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“As a gesture of good faith, I’m going to have my bartender keep our respective weapons behind the bar. Will that work?” he asked, as if I really had a chance to answer no.
“Absolutely. We are businessmen.”
“Good to hear. Too much blood has been shed already.” Liam took a moment to glance from one side to the other, as if he was reminding the customers that this wasn’t going to become a shooting gallery. He placed his weapon on the bar first, giving the bartender a solid nod.
Both Michael and I dropped our main weapons on the surface as well, following Liam into the back room where his right-hand man closed the door. At least there were the four of us instead of a room full of armed soldiers.
The location was a small conference room with a bar on one end. There was also another door that I assumed headed toward a private exit. I had a feeling this was the location where his brother had done most of his business, the man now following in the brother’s footsteps.
“Can I offer you a drink, Jonathan?”
I hadn’t been called by a formal name in a long time.
“Scotch,” I told him. “And you can call me Jonny.”
He seemed surprised, giving me a nod of respect. There wasn’t a question as to whether my man or his would be offered one. They were nothing more than placeholders at this point, enforcers meant to keep the peace. If either one was offended, you couldn’t tell. They knew the score better than anyone.
As he made the drinks, I settled into a seat, pushing the folder across the table. He took his time, pouring both glasses full of amber liquid from a decanter. Walking toward me, he stared me in the eyes, attempting to determine if I had a hidden agenda.
“I admit it, Jonny, I was shocked that you wanted to have a meeting. That takes guts and balls the size of watermelons. From what I’ve heard about your reputation, you are very take-charge. I appreciate that.”
I laughed softly, lifting the dense crystal in a salute. He watched me with a wry smile on his face, waiting for my reaction before sitting down. “Yes, I don’t like to leave anything to chance or to misunderstandings. And this is very nice. Some of the best liquor I’ve had.”
“I appreciate the compliment. The Irish can make decent whiskey. From one of my distilleries.”
“I’ll have to order a case.”
Liam snapped his fingers at his man. “Finn. Ensure our friends have a case of our finest before they leave.”
“Yes, sir.”
The man was nothing if not a consummate host. “Very much appreciated.”
“I value a man who can appreciate excellent liquor. Now, I understand you have some business you want to discuss.”
“First, allow me to say how sorry I am about your brother and sister-in-law. We had a very good meeting only hours prior to his death.”
Liam took a deep breath, leaning over the table. His reputation was of a fiery redhead that had no control, brutal and destructive. Perhaps with the death of his brother, he’d realized certain politics were best used when dealing with one’s enemies. And up to this point, that’s what I was, no matter the gestures of good faith. “Are you trying to tell me that you had nothing to do with Ronan’s murder?”
I looked him directly in the eye, not blinking. “No, I did not.”
After a full twenty seconds, he took a deep breath. “Oddly enough, I believe you. I can always tell when a man is lying. The question is do you know who is responsible?”
“Not yet. That’s where our alliance comes in.”
I nodded toward the file and he sighed, taking a sip of his drink before opening it. Within seconds, I could tell he was engrossed with my business offer as well as with what little I’d learned from Sedona.
“From what I can tell, you’re being used,” he said after finishing reading over the documentation.
“It would appear so. To that end, I plan on leaving the city tonight. If I want any chance at clearing my name I can’t be behind bars.”
“I can’t say I blame you. If what you’re suggesting is the truth, then we both have issues to deal with.”
“Yes, most of which are better handled for me in Montreal. However, I will want my name cleared. I intend on doing additional business here in the States.”
“I like your offer. It beats the hell out of the bullshit Sean Callahan presented to me,” Liam said, snorting afterwards.
“Yeah, well, sadly, I don’t believe he’s trustworthy any longer.”
