Celtic Dragon Read online

  Before Rebel says anything, I chime in. “You know, I’m not familiar with the IRA and what it’s trying to achieve. I have no idea how my aunt and uncle are involved and I think, before we go over there, we should have a better understanding of what to expect. So Rebel, why don’t you take a seat and fill me in on this before church this morning.”

  Rebel looks a bit worried as he takes a chair at the table. “Where do I start?” he asks.

  “How about the beginning? That seems to work for most people,” I reply smartly.

  He takes a deep breath and then proceeds to tell his story.

  “The Irish Republican Army, better known as the IRA, has been involved with just about every radical movement in Ireland in the past two centuries involving the cause. In the early years, they may have been known under different names, like Fenians, but they’ve always fought for the same thing—Ireland’s freedom from Britain. They believe that violence is necessary to achieve their independence. This war has been raging on for centuries, dating back to as early as the 1700s. England has always had a claim to Ireland and Ireland has always wanted to be its own state. It’s as simple as that.”

  “But isn’t Ireland free now?” I ask.

  “Most of it. But a portion of the country, Northern Ireland—which includes Belfast—is still owned and governed by Britain.”

  “And how has our family gotten involved in all of this?” I ask.

  “Well, like I said, this war has been raging on for centuries. But I guess it really started to affect our family in 1916, with the Easter Rising.”

  “Easter rising?” I ask.

  “Yeah, the Easter Rising. Some refer to it as the Easter Rebellion. It was another attempt by the Irish republicans to gain Ireland’s freedom. With England so heavily involved in World War I at the time, the rebels believed the timing couldn’t have been better. They were wrong.

  “The Easter Rising began on a Monday and lasted for six days. Key locations in Dublin were seized and proclaimed territory of the Irish Republic—for a while, it appeared that the republicans were winning. However, England may be small, but she is also mighty. The British Army fought back with thousands of reinforcements and artillery. There was fighting on the streets, sniper attacks, and blood. The British Army eventually suppressed the Rising, taking over 3500 prisoners; our great-great-grandparents were among them.”

  “Great-great-grandparents? Women too?”

  “Yeah, you’d be surprised at the number of women involved with the rebels, even back then.”

  “Holy shit. What did they do with the ones that were captured?”

  Rebel shrugs. “While some were taken to internment camps or prisons in England, the leaders were executed. Our great-great-grandparents were among the leaders. They executed them both.”

  “Fuck. What were their names?” I never knew that they had even existed, but the fact that they died for something that they had believed in so strongly makes me curious to learn as much about them as I can.

  “Sean and Sloane Mooney.”

  Mooney, I think. A good strong name.

  “From what I’m told by my parents and my brothers, their death lit a fire under other members of our family who were not so involved in the IRA. Suddenly, our family’s involvement grew. Their main goal was to avenge their deaths.

  “In 1922, the IRA disbanded after they signed a treaty with the British government. But that didn’t stop the rebels. Our family still sought out its revenge and so they joined forces with the anti-treaty followers, which resulted in the Irish Civil War.”

  “Is there still a civil war going on in Ireland?” I asked.

  “Yes and no.”

  “Rebel, that tells me nothing.”

  “I know. It’s hard to explain.”

  “Well, if you want me to go to this godforsaken country, then you better give me more. ‘Cause right now, I’m thinking it’s best to keep my ass right here.”

  “Ok, fine. The civil war continued through the years and our grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles were always at the forefront of the cause. These rebels refused to accept that Britain still maintained control of the north and continued fighting for 40 years until they split in 1969, when the Troubles began.”

  “The Troubles?” I ask. He keeps making references to things that I’ve never heard of and don’t understand. I’m an educated man, but fuck, we never talked about this shit in school. It makes me think about how much our kids’ education is dictated by the administrators of the schools and our government. We learn about what they want us to learn about.

  “Yeah, the Troubles. It started with a series of riots in Northern Ireland and continued for 40 years. That’s when our grandfather left the cause and went to the States with our grandmother, your dad, and my mom.

