Chapter One
John
The luck of the Irish is nothing compared to the luck of the O’Malleys. As the eldest of the three O’Malley brothers, I am the luckiest fucking fucker of the lot. As the first-born son, one day I will rule our firm and the whole empire, here in Las Vegas and back in Boston. The gaming, the rackets, the clubs and the streets, I was born to be the boss of it all. Head of the family.
And as soon as I saw the picture of that curvy little minx who was to be my bride, I knew my life was moving up a rung.
Dad told me, “John, focus on the future. You need a family. A wife, then children. An heir, preferably a son.” That thought inspired me. I adore my nieces and nephews. It would be wonderful to bring up children of my own.
In addition to our roots in Boston and on the Emerald Isle, our ancestral homeland, our family needs to be anchored hard into the future. So, I need a wife. Dad reached out to the Boston McCarthys and made arrangements.
I was not enthusiastic at first. Not until I saw the picture of Kiera on Dad’s phone. The reaction came first in my body. My cock saw her and woke up fast.
All I know about her is the one photo I’ve seen, but whenever I think about her, I swell up until I get a long, hard ache. She’s got full, shining lips, and a mouth that makes me want to reach right out and grab her. And curves I want to bury myself in. I cannot wait to get my hands on her. The spark in her eyes fires me up inside.
She will be here tomorrow.
Tonight, my brothers have a stag party arranged for me. A wedding means strippers and a loud, wild night. I could do without it, but it’s expected. Especially here in Vegas.
Today, before the fun can begin, we have business to attend to. The Morettis. Like always.
We three O’Malley brothers cut through the crowd in the golden glow of the low casino lights, through the happy chirrups and burbles of the slots and video poker screens. Paul and Peter are on either side of me and I walk in front, the tip of the triangle. The head of the magnificent three.
Kingpin Casino was named and styled for Dad, the head of the O’Malley family. I’m the next in line. The crown prince. It’s not something I wish for. Heavy is the head that wears the crown, after all. I want to see Dad go on forever.
But you can’t ignore the future.
We head outside. All our muscle and armed security ride in the limos. Paul, Peter and me, we travel in the front seats of separate armored Hummers. I decided that after one of our motorcades was attacked a year ago. It’s faster getting out of a Hummer. You roll straight out of the door. Plus, it confuses the fuck out of attackers.
We talk constantly on our phones over a secure channel. Still, we keep our voices low enough that we can’t be overheard or recorded. Our personal drivers have the highest security clearance in our organization. They’re all totally trusted. But trust is the most precious commodity in our world. We don’t take it for granted.
Paul says, “The Morettis are always going to be our cross to bear.”
Peter groans. “Always trouble. Always them.”
I remind them, “They were top dogs in this town. Until we arrived. They have history. And they’ve dug in. They’ve got a lot of power, a lot of money, and one hell of a lot of muscle.”
“They’ll have to get with the times,” Peter says. “Especially now. Kingpin is a game changer.”
Paul is quiet. Even though he’s the baby of the family, Dad gave him Kingpin to run. With the new responsibility, Paul has grown up about ten years in the last six months. And his marriage to Lucy helped him there, too.
I’m thinking about the change in my own status that’s about to occur.
“We’re the newcomers,” I tell them. “The Morettis built their empire here in the last century. We’d do well to think of how it feels for them. They’ve watched us sweep all their power away and shovel up their business. They thought it would be all theirs forever, and now that it’s not, they’re angry and they’re bound to be hurting.”
Peter chuckles. “Sucks to be them, I guess.”
“Times change,” Paul says.
“Know your enemy,” I warn them. “If we don’t think about them, study them, know them and anticipate them, they’ll take it all back from us.”
We’re a powerful family, but it never does good to lower your guard.
While I’m talking, I pull up that picture on my phone. Kiera. I cannot wait to get her in my arms. On her back. Up against a wall. Over a pool table. My imagination goes into overdrive.