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“This is a dangerous road you are walking down my old friend. The devil we know is Melody. She has worked for us all, she has provided for us all; not once have I heard of an issue she has not addressed on our behalf. No Irishman is better off than us. We have peace. I’m not watching children get half their faces blown off all because you and everyone else here wants more!”
“The devil you know doesn’t care about you.” Emilio handed his glass to someone else and everything was now silent. “The devil you know only wants power for herself.”
“Everyone wants power for themselves.” I finally spoke up and for the first time since I’d arrived, it seemed like they noticed me. “That isn’t the issue. What is the problem is what happens when said people get that power. As we have stated, the boss has never once used that power to tear down her own.”
“The boss.” He snickered at that. “The boss of what? She’s the governor, a mommy. She handed over everything to Liam Callahan years ago. You know that. Isn’t it him you meet with now? She has you crawling to the man whose family nearly destroyed all of yours, a man whose only loyalty is to his own. If you want the truth, fine, have it: Melody Callahan will either step away from us peacefully, or I’m going to take power from her piece by piece.”
“How many good people are going to die in that process?” Big Tony asked him.
“Right now,
just one.” He turned to face me and before I could move, he had already pulled out his gun.
BANG.
MELODY
“Oh, I’ve missed you all!” I wrapped my arms around my children, all of them now on my bed with me. Liam leaned on the bedpost, his arms crossed but a small grin on his face as he watched us.
“Mommy, they said we are leaving, why?” Dona played with my hair, twisting it. “I don’t wanna go again.”
“Me either,” Wyatt grumbled, crossing his hands. “I’m going to stay right here with you.”
“But Mommy and Daddy have work to do.” I poked his nose.
“You guys always have work, why is this different?” Ethan asked, of course, looking between Liam and me. Liam put his hand on his head before sitting down beside me.
“It’s…very complicated Ethan. But right now it’s not safe—”
“You said we are always safe in the city.” He pushed back, annoyed. “Is it the person that hurt Mom? I want to stay, Dad. Send Dona and Wyatt away.”
“HEY!” Dona and Wyatt yelled at him.
“If you stay I’m really staying!” Wyatt pushed his arm.
“You’re a kid!” Ethan pushed him back.
“So you are you.” Dona frowned.
He shook his head. “I’m a preteen.”
At that I rolled my eyes, laughing as I kissed his forehead. “You are also a kid, Ethan, a kid who has to go and look out for his siblings.”
“I want to stay,” Ethan said again.
“Ethan,” Liam spoke in his dad voice.
He got up. “Whatever—”
“Excuse you,” I snapped at him and he froze. “I know you are upset, but you do not disrespect us, am I clear? We said you are leaving for a while, that means you are leaving. This is not a democracy. You don’t get a vote. Sit down.”
They were all silent when there was a knock at the door. Liam rose to open it and I kissed their cheeks, one by one.
“Go to bed, I’ll be in later,” I said when Liam glanced back at me.
Quietly they jumped off our bed and left through the second door. I rose from the bed and saw that neither Declan nor Liam had wanted to fill me in on whatever it was. Instead, I walked to the front of the house and it seemed every maid and butler was inside. Cora stood at the door, rocking baby Darcy in her hands.
“What is going on?” I asked Liam. He didn’t say anything, and he didn’t have to. Once we got outside, I saw him.