  “Draco Corrigan was a sniper with the anti-treaty IRA. Draco Corrigan—or the Dragon, as he was referred to—was probably the best sniper on our side of the cause.” He pauses, allowing me to let all of this sink in. Then he continues, “From what I have been told, he eventually realized that no cause was more important than his wife and children. So he left. And the day he left was the day the Troubles began.”

  “Holy shit! Rebel, what the fuck are we walking into?” I ask. I had no idea that Ireland was a pot of violence that had been boiling over for centuries. Now I understand the uneasiness that Emma and I had been feeling. “And your parents are involved in this mayhem?”

  “Yes, they are, deeply involved. So involved that they sent me here. They didn’t know at the time that Ace had been killed. They just wanted a better life for me, or so they said.”

  “Fuck!” I look over at Hawk and say, “Do you think we should bring the whole club?” I was beginning to worry that the four brothers I was planning to take weren’t gonna be enough for what has to be done.

  “Have you called Declan?” he asks.

  Declan is the president of the Knights MC in Belfast. “Not yet. I was planning on calling him tonight.”

  “I think you need to engage the club in Belfast. We need the guys here too and I don’t think you should spread us too thin. You never know what might happen with the Satans. Thanks to you, our relations are moving in the right direction, but they’re still on shaky ground. I think four of you should suffice, as long as you’ve got Declan’s help as backup,” Hawk replies.

  “Yeah, I’m beginning to think you are right.” I pause briefly and then add, “Not a word of any of this to Emma. She is worried enough and I don’t want her knowing about all this violence. She has enough on her plate right now. You got me?”

  “Yeah, I hear ya,” Rebel replies.

  “You know I won’t say a word,” Hawk says.

  “That goes for my sister and Honey as well. The girls don’t need to be worrying about us.” They both nod. I look at my watch: 10:30 am. “Church in a half hour, boys. Let’s get over to Kandi’s.”

  The rest of the club is already at Kandi’s and waiting for us when we get there. Before I start the meeting I pull Dbag aside and ask, “What did you find?”

  “Nothing. Not a damn thing, Ice.”

  “Fuck! Nothing?”

  “Nothing. It’s as if they don’t even exist,” he says, completely baffled.

  “Damn! I was hoping that at least we could get a lead. Even a small one would be better than nothing.”

  “I’m sorry, boss.”

  “Hey, no need to be sorry. You are the best intel guy around. If you can’t find anything on someone, then there’s nothing to find.” I pat him on the back. “We’ll figure it out. I’ll talk to Rebel more on the plane tomorrow and see if he has anything else. Come on, let’s get to church.”

  Everyone comes into the room and takes a seat. I’m the last to enter the room and start the meeting by saying, “I really thought that we were finally getting things back to normal, but that doesn’t look like it’s gonna happen … at least, not yet. We’ve got an issue in Ireland that needs our immediate attention.”
r />   I look over at Rebel and he nods. I continue, “Rebel’s family is in trouble and he has asked the club for our help. Rebel, do you want to fill your brothers in?” He nods again, gets up from his chair and begins to pace, explaining to the club all that he explained to me about our family.

  When he’s done, I ask, “Do we need a vote or are you all in?”

  They all nod in agreement and Spike speaks up, “All in, Ice. Shit, a brother needs his club, his club does what it takes to help him out. Right, boys?”

  They all agree in unison, as I expected. I turn to Rebel and say, “So, it looks like we’re going to Ireland. Do you have any ideas where we should start?”

  “I do. I think we should start in Belfast, in and around some of the British security offices. We may not find them, but it is a good place to start and get some feelers out.”

  I nod and turn to Dbag. “I’ll need you to get me all the intel you can on the British security offices in Belfast.”

  “You got it, boss,” he replies.

  “I also think we need to look at prisons in the north,” Rebel adds.

  I turn back to Dbag. Before I can utter a word, he says, “Got it.”

