I pushed through the back door and into the kitchen.
“Morning, boss,” Luis said, looking up from prepping for lunch.
“Morning,” I grunted back.
Luis ran the kitchen and wasn’t involved in the shady part of my business. Like all my other workers, he probably had a pretty good idea about what went on, but I paid him well and he kept his mouth shut and did his job, which was exactly what I looked for in an employee.
I nodded to the other kitchen guys and pushed out into the main room.
“Morning, Liam,” Colin said.
“Morning,” I said, walking behind the bar and pouring myself a coffee.
Colin was my number two, although that didn’t mean much. I controlled a good-sized neighborhood near where my restaurant was located, which meant that I was tasked with selling the drugs, protecting the businesses, and extorting anyone who refused to pay. Sometimes we broke knees, and sometimes we just threatened. Overall, my territory was clean and easy, but mostly because I worked to keep it that way.
In terms of the overall Mob’s structure, I was middle management. Colin was one of many up-and-coming young guys, stepping into spaces left by the older generation that had either run off or been killed during the chaos of the past month. I didn’t know much about him, but he had come highly recommended. I had no clue how he had gotten the promotion to my second, but he was a decent worker.
And I didn’t trust him. Not one tiny bit.
Colin was about my height and strong. His dark hair was kept short, and he typically wore the same uniform of a button-down shirt and loose-fitting chino pants. He said he liked to look professional when he collected the take from the junkie dealers we employed.
Personally, I didn’t give a shit what he looked like. I was more worried about the knife he was inevitably going to try to slip into my back.
That was how you lived when you began to climb the ranks. One eye open all the time, even if you weren’t one of the top bosses.
I sat down at the bar, taking a sip of the coffee and letting the caffeine hit my veins. The hot, bitter taste felt great and woke me up. I looked over at Colin, and he was idly flipping through his smartphone.
“What’s on the menu?”
He shrugged. “Luis got something.”
I nodded and sipped my coffee.
“You seeing Brink today?”
Colin nodded. “Take goes up.”
“Bring Joey with you.”
He looked confused. “Why do I need Joey?”
“Just do it.”
He shrugged. “Whatever you say, boss.”
Brink was our local junkie dealer, and our go-to guy for picking up the week’s cash. Joey was one of my soldiers, though I didn’t know him all that well. From what I could tell, he wasn’t interested in fame or climbing the ranks: he just wanted to be made Right, to crack skulls, and to live honorably. Also, he wanted money and pussy, but who didn’t?
“Luis,” I yelled.
The kitchen door opened. “Yeah, boss?”
“What’s for breakfast?”
“Eggs and shit,” he said.
I gave him a look. “Scrambled, ketchup, hold the shit.”
“You got it.” He disappeared into the back. Colin chuckled and I sipped my coffee again.
That was our routine. I showed up early, I got some coffee, I went over the day’s jobs with Colin, and I ate. Normal, routine, like punching a clock, except dangerous. Way more dangerous.
As Luis returned with my food, Colin’s phone rang.
“Colin,” he said, answering.
I glanced at him and then did a double take. His face was white, and he looked terrified, like he had seen a vampire or something.
“Okay, hold on,” he said.
He stood and walked over to me, holding out his phone.
“Big boss wants to talk to you,” he said.
I gave him a look. “What’s with you?”
“It’s Boss Brennan. He wants to talk to you.”
I dropped my fork and grabbed the phone. No wonder the kid looked like he was about to shit himself. Colm Brennan was the head boss of the Irish Mob, at least ever since the chaos happened. When the old boss Michael disappeared, Colm began cutting throats and knocking skulls until there was a nominal peace and he was in charge.
The reality was, there was no peace, and Colm was hardly in charge. He was constantly fighting back the other heads that all felt like they should be in charge. Still, as the days went by, Colm was consolidating more and more power. It was really just a matter of time before he was the sole head of the Mob.
“Liam here,” I said.
“Liam, how are you?” came Colm’s voice.
Colm Brennan was a snake. He was an adder in the bush, a poisonous and aggressive, scaly creature. He was a few years older than me and had a reputation for ruthlessness even back before I had entered the ranks. He was the wunderkind of his day and was a mid-level boss by the time he was twenty. Even with my father’s connections, I didn’t make it to my position until I was twenty-six. He had done it six years faster than me, and without family help.