October 2008 - Falls Road, west Belfast.
At the sound of the doorbell, Catherine raced down the stairs. In heels and while trying to secure her earrings, she prayed she wouldn't trip.
Just before the bell rang for a second time, she greeted her guest.
"You have your ma's sense of punctuality. Ya know that, right?" joked Catherine.
She let Kerrianne in and much to her surprise, Jimmy followed close behind her cousin.
Kerrianne took the opportunity to lovingly mock her mother. "Well, if you're not ten minutes early, you're late."
Jimmy stayed several steps behind the girls as Catherine led Kerri further into the house. Eamonn and Sean were on the sofa; bathed and in matching pajamas. Their attention glued to 101 Dalmatians as it played on the television. Once upon a time, that had been Catherine's favorite movie and Jimmy was sure he could still recite it from the heart as she had forced him to watch it with her countless times.
When he finally got a decent look at Eamonn, Jimmy nearly fell over he was so stunned. Fiona hadn't been bull-shitting; Eamonn truly did turn into his mini. Besides the red hair and green eyes, the boy was all O'Phelan.
Walking into the kitchen, he caught the tail end of Catherine and Kerrianne's conversation.
"For pizza," Catherine said, pulling thirty quid from her wallet. "They picked out a bunch of movies so they should be occupied for most of the night. Just have 'em in bed by ten. If Brien stops over, they can stay up later. Oh! I almost forgot—I know your ma doesn't want ya watchin' Sex and the City, but I broke and bought the entire series, so chill up in my room and watch it. I shouldn't be any later than midnight."
"Midnight, huh?" Jimmy slid his hands into the pockets of his trousers and rested his back against the wall. He scanned Catherine's outfit—a curve-hugging black dress that stopped just above the knee. Black pumps, diamond studs in her ears. Her hair blown out, eye makeup smoky, and her plump lips were painted a beautiful shade of mauve. He even noticed she was wearing the diamond bracelet he bought her for Christmas eleven years ago. "What's on your agenda tonight?"
"I think our wee Catherine has a date." Kerrianne smiled mischievously. She wasted no time digging into the bag of Tayto crisps that sat on the counter.
"A date?" Jimmy raised his eyebrows at Catherine.
As she tossed her personal and burner phones, ID, cash, and bank card into her clutch, she didn't bother looking up at him. "Jealous?"
He snorted. "Jealous of the fella who has to put up with you all night? Not a fat-fuckin' chance. Don't ya think you're wee overdressed though?"
"You think this is too much?" she asked, running her hands down her hips.
"Don't listen to him. I think you look cracker."
Tucking the clutch under her arm, Catherine purposely held eye contact with Jimmy. "Thank you, Kerri."
She walked out of the kitchen and into the living room to say goodnight to her boys. When she blocked their view of the television, they groaned in protest. As best she could in her tight dress, Catherine bent down to gather her five and four-year-old sons. Eamonn, who was far more the momma's boy, didn't put up much of a fight in wrapping his arms around her neck when Catherine asked for hugs and kisses.
"Will we still be up when you get home?" His question was directed at his mother, but Eamonn eyed Jimmy. Though Jimmy had become more of a steady male-figure in his life, Eamonn still wasn't exactly sure what to make of the man.
Sean had latched on to his uncle Brien in particular, loving the time he spent at the SAMBEL clubhouse around all the Harleys and beautiful woman. Just like his daddy, Sean had a fondness for the ladies.
"No. Sorry, lovey. I'll be here in the morning when you wake up."
Catherine hated keeping the boys on their toes. Now being the third highest-ranking officer in the North Command under Jimmy and Donny, she didn't keep regular hours. Being back in the Ra while rearing the boys on her own had been a difficult transition for not only Catherine but Eamonn and Sean as well. They may have been used to Catherine sometimes leaving for days at a time, but they knew they could count on her when they needed her most.
Despite her mounting responsibilities in the cause, her family came first. Never once did she miss a milestone moment, and she always made sure she was home for dinner and bedtime. Once they were sound asleep in bed, only then would Catherine pick work up again.
"Be good for Kerri, yeah?" Catherine pressed a kiss to Sean's forehead and he immediately began scrubbing the lipstick mark off his skin. "I love you both, so much."
Craigavon, Northern Ireland
Sitting at the bar in the Edenmore Golf and Country Club, Catherine looked at her watch as she ate the olive from her dirty vodka martini. It wasn't like him to be late, but instead of growing worried that something happened, she soaked up the alone time.
