(This chapter contains talk of sexuality & sexual preferences. Fairly PG-16 but wanted to warn you)
Mulligan's Pub
Boston
Neala Mulligan couldn't help the chuckle that escaped while listening to her oldest rant on the other end of the phone. Then came the indignation that she could be amused when he was dealing with a women like Kennedy Cole. But her amusement dissipated quickly hearing how disrespectfully Finn was talking about the lass.
" Enough!" Her voice cutting but never raised. " Are you reporting that you can't do the job assigned to you? That one singular women is too much of a handful for you and your cousins to handle?" She questioned her voice no longer a mothers but as Sean Mulligan's wife, a mafia queen.
" No mum" he answered with a tight voice
" Is the care of one of ours bellow your station as heir?" She questioned needing her son to realize how important this was. Needed him to remember what they'd lost and why this was a hard line. If it was just frustration, then that was fine. But Neala knew what could fester even in their family.
" Mum I'm sorry. I crossed a line. Kennedy is a fine lass. I meant no true disrespect. I promise." Her eldest voice held worry now and Neala forced herself to take a moment before she responded.
"Okay then" she murmured " The trailers will be delivered by this afternoon. Your father will be contacting you later with other developments." Neala informed needing to end this conversation. With a simple love you she hung up the phone and took a deep breath.
Sometimes she wished above all else that she could go back in time. See where she'd gone wrong. But you couldn't change the past, only learn from it. In her heart and mind she knew Finn was a good man at his base. But she was also now fiercely protective of any of the women in their family.
A soft knock on the office door pulled her from her thoughts.
" Aunt Neala, everyone's here" Dervil announced popping her head in the door.
Following her niece out into the bar Neala looked over the group of women gathered. The bar wouldn't open for another couple hours. And while the doors were heavily guarded, not a single man was allowed for these meetings. Joining them Neala took a seat beside Ella who was still with them after a year. On her daughters other side sat Greer who after a look at Neala got the meeting started.
These meeting had started when it became clear that the men in the family censored what they told the women. Lia's Return, Ella's existence, a child's betrayal. These were just the personal reasons Neala had for bringing the women together. They were done being pawns in the game. To be used against their husbands, their children taken from them. Never again Neala vowed as Greer gave everyone an update on current events.
" I'd like a couple more lads with Kennedy if we can work it out. Sean isn't happy with the club currently on site and even Magnus and Crow say they sound like a weak club. Initially the hope was that they'd offer another layer of protection. But half of them left the day she arrived." Neala spoke up when Greer was done.
" Crow is having Cript look into the club while he's in South Caroline with Irish. They're scheduled back next week" Ella offered and Neala felt her heart clench a little. Even after a year Ella hadn't returned once to South Carolina and Lia had kept her distance from Boston. As for Crow, the man was now riding a fine line between his club and the family. As he spent more time away than home.
Since Evander's birth eleven months before Neala had tried to help her lass heal while trying to move past her own grief. And anger too because she knew the truth about Colin. Found out herself. And while the lie was made out of kindness, it felt more like betrayal.
" We'll send Hugo and Royce Black" Ryan chimed in with a wicked smirk. And despite her mood Neala chuckled with everyone else.
Hugo Quinn had proven himself to be a protective pain in the ass to most of the women in the family at some point in time. But her nephew was loyal to a fault and patient when it came to the women of the family. It also helped in this instance that Hugo was one of the few that Finn would listen and defer too.
Royce Black's name getting tossed in was a bit of a surprise though. Neala had met Liam's brothers on several occasions due to business and the family connection. From what she did know Neala knew the man was more than qualified as muscle. Didn't hurt that both men were good looking.
" Are we figuring out protection or matchmaking?" Ryan's daughter Ainsley questioned looking around the table. "And have we ruled out cousin Quincy and Kenny before we put the guys in the thick of it?" She added when Ryan and Greer didn't answer but shared a smirk.
" Quincy's pan sexual and a sub" Dervil or Dar to the family, informed them. Instantly all eyes were locked on the girl who muttered a curse while looking up towards the ceiling. " When I visited the family in Chicago two years ago they gave me a tour of the club. Sexual orientation came into the conversation. And both were open about theirs when I wasn't judgmental about it. Kenny is heterosexual but a switch depending on the trust level with the partner. And the lady has definite trust issues." Dar informed and Neala felt uncomfortably old in that moment and very straight laced.
