Page 26 of Celtic Dragon
“Of course you will, you’re doing better than most in your situation would. This is all new to you—we get that. But we’ll get you there, I promise. You’re good for Ice and we aren’t going to let you fail.”
“Hell no!” Hawk replies.
It makes me feel good that they feel the way they do. I’ve sometimes worried about whether I can fit into Cade’s world, but with everyone’s support, I know I can.
Chapter 9
Caden
I had hoped that I’d be able to get some sleep on the flight to Dublin, but after Rebel filled me in on the nightmare that we’re flying into, I knew that wasn’t gonna happen.
So instead, I start doing some research of my own. I read more articles about recent acts of violence and mysterious deaths, and I even look into information about the prison. It’s hard to believe that I’m flying to Ireland for a fucking prison break, and not just any prison break. No, we’re planning to break my fucking aunt and uncle out of a high-security prison.Fuck it all to hell! The things I get myself involved in.
As I read through some of the stuff I find on the internet, I come across an article that goes into more detail about “The Beast” that Rebel mentioned earlier.
The man was a fucking piece of work. Everything I read about him stated that his own men took him out. In 2013 the Real IRA demoted him for pilfering profits from the group’s cigarette smuggling and other crimes. Then, to add insult to injury, after they demoted him, they shot him in both legs as a so-called punishment attack designed to cripple him.And I thought our punishments were bad.I think about this for a minute and then realize that in a way, they aren’t much different from the club.
This article, dated December 7, 2016, states that his assassins shot him in the back and when he dropped to the pavement, they shot him two more times.What kind of fucking coward shoots a man in the back? You won’t see a biker doing that!
The “Beast” was suspected of many killings in the Dublin area in the last ten years, but he was never charged. His only charge was a conviction of being a Real IRA member in 2006, for which he only served two years due to a legal technicality.
I try to find out more about him, but everything I encounter all says the same thing. They shot him in the back. The fact that this was such a cowardly act from a group of vigilante rebels just doesn’t sit well with me. Why wouldn’t they have allowed him to see his killer?
My head begins to hurt and I look at my watch. We’ve been on this plane for three hours; roughly three more to go. Although I know I won’t be able to sleep, I tilt my head back and close my eyes. I try my hardest to get the images of the IRA, the killings, the riots, and all the violence out of my head. The only thing that distracts me from these horrible images is Emma. I’ve only been gone from her a few hours and already I miss her.How the fuck did I survive eleven years without her?Now that she’s back, I can’t even begin to imagine my life without her. I got a glimpse of that when Grayson took her. I was frantic with worry, unsure if I would ever see her again. I was terrified about what he’d do to her.Thank God that fucker is dead!
As I sit here with my eyes closed, thinking about my girl, one thing becomes clear: we need to get to Belfast, get my aunt and uncle, and get the fuck out of there as quickly as possible.
Eventually, sleep overtakes me. The next thing I remember is waking up as the plane is about to land. I look out the window and see green everywhere as we approach Dublin.
We land without a hitch and Rebel, Ryder, Doc and I gather our things and proceed to deplane. I haven’t heard back from Declan, so I’m not sure where we’re supposed to pick up our loaner bikes. Once I get inside the private airport terminal that belongs to Hayden Exports, I’ll give him a call. We deplane directly on the airstrip in which we landed and have to walk a ways to the small building ahead, which I assume is their terminal.
I look over at the boys and notice something about Rebel as we walk. His air and confidence have changed. Rebel has always been rock solid, even when he found out about his parents, but now that we’ve landed in Ireland he appears fearful and unsure. I can’t have him fearful, not with what he plans for us to do here. I need him to be the rock-solid brother that he was the day we killed Ace’s killers. I need my Rebel Irishman. When we get settled, I’ll fix him.
We get to the building that has a large sign on the side that says Hayden Exports. Upon entering, to my surprise we find Declan and some of his boys waiting in the lobby for us.
“Declan! What the fuck, man? How did you know we’d be flying in here?”
He laughs. “I called Hawk yesterday and asked him where you were flying into. I wanted to greet you Irish style! And I have the bikes here for you boys, as well.”
“Shit, man, you didn’t have to do that. I can’t believe you drove all the way down here to meet us. Thank you!”
“I couldn’t let MC royalty arrive in my country and not have him treated appropriately. That would make me a bad host, and I can’t allow that.”
There’s a door on the other end of the building, opposite the airstrip that we just walked down. Looking outside through that door, I can see eight Harleys and a van. We walk out and Declan says, “These beauties are for you and your boys. My boys rode them here, but they’ll be going back in the van.”
“This is fantastic, Declan. Thank you so much,” I say.
“My pleasure, Ice. Are ya all ready to head north?”
We all mount our bikes and Declan heads out first. His boys allow us to follow Declan and they bring up the tail in the van. We’re on our way to Belfast.
Declan takes us straight to the Knights’ clubhouse. It’s smaller than ours—well, before it blew up. It’s really not in the best neighborhood either, but Belfast is nothing like Edinboro. Edinboro is a small, neatly kept town with a population of roughly 6,ooo. Belfast is an industrial city with old architecture and a population of 600,000.
Pulling around to the back of the building, we park our bikes and follow him inside. “MC royalty here, boys!” he calls out. Turning to the bar, he says, “Aideen, get these boys whatever they want, on the house.” We follow him further into the clubhouse and into a room that has a couple of pool tables, a few couches, and a TV.
Declan turns back toward me and says, “Make yourselves at home. I know it was a long flight and I know that you want to get down to business, but take a few minutes here, grab a drink, and settle in. We’ll get you over to your family in an hour or two.” I nod and turn back toward Rebel to make sure he’s cool with this. He nods too, but he still looks uneasy. Perhaps a drink will do him good. I’m really bothered by this change in him and am still trying to figure out what the fuck is going on with him. Something about being home is throwing him off-kilter.
“Declan, I need to make a phone call. Is there someplace I can go for some privacy?” I ask.