Polishing off the rest of her drink, she ordered another one. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Catherine was startled back to reality when she heard an excited shriek from a woman at one of the tables. A weak smile tugged at the corners of her mouth after she looked over to see a man down on one knee, black ring box in his hands. She coughed and blinked back her tears, feeling genuinely happy for the newly engaged couple.
"Owen." She caught the attention of the bartender. "Send them a bottle of champagne and put it on my tab."
He poured her martini into a fresh glass and nodded. When he placed it in front of her, Catherine drained half of it in one breath.
Four years. It had been that long since she buried Darragh, and the grief was still as fresh as it had been the night she learned of his murder. She chose to keep the heartache locked away, finding it was easier to get through life by ignoring it. While she hardly spoke of Darragh to anyone anymore, not a day went by where she didn't take a moment or two out her day to talk to him. Every morning after dropping the boys off at St. Matthew's for school, she would head over to the church and light a candle for him.
The nagging emptiness in her heart never went away, but Catherine managed to still feel close to Darragh by throwing herself deep into the cause which brought them together in the first place.
Eamonn and Sean were rightfully oblivious to the work their mother did. On some level, she never wanted them to know. That didn't stop her from telling them what a gallant and proud IRA man their daddy had been. Catherine made it her mission to raise her sons to be just as kind and courageous as Darragh.
She was working on instilling them with a strong sense of Irish nationalism but chose to steer Eamonn and Sean clear of the rabbit hole that was the republican movement. Catherine's return and rise in the IRA had been rooted in the overwhelming abhorrence she felt for the UVF and UDA.
Operation Banner was over and the British army no longer patrolled the streets—that was all Catherine dreamt of seeing in her lifetime. Nonetheless, for as long as the UVF or UDA were still around, she'd never leave the Republican army. Her thirst for loyalist paramilitary blood came from a driving need to see requital for Darragh's death. She didn't want Eamonn or Sean to be filled with the same hate that bittered her.
"You're late," she said, taking a sip of her drink.
A large hand plucked the glass from her, tossing back the rest of the vodka and vermouth.
"After seein' how you dressed, I ran home and changed. I thought you said it's just casual drinks?"
"It is." Catherine smiled at Jimmy, as she accepted his hand to help her jump off the barstool. "But a man once told me that if I dress like I have power, people will think I do."
"Sounds like he's a smart fella."
She shrugged. "He can be. Most of the time he's a fuckin' asshole."
Jimmy rolled his eyes. "We should get goin'. It's about an hour's drive."
After paying her tab, Catherine grabbed her clutch and began walking towards the door. When she got in front of Jimmy, he nonchalantly smacked her on the ass. All the blood rushed below his belt when he felt it jiggle under his hand.
Looking back over her shoulder, she wore an unamused expression. "He's a goddamn perv, too."
Dundalk, Republic of Ireland
Walking down the street to the Imperial Hotel, Jimmy placed a light hand on the small of Catherine's back. A usual Friday night, the downtown street was buzzing with nightlife, making it perfect to clandestinely discuss business in public. Everyone would be too focused on their drinking and conversations to care about what others were up to.
"You sure you trust these lads?"
"Aye," Catherine tugged on Jimmy's jacket sleeve to stop him. She wanted a smoke before heading into the hotel. "Mickey was Darragh's cousin. Some of the fellas I spoke to from the Real army said he's sound. Albeit, a wee radical."
Jimmy snatched the cigarette from her and took a drag, handing it back. "I'm not lookin' to push Belfast back into 1972, Catherine."
"And neither am I. I agreed to meet with him out of respect for Darragh. He asked specifically for you to be here, too, so I think we at least should hear him out. We've walked out of proposals in the past if we don't like what's being offered, so there's nothing to lose."
As Jimmy watched Catherine work her way up from foot soldier to his third-in-command, he learned to trust her instincts. She had a sixth-sense like he did when it came to decision making. He chalked it up to her sharp attention to detail and she called it the luck of the Irish.
So, if her gut was telling her Mickey was worth the time, then it was all good with him.
Inside the busy bar of the hotel, Catherine quickly spotted Mickey and another young man sitting at a corner table. They seemed a bit nervous; drumming their fingers on the tabletop and looking around at the crowd. It wasn't their scene. As for Catherine and Jimmy, they had traveled to nearly every corner of the world so there wasn't a single place they could be made to feel uncomfortable in.
Their fidgeting ceased and they jumped to their feet the moment the top True army commanders approached the table. Mickey promptly introduced himself to Jimmy. A tall, gangly blond boy, the only attributes Mickey possessed which convinced Jimmy he was any way related to Darragh, was his thick Donegal brogue and a firm handshake. Though he did vaguely remember seeing Mickey at the wake and funeral.