  “How many men do you think you’ll need?” I ask.

  “Three, maybe four should be good. My brothers can help as well and I am sure we have contacts on the inside to help if needed.”

  “Ok.” I look around the table, wondering who I can spare. As much as I want Hawk to come along, I really need him here. I trust all my brothers, but they are not all leaders. Hawk is, and right now I need a leader to remain home. We have to start making the transition of moving our gun business to the Satans, we’ve got a new clubhouse being renovated, a porn studio to launch … and then there’s Brianne. I need someone I can trust to keep the ball rolling on all our outstanding issues. I trust all my brothers, but Hawk is my VP and a born leader.

  I know that Rebel and I can’t handle this task on our own, so as I look around the room I think about who should go with us. Ryder comes to mind first. Then there is Doc. If one of us gets hurt, we’ll definitely need him.

  “Doc, Ryder, you boys are going to Ireland.”

  They nod and Ryder asks, “When do we leave?”

  “I’ve secured transport out of Buffalo late Friday afternoon.”

  “I’ll be ready,” Doc says.

  Ryder nods. “Me too, boss.”

  “Good. Dbag, I need that intel ASAP. We’ve got two days to learn everything we can about the IRA. Make it happen.”

  “I’m on it,” Dbag replies.

  “Good.”

  I try to keep the remainder of our meeting short because I’ve got so much shit to do before we leave. I fill them in on how things ended with the Satans. I explain that we have Brianne and order a 24/7 watch on her at the hospital. Although it appears that all is safe, I’m not taking any chances with Skid. He’s definitely the kind of guy that would go against his president in a heartbeat. Not to mention the fact he holds me personally responsible for the loss of his plaything. When I saw her in that drugged-up state, I made a vow to myself that I was going to do everything in my power to see that she gets her life back.

  Everyone is on board with the changes we are making and we have money in the bank. Now I just need to wait for Dbag to dig in to all the intel he is gonna get for us. As the meeting adjourns, I announce, “Dinner at my house tonight, boys. You deserve it. Oh, and Honey is cooking.” They all cheer and reassure me that they’ll be there.

  Honey is cooking a going-away dinner for Ari tonight, so Hawk and Rebel were already coming over. Now the whole club is coming over, so I need to let the girls know. The boys need this; it’s the perfect opportunity for them to kick back and chill for a time. With the clubhouse in ruins, they’ve not had that home base that they’re used to (or constant access to the den mama).

  Unfortunately, this means I have to play the part of the host when I want to do nothing but lay my girl out on our bed and have my way with her. But eventually, our guests will leave.

  Before it gets too late, I need to call Declan. Hopefully I can convince him to back us up on this crazy-ass recon mission we are about to get involved in. I can’t fucking win. Just when I think that I’m getting away from the danger, something or someone pulls me back in.

  I dial the international number to reach Belfast. “Declan,” he answers in his thick Irish accent.

  “Declan, how the hell are ya?” I say into the phone.

  “Ice?” he asks cautiously.

  “Yeah man, it’s me.”

  “Naw, can’t be. That son of a bitch is dead!” he states, laughing into the phone.

  “Declan, if I’m dead, then I’m living in a perverse sort of fucked up hell.”

  He laughs. “I’m glad you’re not dead. The last thing that you want to worry about is finding someone to replace you.”

  What a fucking smartass. “Count yourself lucky that you don’t have to replace me. I’m irreplaceable. And don’t you ever forget it.”

  We laugh on the phone and then he says, “It’s good to talk to you, but I’m guessing something’s up?”

  “Yeah man, I need your help.”

  “Whatever you need. My club is your club.”

  “Before you agree to help me, you might want to hear me out first.” I pause to let him say something, but when he doesn’t, I continue. “One of my brothers, Rebel, has family ties with the Real IRA. And, to add a huge twisting knife to this scenario, I’ve found out recently that they’re my family too. My aunt and uncle have been missing now for a couple of weeks. Rebel just found out and is freaked out. He’s asked the club to go to Belfast with him and help him find them. I agreed, as did the club. From the intel that I have received so far, the IRA is fucked up shit and I can only spare four guys to cross over the pond. I need backup.”

