with mafia now. They know how it works. Witnesses disappear, evidence gets tampered with, things have a way of going wrong before they ever get to trial.
That’s why often times they would rather get you to turn on your mates before it ever gets to a courtroom. But they don’t understand the ways of the syndicate. They don’t understand that the blood oath we swear is real and is for life.
“Fitz,” Crow greets me when I walk into Slainte with the barrister in tow. A few of the other lads are here as well, preparing to discuss the future of the syndicate.
“Crow.” I nod in his direction.
He shakes the barrister’s hand and then we all head down to the basement where we generally meet on such occasions. The room is already set up with drinks when we sit down. Crow takes his place at the head of the table, with me right beside him. He folds his hands over the wood and glances around the room, the expression on his face solemn.
It goes without saying how much Niall means to him. He’s like a father to Crow. He’s been good to both of us, and I have nothing but respect for the man as well.
“I’ve been to see Niall,” he says. “He’s very ill and the docs say it’s likely to be a long recovery for him.”
“So what now?” Conor asks.
The room is quiet for a pause, and Crow’s eyes are glassy when he looks to me. There have been few times I’ve seen the lad get such emotion in his eyes, so I know the situation is more serious than he’s leading us to believe.
“Niall was of a sound mind,” he continues. “And though I insisted we wait until he recovered to make any sort of big decisions, he didn’t agree. He would like to be at home with his family. He’s ready to retire.”
Again, the room falls silent. The gravity of the situation sinks in as the lads reach for their glasses and make quiet toasts to Niall and his family. This means things are going to change now, in a big way. Crow will become boss of the MacKenna Syndicate. And he will choose his right hand man.
I’m not in the least surprised when his eyes fall on me a moment later.
“Fitz.” He clears his throat. “I’m sure I don’t even need to ask ye. But it’s my choice, and if I have to choose from any of the lads, I know who I want by my side.”
I’m quiet, trying to process what this means for me. He wants me to take on the role of underboss. Run Slainte and all the lads who deal operations through here. It’s a heavy role, and I consider it as such.
I don’t just have myself to think of anymore. Sasha might not like it. The higher up you move, the more protected you become. But this also means there’s the potential for a bigger target on my back.
Crow reads the indecision weighing heavily on me, so he helps me along in his usual way.
“I know ye’re going to be a father,” he says. “Congratulations, by the way, Fitzy… I didn’t know ye had it in you.”
Some of the lads laugh, but it doesn’t bother me in the way that it used to. I have Sasha, so they can laugh all they like.
“You’ll be running the operations here at the club,” he says. “No more foot work out on the streets. You said ye wanted more responsibility, Fitz, and this is it. This means less time in the basement. More time for you to spend with your family, which I’m sure Sasha will be happy with.”
He leans back in his chair and gives me a moment to think about it. “So, what do ye say? I really can’t do without you.”
Crow has always been there for me. Has always had my best interests in mind. Even though his focus is keeping the syndicate afloat and running, his lads never fall by the wayside. I told him I wanted to do other things. Take on more responsibility. And this is my opportunity to do so. To prove to Sasha I can be the man she needs. The man our child needs.
“Aye.” I give him my answer with a nod.
A smile cracks across his face and he slaps me on the back.
“Grand,” he says. “That’s just grand, Fitzy. We’ll swear you in this evening.”
“What about Sasha?” I ask.
Crow makes a gesture to Conor who scrambles out the door to retrieve the barrister who’s still waiting outside. He comes and takes a place at the table, and we get down to business.
“Sasha.” Crow looks to him. “What do we need to do to keep her safe?”
“At this stage,” he says. “It’s best she stays wherever she is. Once all of this has blown over, she can come back. But right now they can’t use her against you if they don’t know where she is.”
I nod, because I suspected as much. But his next words catch me off guard.
“I’d also recommend you two get married, sooner rather than later,” he says. “So for future situations such as these, you have spousal privilege to fall back on.”
Crow looks to me and smirks. “Told ye to make an honest woman of her, Fitz.”
I shrug, but even I can’t hide the smile on my face this time. All of the lads are looking at me like I’ve gone mad. I doubt they’ve ever seen me smile before.
After the meeting wraps up, they filter out of the room and I stay behind with Crow. He probably suspects I want to speak with him in private. I do, but it’s not about the matter at hand like he thinks.
He pours us both another drink and then gives me his attention.
“I need a baby,” I tell him.
He’s silent for a long while, tipping back the glass in his hand and downing the liquor inside it. “I’m not sure I heard ye correctly,” he says. “In fact, I’m sure I didn’t.”
“For practice,” I explain.
Now he’s looking at me like I’ve gone mad as well.
“Don’t tell me you couldn’t do with some too,” I argue. “When’s the last time you were even around a wee baby?”
He shrugs. “I haven’t a clue, Fitz.”
“Aye.” I nod. “So find us a baby.”