The other man was introduced as Daniel, who was in Mickey's Real army unit in Derry.
Knowing that these two lads more than likely didn't have a penny between the two of them, Jimmy appreciated the fact they wore pressed trousers and a button-down. No doubt the clothes had been borrowed, but what mattered was that Mickey and Daniel made the effort to be taken seriously. Appearance was everything to a man like Jimmy, and it was their effort which made him want to hear what they were eager to discuss.
After pulling out Catherine's chair for her, Jimmy took a seat. He waved down the waitress and ordered a round of Johnnie Walker Blue Label for the table. By his choice of expensive scotch, Catherine could tell he didn't plan on sparing any expense tonight. Considering business had been good to them as of late, and this was possibly a chance for them to recruit Real army boys over to their side, she didn't blame him.
When the drinks arrived, Jimmy did most of the talking. He wanted to get a feel for what they were dealing with. Catherine sat back and drank her scotch, letting Jimmy take the lead. Just because Mickey was Darragh's cousin, didn't mean her guard was automatically down. Threatened by their success and unhappy with their less-than-radical approach to dealing with the PSNI, the Real IRA had put a target on the back of the True army. They worried this could be a ploy to gather intelligence on what was going on in Belfast.
"I'm a little confused," Jimmy said, draping his arm over the back of Catherine's chair. "If you're lookin' to jump ship from Derry to Belfast, I don't think you'd be happy."
Catherine cut in, "Our troubles aren't with the peelers so much anymore. Just with the UVF and UDA."
"Look, I won't lie to youse. There's a huge division goin' on in the Real army right now and it's threatening to implode the entire organization."
"Why should we care about that?" asked Jimmy.
Mickey could tell he was losing them, so it was time to cut to the point. "Darragh saw it comin' years ago. He and Dessie Dennehy, from Cross, weren't happy with the direction youse were goin' either. Before Darragh died, the two of them started recruitin' lads from both Real and True, to form a new organization called Óglaigh na hÉireann. We want to see Darragh's vision come true."
Jimmy could feel Catherine go rigid. Being that she was out of the IRA during that time, she didn't have the slightest clue Darragh was working to form his faction. Straightening in her chair, she wondered why Jimmy seemed unfazed by the revelation.
The commanders knew where this was going, but they let Mickey and Daniel do all the talking.
"Everyone who is connected to the movement, whether they live in Norn Iron or the Republic, knows who the real king of Belfast is—and he, nor the queen are sitting on the council. I'm sure you already know this, but there are still quite a few lads who aren't happy with the direction the Irish Kings are taking the True army." Daniel buttered them up.
"How do Jimmy and I fit into all of this?"
Mickey responded, "To have a solid foundation, Óglaigh na hÉireann needs two things: steady cash flow and an army council who is committed to fightin' the crown forces. If you two agree to come over to ONH and bring your sources, not only will youse be sitting on the council, but we've also agreed to allow youse to decide who occupies the other three seats."
When the waitress passed the table, Jimmy ordered another round of drinks.
Catherine was flabbergasted. She couldn't believe the offer that had been placed on the table. The men from south Armagh had tried to poach her from her position in the ranks of the North Command, but this was an offer too good to walk away from.
In forming the organization, Darragh would have sat on the council. Being asked to essentially finish what he started, was an honor for Catherine.
As for Jimmy, he was waiting patiently for his turn in the elite inner circle of the Irish Kings, growing antsy. He felt as though he had earned the right to finally make the big decisions and lead an organization which shared the same vision as him.
Daniel didn't have to tell them the True IRA was full of disgruntled volunteers. Catherine and Jimmy were leading the pack. They were just extremely good at hiding their discontent from the Irish Kings.
Neither of them was dismissing Mickey and Daniel, though they kept their guard up, not ready to give them a definitive answer just yet.
"How many volunteers are interested in moving over?" Jimmy inquired.
"When Darragh started recruiting in 2004, there were less than thirty. As of ten o'clock last night…over a hundred-and-twenty. From all over; Derry, south Armagh. Dublin, Belfast, Limerick. There's also fellas from Louth, Tyrone, Monaghan. Even bloody Kerry. And that's not counting the lads in Maghaberry," Mickey answered.
Jimmy and Catherine looked at one another. Though they held their composure, neither of them could believe this had generated so much momentum right under their noses in Belfast.
Before they went any further, she wanted to make sure their goals were in line with theirs. "What are the objectives of Óglaigh na hÉireann?"
"A unified Ireland. By forcing the end of British sovereignty over Northern Ireland through the means of physical force. We reject the Mitchell Principles, as well as the Belfast Agreement."
