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I continue gathering food onto my plate, wondering if him not mentioning it or asking me if I want to go is a sign that he doesn’t want me to be his date.
Maybe the fight is a family thing he does with his brothers.
Maybe he doesn’t want to put me in the public eye as his plus one.
Whatever the reason, it’s too new for me to expect an invitation. He’s known me less than a week, so it makes perfect sense that he might not alter his plans around his new girl.
“Speaking of the McGuires,” Finn says, “Are you still planning on attending the funerals for the three boys the McGuire drugs killed?”
“Aye. I’ve blocked off the day for it.”
I take in the black on black he’s wearing with new understanding. “People the McGuires killed at the pub?”
“No, luv.” Tag picks up a country biscuit and, when I nod, sets one on my plate as well. “Before the attack on the pub, we’d dealt with one of McGuire’s drug dealers who came onto our side of the river. The poison he was peddling killed three local lads before we caught up to him.”
I swallow. “And what happened when you caught up to him?”
Tag meets my gaze with nothing but the bold truth. “We injected him with his own poison, and he died the same violent death as the innocents under my protection.”
He says no more, and I know this is a test. He’s showing me the realities of his life and waiting for my reaction. After years of being left out of conversations, I appreciate that he’s honest with me. “That seems poetically just.”
He dips his chin. “I thought so. The lad knew the laws, and he chose to ignore them.”
I take my plate to the table and sit. “I’d like to learn about your laws. How does one go about finding them?”
Tag sets his plate down at the head of the table and then strides out of the room. He returns a moment later with a framed picture he’s taken off the wall. “Da hung this up in the living room years ago.”
Finn laughs. “I forgot all about that.”
Tag hands it to me and then takes his seat to dig into his breakfast. I hold the frame in front of myself and read the fine script.
The Quinn Laws
No Killing in Dublin Streets:
As Quinns, we must strive to keep the public spaces safe and to avoid turning the city into a battleground. Always work to maintain a peaceful façade and ensure civilians are not caught in crossfires or used as pawns in mafia wars.
No Drugs, Guns, or Violence Will Impact the Innocents:
Ensure that illegal activities do not harm innocent people. This underscores strict control over where and how arms and drugs are traded and ensures that violent acts are kept away from civilian areas.
Protection of Local Businesses:
The Quinn family pledges to protect local businesses from extortion and vandalism, unlike other mafia families that use such tactics for income. This law garners support and loyalty from the community and fosters a stable economic environment.
