‘Look, Michael, I appreciate what you’re trying to do but, honestly, I never wanted anything to do with Patrick’s side of the business. I chose to take a step back a long time ago. I only ever partnered him in the day-to-day. I know you mean well, but I have no interest in any of his other businesses – I never did. That was why he wanted you onboard. So do me a favour, mate – leave me out of it.’
Michael was silent for a long while as he digested what he had been told. He had half expected something like this, but he had also wondered if, now that Patrick was out of the frame, Declan might want to be more involved in the real money side of everything. Michael knew that Patrick loved his brother, but didn’t exactly consider him as an equal, as someone to respect. Now he saw that Declan was genuinely happy to leave him to it, he was quite happy to do just that. In fact, this suited him down to the ground.
‘If that’s what you want, Declan. I just wanted you to know that the offer was there.’
Declan grinned. ‘I know that, mate, but I am fine as I am. You know something? You’re much more like Patrick than you admit. You have the same drive that he had. I never had that myself. I’m easily contented, happy with what I’ve got.’
Michael knew Declan was speaking the truth. He admired his honesty, but another part of him abhorred the man for his weakness. He had just offered him an in to a world of real money, of real power, and he had refused it point blank. Well, Michael had done what he felt was the right thing, and now he had no option but to carry on by himself.
‘I just felt that I should give you the opportunity, that’s all, Declan. If you’re happy for me to carry on as before, then that’s what I’ll do.’
Declan shrugged nonchalantly. ‘That suits me, Michael.’
Chapter Forty-Five
Josephine was listening to her mother with half an ear. She was already regretting inviting her round. Her mum resented her life with Michael, and that bothered her more than she liked to admit.
‘. . . That is what everyone thinks, anyway.’ Lana was watching her daughter warily. She had expected a reaction to her words, but it seemed that her Josephine was either unwilling to say anything, or she hadn’t been listening. ‘Have you bothered to listen to a word I’ve said?’
Josephine snapped back to reality as she heard the anger in her mother’s voice. ‘I’m sorry, Mum, I was miles away. What are you on about this time?’
Lana sighed in annoyance. ‘I was just saying that people are talking about Patrick Costello’s death. No one thinks it was really a mugging.’
Josephine looked at her mother, and felt the urge to slap her face. She knew what she was insinuating, and this wasn’t the first time she had tried to bring this conversation up. Josephine stood suddenly. They were, as always, in her kitchen. She had made them both a lovely lunch, and she had tried to pretend that she was enjoying it. But she wasn’t. Her mother had been a pain in her arse for a long time now. Well, she was fed up. She couldn’t allow her mother to get away with this, not again. ‘Just what are you trying to say, Mum?’
Lana could see the bristling anger that her words had caused. It just added fuel to her belief that Michael Flynn had been behind Patrick Costello’s death. Everyone thought that, except this daughter of hers.
‘I’m not trying to say anything, love. I am just telling you what people are whispering.’
Josephine gave a deep low chuckle as if she was really tickled about something. ‘Do you know something, Mum? I couldn’t give a flying fuck about what “people” are saying. What I do know is my Michael had better not hear it. He wouldn’t like to think that “people” are accusing him of murder, because that is what you’re trying to say, isn’t it? At least that’s what you seem to be insinuating anyway.’
It finally dawned on Lana that her daughter would stand by her husband no matter what, even knowing what her husband was capable of. It didn’t bother her at all. ‘I never said anything of the kind.’
Josephine flapped her hands in front of her mother’s face. ‘Oh, Mum, will you stop it! It’s all you go on about. Now, I am telling you for the last time, any more of this and I will aim you out the door. I mean it.’
Lana knew that her daughter was more than capable of doing just that. ‘I wouldn’t hurt you for the world, Josephine.’
Josephine looked at Lana, so upset at her mother’s words that she was nearly in tears. ‘But you do hurt me, Mum, you know you do. Every time that you try to say something bad about Michael, you hurt me. I can’t do this any more, Mum. It has to stop. What you don’t seem to understand is that I don’t care what he might have done. I don’t care what you or anyone else thinks. I love him, and he loves me. Nothing else matters.’
Lana was heart-sorry to see her only child so distressed. If only she would see Michael as he truly was. But that wasn’t ever going to happen, she knew that now. Even if Josephine did know the whole truth about her husband, she wouldn’t care – she had just admitted that.