City on Fire (Danny Ryan, #1)(28)

“Sit down,” Pat says.

“He—”

“Sit down.”

Liam sits down.

“You’ve had an apology,” Pasco says to the Morettis, prompting them.

“We’re not apologizing for the beating,” Peter answers. “He had it coming. Also, we need recompense for the insult.”

“I think beating him half to death was sufficient ‘recompense,’” John Murphy says.

“I don’t,” Peter answers.

“What do you want?” Pasco asks.

“Three jobs on the docks,” Peter says.

Murphy looks to Pasco. “Times are hard. I don’t have three no-shows on the docks right now.”

“You have city jobs in the Tenth Ward,” Chris says.

“Those are Irish,” says Pat.

Chris looks at John. “Should I be talking to him now?”

“Should I be talking to you?” John answers.

Pasco asks, “Is this something you think you could do, John?”

Murphy shakes his head, then lays his chin on his chest, looks down and thinks a little. “I could do one job in the Tenth. Not three.”

Peter smiles. “Split the difference—two.”

“I don’t have two,” Murphy says. “I have the Blacks now, you know, to take care of. It keeps them quiet.”

Peter and Chris huddle again. What the hell, Danny thinks, Pete can’t take a piss unless Chris holds his dick for him? It’s a sign of weakness, something to be noted for the future. If you want to get into Peter’s ear, you talk to Chris.

Peter comes back and says, “One city job, one dock job.”

Murphy looks at Liam, like See what your dick costs us? Then he says, “If that will keep the peace, fine. Yes.”

“Peter?” Pasco asks.

“We’re satisfied.”

Over, Danny thinks. Done. Peace in our time and all that happy bullshit. Until Paulie has to open his stupid trap.

“I got one question,” Paulie says. “Liam, does she still like it up the ass?”

Liam gets back on his feet. Vito grabs Paul as Tito comes around the table and stands behind Liam, ready to grab him.

“That was way over the line!” Pat says.

“He was out of line,” Peter agrees.

But Paulie yells at Liam, “What are you going to do about it?! Huh, pussy, what are you going to do?!”

“You’re a brave motherfucker when you got guys with you,” Liam says. “Let’s see you run your mouth when you’re by yourself.”

“You got it.”

“Outside. Right now.”

“Let’s go.”

Pat says, “Liam, you’re in no condition to—”

“Fuck that,” Liam says.

“This is stupid,” Danny appeals to Pasco.

But Paulie and Liam are already heading for the door, and the rest follow. Danny’s way in back, he has his old man’s elbow, and by the time he gets outside Liam and Paulie are in the parking lot, fists up, and then Danny hears the shot and Paulie drops. He rolls on the gravel, holding his leg, blood leaking out from between his fingers.

Tito has his gun out, looking toward the boats docked across the channel, because that’s where the shot came from.

Peter kneels beside his brother. Liam heads to his car, Pat striding behind him in confusion. Danny grabs his father tighter by the elbow and with Ned’s help hustles him toward their car. Jimmy’s already pulling it up to them.

“Hit it,” Danny says to Jimmy. “Get the fuck out of here.”

Thinking, Please, God, don’t let Paulie die.





Fourteen


“What did you do?!” Pat screams at his brother. He grabs him by the front of the shirt and shakes him. “What the hell did you do?!”

The bedroom door is open and Danny can see Pam sitting on the bed, watching the scene in the living room. He starts to get up and shut the door, then thinks, Fuck it—let her see the man she chose.

“Who was the shooter?” Pat asks.

Liam shakes his head. Pat slaps him hard across the face. Danny sees Pam flinch as she watches.

But she watches.

Liam says, “Mickey Shields.”

“Who?”

Danny don’t recognize the name, either.

“He’s from the other side,” Liam says.

“Fuck.”

Danny blows a sigh. Liam is always messing around with this Irish shit, now he brought someone over to do a job?! Jesus Christ, Liam. You knew you couldn’t get anyone in New England to do this, so you went to the hard men in the North?

“What did you pay him?” Pat asks.

“I told them maybe we could help them out with some guns or something.”

Danny feels like his head is going to blow off. On top of all the shit that’s going to come down on us now, Liam makes promises to the freakin’ IRA?! About guns? Which will bring heat from the FBI? So if the Italians don’t kill us, we spend the rest of our lives in a federal lockup?

“Do you know what you’ve done?” Pat asks his brother. “Liam, do you know what you’ve done to us?”

Danny glances through the open door at Pam.