" I'm a little pissed that either though it was appropriate to have that conversation with you in the first place. Let alone take you to a club like that" Ryan stated clearly pissed but trying not to completely lose her shit. Neala had been learning herself with Ella and Lia that being open about things sometimes wasn't comfortable. Sometimes it meant keeping your opinions to yourself.
" Aunt Ryan look at what the women in this family have been through. The club that Quincy and Kenny opened is membership only. Their members are vetted before they are even allowed entrance. Even then the club is heavily monitored to make sure no one breaches a contract. They also monitor to insure the safety of every sub. It's a controlled setting." Ella defended catching everyone by surprise. Looking closer Neala guessed Lia had also surprised herself but wasn't backing down either. " Crow and I have muddled through and therapy has helped. But imagine if I didn't have him, or all of you." She added and Neala watched as Ryan's anger got wiped out by Ella's words.
" Am I the only one here who is still traditional?" Ryan questioned looking at her and Greer for back up.
" It's called vanilla hun and I'm a switch. My guy likes to be tied up and pegged" Greer casually tossed out and had Ainsley choking in her iced coffee. " What?! You youngsters want to play that be open and enlightened card. Well fine. This is what you get" Greer tossed at them wickedly as Dar and Ainsley shared a look.
" I so didn't need to know that about Uncle Dec" Ains murmured
" Sane" Dar added just as the main door closed and they all turned to find Sarah grinning at them all.
" Damn do I have amazing timing or what. I'll add that Demon is a fan of being whipped and I'm a Dom. Is it to early for a whiskey cause I just left my husband" the women announced and without another word burst into tears.
Shooting a look to Ryan her sister in law went for the whiskey while Neala got up and pulled the crying women into her arms. As the women wept Neala made a note to have someone in San Francisco check in on Demon.
Black's Gym
Boston
Four Hours later....
He's been in a meeting with Uncle Sean when Dervil's ringtone sounded on his phone. Sean hadn't blinked an eye when mid sentence Hugo had answered the call and cut him off. Every man in this organization knew his top priority was the family, essentially the women. It's why he'd chosen this time to schedule this meeting. Knowing that so many of them were downstairs in the closed bar.
Dar was one of his favourite people on this earth and part of the reason was that she didn't draw out the punchline. Within five short minutes he was given his orders with zero room for argument. Kennedy Cole was in need of protection and he and Royce Black were being tapped in. When he hung up the call he filled in his Uncle.
" I want the girl safe too. It's why I sent Finn right off the bat." Sean offered but looked pissed. Some of that Hugo guessed was Neala and the women stepping in and making calls that should be Sean's. Another was simply fractures in the family. Since Colin, the family simply hadn't been the same. Hugo wasn't sure it could be completely mended.
They'd had a traitor that was blood. Then Ella was taken and the situation with the baby. Sean did his best in the days after but changes had needed to be made. Hard calls. Neala had thrown herself into helping the girls rather than deal with her own anger and grief. Since he'd seen the changes in the couple but could only pray they'd find their way back.
Getting out of his SUV outside the gym Hugo now took a moment to put the conversation away. It had been over a year since he'd met the Black's but they'd left a good impression. Well except for Liam who was now with Lia and their little boy. Royce, on the other hand seemed like a solid guy and his back ground check was relatively clean. A man who now stood outside the smallest trailer Hugo had ever seen.
" Did you pick that up at toys are us? Were the batteries included?" Hugo deadpanned looking at it and wondering how the 6'2 man could even stand up in it.
" Funny asshat! Listen some family here in town suddenly rented out every available rental and it's the best I could do. Rain's looking at getting one delivered next week. Where's your?" Royce Black shot back but without heat.
" Among the many my family rented and getting delivered" Hugo tossed back with a grin then walked up to shake hands. Then he helped the man load up the rest of the gear he had sitting near the front of the gym. Most of it either tools or security equipment .
" I was already talking to Aidan. Says the ladies over her head trying to clean up a dump. Figured I'd bring my tools and help out. Liam also gave me a heads up that the club may come into things if things don't straighten out." Royce filled in as they loaded and had Hugo freezing at the last piece.
A/N
So I spent the last 4 hours writing and going back through storylines lol. But I think it was the last little bit that I needed for set up. Fingers crossed you'll now see the story progressing.