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“Gentlemen.”
Recognizing the American drawl, I close my eyes briefly and groan before plastering a smile on my face. Turning to face the formidable mafia leader who, due to the sheer size of the territory, runs the Manchester underworld, I step forward.
“Ruby Bellingham,” I say. “Figured you’d be here.”
“Who do you think called the meeting?” she asks, raising her eyebrow.
Ruby Bellingham is a force to be reckoned with. Dark-haired, green-eyed, and undeniably beautiful, she exudes arrogance and confidence in equal measure. As the leader of the city’s largest mafia syndicate, she has never been one to shy away from asserting her dominance in Manchester’s underworld. She and I have had our share of encounters, each one ending in a tense standstill, neither side willing to back down. Ruby’s relationship with my brother is no different – two equally stubborn forces colliding with enough intensity to spark a wildfire. Our cousins, Declan and Cillian, are with her. They’re identical twins that kinda look a bit like we do. It’s unnerving. Growing up, it was like there were five of us, not three. Their demeanor is brooding and serious, much like ours. They have been through as much hell as we have.
“Declan, Cillian,” I nod, acknowledging their presence as they stand behind Ruby. “Been a while.”
“Didn’t know we were having a family reunion today,” Cathal grits out, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
“Yeah, well, here we are,” Declan mutters.
“What do you know?” Cathal spits out.
“First things first,” she clips, her voice hard as steel. “Your little merger is causing quite a stir, and I’d like to know what this means for the rest of us.”
“Us?” Cathal scoffs. “Since when do you care about anyone else in this city?”
“Believe it or not, Cathal, I have a vested interest in maintaining some semblance of order. Your newfound alliance threatens that balance.” Ruby’s voice is calm and collected, but there’s an edge to her words.
“Maybe you should learn to adapt,” I suggest.
“Or maybe you should learn your place,” she retorts, not missing a beat. “I didn’t claw my way to the top by allowing assholes like you to disrupt the status quo.”
“Is that a threat?” Cathal growls, stepping closer to Ruby.
“Call it a friendly reminder,” she says, her eyes flicking between the two of us as she stands her ground. “I’m just here to make sure we’re all on the same page.”
“Fine,” I say, leaning against the wall and crossing my arms over my chest. “We’re listening.”
“Good,” Ruby replies. “Your alliance may give you power, but it also makes you a target. Do you really think the other gangs will just sit back and let you take over?”
“You’re telling us shit we already know. We are here to find out who the fuck tried to blow Cathal up.”
“Of course not,” Cathal snaps over the top of me. “But they’ll learn quickly enough that they don’t stand a chance against us.”
“Bold words,” Declan says, raising an eyebrow. “But can you back them up?”
He sneers. “Wouldn’t be standing here if we couldn’t. And quite frankly, Ruby, I don’t see why any of this is your business. You’ve got your territory, and we’ve got ours. If you’re so worried about maintaining order, focus on your own people.”
“Because when chaos reigns, everyone loses, Cathal. I’m trying to prevent that from happening by ensuring we all understand the new boundaries and expectations,” she insists, her green eyes filled with determination.
The tension in the warehouse is stifling as Ruby and I lock gazes, neither of us willing to back down. Cathal shifts next to me, clearly weakening on his feet. We need to move this along pretty fucking swiftly.
“Look, we’re all trying to survive in this fucked-up world,” Ruby says, her tone laced with irritation. “What you two have done by joining forces is a game-changer, which means every other gang has to reevaluate where they stand in the grand scheme of things.”
“Is that what this is about?” I ask, my voice dripping with venom as I feel we’ve been well and truly set up. “You’re here to remind us of our place?”
“Hardly,” she snaps back. “I’m here to make sure you don’t forget that your actions have consequences – for all of us.”
“Enough!” Cathal interjects, his anger rising to the surface. “We get it, Ruby. We know there’s a target on our backs, obviously, but we’re not changing our minds about combining the gangs. What we want to know now is if you know who fucked me over?”
“I have something,” she says, reaching into her jacket pocket.
My men go on red alert and step forward, ready to open fire. At least the loyalty is there after my little display of power a few days ago. For now.
