Trevor O’Shaughnessy. Madden had given up his empire for love, which was laughable, and O’Shaughnessy was a newcomer, off the boat from Dublin not even five years ago. Was O’Shaughnessy stupid enough to make a move?
Young and full of piss, O’Shaughnessy hadn’t witnessed the bloodshed and violence on the streets before Jack consolidated the Five Points and Bowery gangs into one organization. Trevor thought there was enough money and muscle these days to go around. Why should Jack have it all? To that end, he’d slowly been assembling a crew over at Broome Street Hall, where he started as a bouncer. He wasn’t a threat to Jack’s empire, but he was someone to watch. So Jack kept an eye on those who sided with O’Shaughnessy and the businesses in Trevor’s pocket.
Working in O’Shaughnessy’s favor was Jack’s refusal to operate brothels. After being raised in one and seeing what that life did to women like his mother, Jack would rather die a pauper than condone such a business. Trevor had no such convictions. He peddled both young women and men in his houses outside of Jack’s territory.
This meant Jack would never join forces with O’Shaughnessy. There would be no compromise, only annihilation when the time came.
Qui n’avance pas, recule. Who does not move forward, recedes. It was how Jack lived his life.
Suppressing a sigh, he asked, “She recognize him?”
“She couldn’t see his face in the dark and said he pulls the brim of his hat low.”
“He didn’t approach her?”
“No, but it’s got her spooked.”
Not a surprise. Jack had seen firsthand the sort of violence men could inflict on women, and any woman in her right mind would wish to avoid it. “I’ll have the boys start walking each of you home.”
Maeve frowned, her face registering her annoyance. “That’s not necessary—”
“Do not argue. We must remain vigilant, lest the city come to believe I’ve gone soft.”
“No one with two eyes and a brain would ever think that. Up and down Broadway, they are still telling the story of how you mailed that thief’s fingers to his wife, one by one.”
Jack grunted. Not exactly a true story—but criminals gossiped worse than old ladies at a sewing circle. “Nevertheless, I won’t risk it. The five of you are my responsibility. I promised to keep you safe, and I will. No matter what. The other option is for you all to stay here.”
“No one wants that. We all have families and lives outside of this club. Not to mention people would make assumptions about our role here if we lived on the premises.” That the club was part brothel.
“Then accept the escorts.”
She studied his face, her gaze thoughtful. “I can see it is one of those nights.”
He took a long swallow of the pilsner and tried to hide from her scrutiny. “And what does that mean?”
“It means you have something weighing on your mind and your patience is thin. Anything you want to discuss?”
He considered it. Maeve was wise beyond her years, the oldest of eight children. The money she made dancing in the saloon went to help feed the siblings still at home. If Jack needed advice on women—which he didn’t—Maeve would be the logical choice. But Jack never talked about his personal life with anyone. He fucked plenty of women on the sly, but he kept it private. It was a matter of both safety and practicality.
Besides, Justine Greene was not important. He found her fascinating, yes, but she was from another world. There was no use for a woman like that in his bed.
“No, I don’t,” he said.
“Fine.” She slid off her stool. “Let’s agree to escorts for a few days. The girls won’t like it but they’ll tolerate an escort until we are certain there is no threat.”
The girls would tolerate escorts for as long as Jack deemed necessary, but he didn’t bother mentioning that. He would assess the situation this evening, see if the man could be identified. Then he would take care of it personally. “How’s business in there?”
“You haven’t been in?”
“Not yet.”
“Packed house. Busier than we’ve been in a few weeks.”
“That’s good. Let me know if you need anything else.”
She rapped her knuckles on the bar. “I will. Enjoy the rest of your night, Mulligan.”
Jack watched her go, his mouth turning into a fierce frown. He didn’t wish to alarm her or the other girls, but someone bold enough to disrespect a Mulligan employee was disturbing. If O’Shaughnessy was behind it, this could be the opening salvo to