Thy Kingdom Come

Rory jokingly pretends to boke while Cian shakes his head. “Ach, yer breakin’ hearts even in Dublin.”

“Fuck off,” I playfully reply, throwing back my drink.

The men behind me are talking softly, which just confirms they’re talking business, and when one of them stands, excusing himself to use the jacks, this is my cue to find out what they’re discussing.

I finish my drink, then follow him.

The jacks are empty, apart from the man taking a piss at the urinals. I keep my eyes up front and use the urinal two away from him. It’s as awkward as it sounds, making conversation when taking a piss, but thankfully, the shithead doesn’t seem to mind.

“Look at the bleeding state o’ you, lad.”

Turning to look at him, I smile. “I ran into a door,” I reply with cheek.

He laughs loudly. “Ack, you Americans are bitta craic. My name’s Aidan.”

“Mike,” I reply, thankful when I hear Aidan do up his fly. He walks over to the sink to wash his hands. When I’m done, I join him.

“Ye can fight then?”

“You should see the other guy.” I whistle, lathering my hands with soap.

Aidan laughs, turning off the taps. And when he does, a crucifix tattooed on his left wrist catches my eye.

Time stands still.

I blink once, needing a moment to process what I’m seeing in case my eyes are playing tricks on me. But it’s there, bringing back a downpour of emotions.

Ma’s screams, her wheezing for breath, all of it comes crashing to the surface, threatening to drag me under and silence the memories for good.

But I need to hold it together because Aidan has something I want, something I’ve been looking for since I was five years old.

Answers…and his fucking head.

“Yes, I can fight, why?” I ask, needing to keep this conversation going. “You need someone to fight for you?”

Aidan dries his hands on the paper towel, appearing to weigh over my question. “Yer offering?”

Aidan is guarded, and so he should be. I would be suspicious if he welcomed me into his circle with open arms. But I will do anything to gain his trust because it’ll make what I plan to do to him wild craic. I am not going to merely kill him—I’m going to paint Dublin with his blood.

The door opens and the person who enters has me clenching my fist, but I need to calm down, as I can’t stir any suspicion.

“I thought ya fell in.”

Aidan laughs. “Ye know what happens when ya break the seal. Was just talkin’ to this nice fella. Liam, this is Mike from America.”

I have no idea why my nationality makes a difference, and right now, I don’t care because I was right—this fucker is Liam Doyle.

Liam eyes me closely. I wonder what he sees.

Once I finish drying my hands, I offer one to Liam. He looks down at it and eventually shakes it. When we co

“How’s the form?” He asks how I am, but I play thick, seeing as I’m supposed to be American.

“How’s the what?”

A grin spreads across Liam’s bake. This was a test. And I passed.

“What happened to yer face?” he asks, looking at me closely.

“Oh. Someone had a smart mouth. I didn’t like it.” I don’t elaborate.

Aidan looks at Liam, clearly attempting to read what’s going on behind those cold blue eyes.

“Have a drink with us?” Liam phrased it as a question, but I know I don’t have a choice.

“Sure. Sounds good.”

Aidan chuckles, slapping me on the back like we’re old friends. If only he knew how I wish to break every bone in his body. We exit the jacks while Liam remains behind to take a piss. When Rory and Cian see me walk out with Aidan, their eyes widen, but they remain calm when they don’t sense any threat.

“These yer friends?” Aidan asks, as he clearly noticed us standing by them. He offers his hand, which both boys shake.

“Yeah, these are my boys,” I reply, ensuring they hear me speak with my American accent to alert them to think fast as they ca

“Nice to meet you,” Rory says with a French accent. I mentally thank Estelle, Rory’s first girlfriend and exchange student from Paris, as he’s adopted the accent perfectly. “I’m Paul.”

Cian smiles. “G’day mate, mi name’s Kanga. Bloody ripper to meet ya.” Looks like his obsession with Crocodile Dundee has paid off.

These lads are smart, playing along perfectly. Their accents are flawless.

Liam appears a moment later, gri

Just hearing his name aloud is so surreal. I have been hunting him and his clan for so long, so to be here, it almost feels like a dream. But this is no dream. This is real life, and I’m really going to end the Doyle bloodline, even if it takes the rest of my life to do so.

Cian and Rory continue with their roleplaying, introducing themselves.

“What do ya get when an Irishman, an Australian, a Frenchman, and an American walk into a bar?” Liam says playfully, attempting to set a lighthearted mood.

But we know better. However, we all play along, laughing and fueling his already large ego.

The other men introduce themselves, but they’re of no interest to me as I assume they’re acquaintances. I have a wee hunch this may be a casual business meeting as such. It makes sense for it to occur on Doyle turf.

Liam wants this to appear informal, but if they dare step out of line, they’ll be punished as Liam has home ground advantage.

Cian and Rory make light conversation with the other two men, but Liam and Aidan make clear their interest is with me. “How long ya in Dublin for?”

“A couple of weeks,” I reply, sipping my Gui

Every time Aidan talks, laughs, or breathes, I want to slam his head onto the table and make him bleed. I’m inches away from ma’s killer, and I can’t do a thing about it. Not yet, anyway. I need to remind myself of this because the urge to inflict pain on him is almost unbearable.

“So, yer a bit of a rebel then?” Liam says, lowering his voice.

I just smile in response.

“Did ya want to make some extra money while yer here?” And the real reason Liam has shown interest in me has been revealed.

“Doing what?” I ask, not wanting to appear too eager.

“Chance yer arm and trust me, bucko.” Liam throws back a shot of whiskey, waiting for me to reply.

“Okay, I’m in.”

Cian and Rory have heard the exchange, and by their stiff upper lips, they’re seconds away from telling me to wise up, but this is happening. I don’t know what I’m needed for, but I’m going to find out. I can’t let this opportunity go.

Liam hollers, slapping my back happily. “Good lad. We do have a wee initiation process.”

“What is it?” I keep my cool as I knew there was a catch.

Liam pours a shot of whiskey and slides the glass my way. “Yer a good fighter?”

Nodding, I accept the whiskey and knock it back.

“Gas. Let’s see how good ya are then.”

Aidan gulps down his whiskey, making a face as he stands, hinting this is happening now.

“Thanks for coming, lads. I’ll be in touch.” Liam dismisses the two men as their business is done for now. They don’t argue and shake hands before leaving us alone.

Liam grabs the bottle of whiskey and heads for the front door.

“The fuck ya playin’ at?” Cian whispers into my ear as we push our way through the crowd.