Page 103 of Mob Star

“I’m with Shane.”

“Ok. Let me get Seamus and Sean.”

I get them on the line before I say anything important.

“I’m at Thea’s parents’ house. I didn’t know this until we arrived, but Dillan, you and I met Thea’s dad in Boston when we were nineteen. Brandon’s on the call with us. We’re in the living room.”

I’m grateful this is an older home and not open concept.

Dillan responds first. “You have a birthmark on your arm, don’t you? I saw it on Ally’s arm a few days ago. I remember you now.”

“I do.”

“How do you know each other?” Seamus already isn’t thrilled about this conversation.

“When Dillan and I were nineteen, do you remember Uncle Donovan made us go to Boston with him? Corey and his guys were there when Uncle Donovan was negotiating with Rowan’s dad. Remember the firefight six months later? Remember how I almost got shot after killing one of Corey’s men? Brandon was there.”

I won’t confess Brandon was the one who nearly killed me.

“Your future father-in-law nearly killed you.” I guess Shane’s going to put that out there.

“And I’m eternally grateful I didn’t. Finn makes my daughter happy.”

There’s silence for a moment, then Dillan speaks. I’m confident he’ll go along with what I want, but I can’t be certain until we hear what he has to say.

“If Finn’s calling all of us with you, then you know something we need to. What happened?”

I nod to Brandon, encouraging him to tell Dillan. I don’t want to get the details wrong since I can only assume a lot.

“Uncle Corey cost me my job to force me to accept his financial help. I refused to do that, so he’s pushing for Ally to go back to Boston. He knows she’ll consider it to help me. Neither she nor her mother and I want her anywhere near Boston. If Ally weren’t with Finn, I’m certain Uncle Corey would target her and press harder. He caused my bicycle accident as a reminder that he believes he still owns me. He hasn’t since I was a kid. Now he wants me to ride with him to some deal in Brighton Beach that’s supposed to happen with the Albanians. Finn says it’s likely really the Russians.”

When Brandon says nothing more, I continue with my hypothesis. I’m not fully convinced and won’t be until we’re there. But this is what I’m guessing based upon what Brandon shared before this call.

“I think Maks wants us there. Thea had some odd pages the other day. Death was the common denominator. It was a warning. I suspect Sergei or Anton hacked the hospital’s paging network or had someone do it for them. They want me pissed off at Corey and going after him to prevent this deal with the Albanians. It’s a bit of a stretch, but a logical one. Maks knows Corey would order Brandon to go with him since we took out Corey’s men. Maks knows that if Brandon goes, so will I. If I go, we all go.”

“How do they know any of this to put it together?” Brandon’s question is reasonable, and I don’t love the answer I have to give to my girlfriend’s father.

“We follow each other, and all of us have informants.”

He doesn’t look surprised. He nods. But it doesn’t take him verbalizing his frustration to know he feels it. It hardly thrills him to know people will follow his daughter. At least when she’s with me. Shane shifts the focus when he speaks.

“Do you want to keep Maks from getting further involved? You can let the meeting happen with the Albanians. It can be mutually beneficial for you, Mr. Gallagher, and us.”

“It’s Brandon. I suspect we will be in-laws in a couple months.”

I fucking hate my fair skin. I tan, which is great. But when I blush, I’m fire engine red. He already said Thea and I are meant to be, but that’s not the same as knowing we’ll live together and all that goes along with that. That’s why we were going to wait to tell her parents and mine that we want to move in together.

“As long as Corey is no longer a threat to my family, your family can do whatever you want to the others.”

Shane plows on. “Then we need to know when and where. We need to know what the bratva plans to gain. Right now, the bratva and Cosa Nostra have put the most pressure on the Albanians. Maybe we should let them know we feel left out.”

Seamus probably has his phone out and is already tapping out a text as he adds his thoughts. “I’ll speak to Bujar and see what he knows. I don’t know if he’ll know how the bratva’s involved, but he can tell us about the Albanians. He should tell us the where and when. We can confirm that against what Corey tells you, Brandon. He should tell us what goods will exchange hands.”

“Victor didn’t tell me anything about the bratva getting more involved with the Albanians when he checked in yesterday. I might need to remind him that a selective memory isn’t good enough.” Cormac’s great at refreshing people’s memory.

Seamus oversees a lot of our informants since he’s also our criminal defense attorney. It pays for him to know his clients. If he’s too busy, then Cormac steps in. Bujar has a healthy fear of Cormac after watching my cousin crush his brother’s skull with his fist.

I need to know a few things since I’m certain Dillan will let me lead because it involves my girlfriend and her family. I’d beat my chest and roar my woman if it weren’t such an inappropriate time. But that’s how I feel.

---