Irish Throwdown (What Happens In Vegas Book 4) by Matt Lincoln (short books for teens .TXT) 📕

Seamus was fuming, but my mind was moving at a hundred miles a minute. Someone had clearly managed to sneak into the police station and all the way into the interview room but, for some reason, hadn’t bothered to break Patrick out after doing so. There was no way someone would take such a high risk just to deliver a book, unless…

“A Garda,” I stated aloud as I moved to take a seat in front of him. “Your friend is a Garda, isn’t he?”

Patrick smiled at me knowingly in response, which told me all I needed to know.

“Who is it?” Seamus demanded as he slammed the book onto the table between us and dropped himself heavily into the other chair.

“Settle down, old-timer,” Patrick sneered. “You don’t really think I’d rat out a friend like that, do you?”

“So you aren’t going to give us information on who your boss is?” I interrupted before Seamus could get worked up again.

“Now, I never said that,” Patrick corrected before eyeing me curiously. “And what exactly makes you think I’m not the boss myself?”

“The boss wasn’t even at the bar today,” I explained. “If you really had a man on the inside with the Garda, then you knew we were coming long before we got there. Which means your boss had plenty of time to get away. Am I wrong?”

Patrick raised his eyebrows at me appraisingly as I finished my explanation.

“You’re a clever one, agent,” he smirked. “You are an agent, aren’t you? I heard rumors that the feds were onto us, and once I heard your accent, I knew they must be true. Ah, well, the jig is well and truly up, isn’t it?”

“Why did you get left behind?” I asked as I ignored all his other comments.

“That old turnip left me behind as insurance,” he shrugged. “Told me to kill the feds when they arrived while he went off on his merry way. That’s why I don’t feel any qualms about selling him out, you know? I’m the underboss, and that beast just left me behind like I was one two-bit underling.”

“What’s an underboss?” I asked.

“You know, like the second-in-command,” Patrick explained. “I was his right-hand man. Well, aside from the other boss, that is.”

“The other boss?” I prompted.

“Yeah,” Patrick snickered. “Sounds funny, doesn’t it? Like a ship with two captains or a country with two kings. Worked out about as well as you’d expect, too. They were always going at it. They had the entire family split down the middle, right up until the other one left.”

“What about you?” I asked, though I suspected I knew the answer. “Whose side were you on?”

“I quite preferred the other guy, myself,” Patrick smirked. “Most of the younger members did as well. Old Finnian was too old fashioned, always sitting back on his arse while the young’uns ran around doing his dirty work for him.”

“Finnian?” I repeated. “That’s the name of the boss?”

“Aye, Finnian Gallagher,” Patrick confirmed.

“How is he related to you?” I asked, noting the identical last names.

“Dunno,” Patrick shrugged. “I think he’s my great uncle or something. My ma’s cousin’s grandfather. Something along those lines.”

“And you’re still willing to betray him?” I asked.

“He’s no family to me,” Patrick spat. “What good is it being someone’s blood if they treat you like dirt and leave you behind to take the fall so they can save their own skin? Nah, my family are my brothers and sisters who are sick and tired of the way he’s been running things.”

“So that’s why you’re speaking to me about him now?” I confirmed.

“You’re catching on,” Patrick smiled. “And, of course, I do owe you for saving my neck back there. I figure if I can kill two birds with one stone, then I may as well take advantage of the opportunity.”

“What about the ‘other boss’?” I asked. “You said he left. Did Finnian kill him, or did he leave on his own?”

Patrick grinned maliciously at me.

“Now, I’m afraid I can’t tell you about that,” he replied. “I have no problem turning on an old bloke like Finnian, but the other guy still has my loyalty.”

That much was obvious, considering Patrick wouldn’t even reveal his name to me.

“Alright,” I nodded. “Do you know where we can find Finnian now?”

“Maybe not right this second,” Patrick replied. “But I know where he’ll be tomorrow night. There’s a big shipment of goods coming in from China. Illegal goods. He’ll be at the port tomorrow overseeing everything during the big Halloween parade. All the Garda in the city will be busy keeping watch then, so it’s the perfect opportunity. Finnian doesn’t trust people, so there’s no way he won’t be there keeping an eye on things.”

“Alright.” I nodded as I took in the information. “How do I know I can trust you? It seems every time we get a lead, it ends up being some kind of ambush or trick. You’re obviously hiding something. I can tell that much by that little power move you played with the book. How can I guarantee this won’t end the same way?”

Patrick regarded me carefully for a minute as he drummed his fingers against the table.

“I suppose you can’t,” he finally shrugged. “I can’t give you anything other than my word. I know it probably doesn’t mean much coming from me, but I’m being honest when I say that I’d much prefer to see that old geezer knocked down off his throne. There’s been a lot of unrest within the family for years, and it’s high time that somebody did something about it.”

I thought carefully before speaking again. There was a lot here to mull over, and I still wasn’t sure I could trust this man.

“You’re really so willing to turn on your boss like that?” I scoffed skeptically. “How do I know this isn’t all some ruse? Maybe Finnian left you behind deliberately so you could lead us into another trap.”

“Oh, he left me behind,” he