PROLOGUE

JOHNNY

We listened in horror as Rhett was given the maximum sentence that could be handed down for transporting weapons.

I'd held the hand of his wife Noni all through the trial, and on hearing the news of his sentence, she let out a broken sob. Rhett being imprisoned was the first of the major changes that impacted our family over the next few years.

Looking back, I knew it was at that point that we all hit rock bottom. Every single one of us. We'd had to make hard decisions, and they weren't welcomed by everyone in our crew. We'd known we'd had a mole in our midst because there was no way anyone should have known about Rhett except those in our crew.

It hadn't taken long to find the rat and when we did it, we dispensed justice the O'Shea way. We knew if we wanted to have families and live a free life, we'd have to make changes. With Liam now in charge, he'd called for a meeting that included only our family and our lieutenants. I'd a feeling he'd expected blowback from our father, but Da had aged a lot in the last year with everything that had happened to our family in a short space of time.

First, there was the news that my older cousin Tommy had been killed. Tommy had moved into our home when he was twelve and had been brought up as our brother. He'd been close in age to Rhett. We weren't sure what his job entailed since he'd left the military, but we knew it wasn't legit. One of his shady friends had got word to us that he'd been blown up while on an op.

Then there was Rhett being imprisoned and his subsequent divorce of Noni. I'm not sure which hit my father the hardest, the loss of his nephew, his son, or his beloved daughter-in-law. So, when Liam came to us about going legit, he hadn't pushed back. I think the last thing he wanted was for another one of his sons to end up in prison.

Both Adam and I were happy to make the change. We'd each put money aside, but we knew we'd need to invest in businesses as soon as possible, as our savings wouldn't last forever .

After the meeting, we'd let our crews know about the changes and that we wouldn't be running guns anymore. While we'd kept our crew small, there was still enough of us that some would feel the pinch.

A few of the older ones that had run with my Da decided that retirement was best, and some had moved back to Ireland while others stayed, but they seemed happy enough to no longer be running guns.

It was easiest for Adam to diversify; he kept his team and opened a security company. It seemed that heads needed to be busted no matter what you did. He provided security in the form of bouncers for clubs, as well as bodyguard services.

It was Liam and I who wondered what the hell we'd do. Liam had never thought that he'd ever be in charge, and he hated it, but I'd give my big brother his dues — he did a good job of getting us clean.

Noni had sold her and Rhett's house and had given Liam the money to invest in any business we saw fit to help us go legit. We'd discussed a few options and both of us had felt that nightclubs were the way to go. We'd had enough money to buy one club but knew that wouldn't be enough.

We'd eventually, with the help of the Crow MC, bought the other two nightclubs, Ozone and Atomic, that Liam managed, and I ran the upscale lounge, that served quality alcohol and live music as well as having a dress code. It was an expensive place, but we'd found that people liked a bit of something special for celebrations and such. I'd stuck with a simple name, and it was known simply as The Lounge.

It suited me down to the ground. When we'd run guns, it had been my job to ensure everything went according to plan. I'd done all the networking, found deals and ensured they ran smoothly. Massaging egos when I had to and pandered to the clients. Whatever needed doing, I did to ensure that our family always came out on top. According to my Da, I'd been born with a silver tongue and enough charm to last me a lifetime.

My job hadn't really changed, I was still doing the same thing just this time it wasn't with those that played around in the dark, instead I wheeled and dealed and rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous, sending work Adam's way as well as pushing their families towards our different businesses.

Their children in their late teens and twenties towards the nightclubs and my clients liked the ambience and sophistication of The Lounge. You'd think with all the charm I had going for me, I'd have better luck with women .

Maybe I would one day.

By us going into partnership with the Crow MC, it seemed that our lives were slowly moving back onto an even keel even if we'd had to send our younger brother Andy away to my Da's brother in Ireland.

The boy had needed an attitude adjustment and none of us had the patience to work with him on it. My Uncle Sean had been happy to take him. I knew by the time he came back to us, if he ever did, he'd be a different person. We'd all spent time with Uncle Sean at one point or another. The man was big on tough love.

With summer upon us, everything was ramping up with the local campgrounds and beaches getting busier and busier. This would be our second summer, and I expected it to be better than last year. This year I'd had time to book bands and singers a year in advance instead of scrabbling around to try and find suitable talent at the last minute. Now that The Lounge was in the black and turning a profit, I was a little more relaxed.

Adam's security business had picked up, and he was toying with adding another division, offering to fit security systems as well as doing onsite security. I thought that it would be a good thing to add on to his company and right in his wheelhouse .

Da had finally sold off Tommy's house, and we'd invested that money with Bella and Avy, knowing from experience that anything could happen, and we may need it for a rainy day.

Liam was still having issues with theft at the clubs, but we weren't sure when it was happening or how. While we had cameras set up outside, we didn't have any inside. I had a feeling that would be changing and we'd be adding some before long. Especially if we kept losing money like we had been.

As for me, well, I'd continue with my search to find myself a woman, or hopefully, the one that was meant to be mine would find her way to me.

Maybe? No, not maybe, definitely. It couldn't just be the Crows that found their women.

It had to be our turn. Right?