  He says, “Say no more. We are here to help you! Those British security forces can go fuck themselves. They won’t know what hit them when the Knights of Silence MC comes their way.”

  “You make us sound like fucking superheroes,” I say, laughing.

  “We are, man … we are. Hell, you just came back from the dead, didn’t you? That makes us better than fucking superheroes!”

  I laugh again. “Thanks, Declan. My club owes you for this,” I say, getting serious again.

  “Ice, you don’t owe me or my club anything. This is what we do.” He pauses, then adds, “You said that four of you are coming?”

  “Yeah, four of us.”

  “I’ll arrange for some loaner bikes for ya. When do you get in?”

  “We land in Dublin on Friday. Can you get the bikes from there so we have transportation to Belfast?”

  “I can do that. Got a place to stay?”

  “Yeah, I think we are staying with family. Rebel is taking care of that.”

  “Good, but if it doesn’t work out, you have a place at our clubhouse. Anytime, any day; just say the word.”

  “Shit, Declan.”

  “Shit, nothing. See you Friday,” he says.

  “See you Friday,” I confirm and hang up the phone.

  Chapter 5

  Emma

  It’s 6:30 pm and I can hear Cade’s bike pulling up. When he comes into the house I can tell by the look in his eyes that he’s drained. I know he had a lot of things to take care of before he leaves. I’m sure he spent his entire day making sure all was in order. However, I can tell that something other than tiredness is troubling him. There’s something in his face that looks different.

  “Hey, beautiful,” he says as he walks over to me and kisses the top of my head lovingly. “Honey, that smells wonderful. I’m famished.” He adds, “Reb and Hawk should be right behind me. They made a stop at the liquor store on the way. And the rest of the boys are coming behind them.”

  “Oh, good,” Honey replies. “Dinner is just about ready.”

  “I didn’t fuck things up by inviting the boys, did I?” Cade asks.

  �
�Naw. You know me, Ice, I’m used to cooking for an army. We have plenty,” Honey replies.

  Taking the seat next to me, he asks, “How has my girl been today?”

  “Good,” I reply as I study his face.

  “I’m glad to hear it. Whatcha been doing all day?”

  “Well, I tried to help Honey with dinner, but as usual, she would not let me. So, I thought I would try to get some work done.”

  “And did you?”

  “I did. It was a very productive day,” I say proudly.

  “Good.” He leans back into the couch and begins to rub his temples.

  “Cade, did something happen today?” I ask.

  He waits before answering me and then says, “Naw, babe. Nothing happened. It’s just been a long day. I’m just tired.”

  I don’t want to pressure him, especially here where others can hear. So I don’t say anything further. Perhaps I can get him to talk about it later when we’re alone.

  I snuggle up against him, enjoying sitting on the couch with him while Honey prepares dinner. I can definitely get used to this.

  Not long after Cade returned, in walk Ari, Rebel, and Hawk. Ari had gone into to town to run some errands—she must have returned just as Hawk and Rebel arrived. Rebel has his arm around Ari lovingly … it’s good to see them both happy. Not long after their arrival, the rest of the boys filter in. The house is now full of noise and laughter. Although I enjoyed the quiet moment I had with Cade on the couch, it’s really good to see them all together again. With Cade being home, it’s like all is right in their world.

  “Dinner’s ready,” Honey chimes from the kitchen.

  “Great, just let me drop these bags in my room and I’ll be right out,” Ari says.

  “Honey, that smells amazing,” Hawk says as he strolls into the kitchen.

  “I’ll give you a hand.” Rebel says as he follows Ari into her room. Caden looks over at me as if he knows exactly what Rebel is going to help his sister with and I smile. He isn’t smiling, but I think he knows deep down it’s something that he’s gonna have to get used to.