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I can’t very well tell him I’ve lost all focus because I’m waiting for a text from Piper. She’s still the enemy in Tag’s eyes and I’m supposed to understand that and put the family first.
Besides, she probably got caught up after the funeral and is just meeting up with those girlfriends who share a flat up in Cabra. The fact that I haven’t heard from her doesn’t mean she’s in trouble.
I might have a serious protector complex developing. Piper is a smart girl just beginning to assert her independence. She doesn’t need me hovering.
“No. Nothing. The day is just wearing on me.”
Tag leans back in his chair and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Aye, I’m well acquainted with that feeling, but I need you to focus. My call with Anton Volkov is in three hours and I still don’t have a workable plan about how to unseat Mattie in this gun deal.”
“Ask and ye shall receive, brother.” Finn has a spring in his step as he bursts into the meeting room, laptop in hand, followed by Laine.
The moment Tag sees his fiancé, he launches to his feet. “What’s wrong? Why did Finn bring you here?”
Laine waves away his concern and points to where Finn is setting himself up on the table. “We have an idea—a good idea about how to handle the Russians.”
I stride over to the door and shout down the hall. “Brendan and Bryan, family meeting.”
Finally, maybe we can end this.
Brendan and Bryan hustle in a moment later and I point to the door. “Close that.”
Bryan gets the door, and then we all move to stand behind our baby brother.
“All right, Finny, what have you got?”
He meets my question with a smile. “The biggest problem we’ve been having trying to overtake the McGuire gun deal is the volume, right?”
Tag crosses his arms. “Aye, we could accept their first shipment, but we have no use for that number of weapons on a regular basis.”
“Not to mention it would pull funding from our legitimate businesses,” Laine adds.
When did everything Quinn become‘our businesses’? It irks me a bit that Tag has opened us up to the woman so quickly, but she’s smart and he’s happy, so I let it go.
“Well, worry no more, brothers, because we have the answer.” Finn grins and opens the files Laine gave us from the Tessiano Outfit.
She smuggled a thumb drive out of the states, hidden in the urn of her mother’s ashes. It contained a dozen folders filled with detailed operational information from the Chicago crime family.
“The Tessianos want guns. The Russians want us to buy their guns. Why don’t we act as middlemen and either connect the two or take a cut of the transaction fees to handle shipping?”
I pat Finn’s shoulder. “The idea has bite to it.”
Tag doesn’t look so sure. “But if we approach the Tessianos, knowing what we know, there’s a good chance they’ll realize Laine is alive and living here with us.”
Laine flashes him a sweet smile. “Which might happen anyway at some point. Better we address the situation and clarify that I’m not a risk. The Tessianos are businessmen first and foremost. I have no interest in causing them trouble or in hiding for the rest of my life. If you explain that we’re together and make them see the benefit of an alliance, it might solve two problems.”
Tag doesn’t seem convinced, but by the looks Brendan and Bryan are flashing me, the rest of us are loving this idea. Which is why they’re all looking at me.
I’m Tag’s voice of reason.
“It’s a solid plan, T. It would also ally us with two strong powers elsewhere in the world.”
“Never hurts to have more friends in low places,” Brendan adds.
Bryan tips his glass back and sets the empty on the table. “And it would shut down Mattie in a big way.”
“That in itself is reason enough to do it.” I meet Tag’s gaze and make sure he’s really paying attention. “The truce is over, brother. Despite wanting to keep Da’s legacy of peace alive, the McGuires have other plans. If we don’t start fighting back, the violence will escalate.”
He frowns, but I read the resignation in his eyes. He knows I’m right. “Fine. Let’s brainstorm the different scenarios of how it could work.”