Daniel finished, "We aim to uphold a hardline form of Irish republicanism, which is against any political resolution that falls short of Irish unity and total independence."
Jimmy spoke the point that was on both his and Catherine's minds. "This isn't something that can be assembled overnight. Getting ONH capable of bein' able to sustain any sort of campaign will take quite a bit of time to develop."
They ceased their conversation for a moment as the waitress dropped off the drinks.
"We're aware." Mickey drowned his scotch in one go and stood up from the table. Jimmy followed his lead and welcomed the final handshake. "You built the True army into the strong organization that it is today, Mr. O'Phelan. We believe you and Miss. O'Toole can do the same for ONH. Please, consider our offer. Thank you both for the drinks, and hope to hear from you soon."
After Mickey and Daniel left, Jimmy slid back into his chair. They both needed a moment to gather their thoughts. Digest what had just been offered to them.
In theory, they were both on board—they'd be stupid not to be. This was their chance to finally be the shot callers, no longer bending to the soft orders from the men above their heads. Catherine wanted to form a new sniper team and take out every man who pledged their allegiance to the Ulster Volunteer Force. Jimmy wanted to instill fear back into the hearts of the PSNI and British army.
"What do ya think, a chuisle?" Jimmy drummed his hands on the table.
"I think they laid it on a wee bit thick, but then again, you are a sucker for a good ego stroke." Catherine bit her lip to hold back the laughter that threatened to escape when he rolled his eyes. "But in all seriousness, I agree with everything they said. The logistics though…it'll be a lot of work startin' at ground level again. We have to be fully committed as a team. One, or both of us can't change our minds halfway through."
Jimmy only nodded. Catherine could tell he was deep in his mind and she hated not being able to tell what he was thinking. "Aye. What do you say we get a room, head upstairs, and bang out the details?"
"Nice try, Don Juan. Your cock always stirs up trouble in my life. And not to mention your stepdaughter is back in Belfast watching my boys. How about we head across the street and get dessert, instead."
"Speaking of your boys, are we gonna talk about how Eamonn looks-"
To stop his talking, Catherine pressed her index finger to his mouth. She shook her head. "We're gonna do what everyone else is doing. Ignore it, and pray mighty hard he doesn't ask questions."
"He's a smart kid, Catherine. He's startin' to wonder; you can tell by the way he acts when I'm around. Not to mention, I've held up my end of the bargain. You need to stop fuckin' with my head and using him as a pawn."
There wasn't enough alcohol in the world to numb herself from Jimmy's words. She couldn't deny his observation on Eamonn's behavior, because she saw it too. She also couldn't deny that Jimmy was doing everything she had requested of him if he wanted to spend more time with Eamonn. As far as she knew, he had kept his temper under control and showed no outbursts of violence. He was getting better at controlling the harsh words that spouted from his mouth. But every time Jimmy would ask to spend time with Eamonn without Catherine, she would refuse. Saying she wanted more from him, despite his turnaround already.
She felt like she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. With Darragh gone, it wouldn't do Eamonn any good to keep him from his father. Growing up in a life where too many fathers were torn from their children, Catherine always considered herself one of the lucky ones to still have Patrick around. The last thing she wanted was for Eamonn to grow up with any sort of resentment towards her if he were to find out the secret she had kept from him.
Aside from worrying about Jimmy's unpredictable behavior, Catherine worried about Sean. How would he handle watching his brother have a relationship with Jimmy when Darragh wasn't there to fulfill that void in his life? How could she handle watching Eamonn have a relationship with his father when all she wanted was for Darragh to be the one taking that role? Catherine suddenly realized that keeping them apart for the last year, was done out of her selfish reasoning.
"I'll make a deal with you. You can start coming over more so Eamonn gets comfortable with having you around. If and when he warms up, you can pick him up from St. Matthew's a couple of day's a week."
"I'll come over after Mass on Sunday's and hang out Wednesday nights." Jimmy started playing hardball. "Then, I'll pick him up on Tuesdays and Fridays, with the Sunday and Wednesday plan still in place. And," he said, holding up his index finger to stop Catherine from butting in, "On Friday night's the four of us will get takeaway from Chip'n Fish and hang out at Ormeau Park. Like we use to, back in the day."
She held her gaze firm with Jimmy's, reading the situation. A long time ago, he had told her never to accept the first offer.
"On Wednesdays, you're on homework and bedtime duty, and I reserve the right to use your babysittin' service one Saturday a month."
For Jimmy, it was like dealing with himself.
"I'm only agreein' to all of the above, under one circumstance: when you're in Cali next week, I get to bring both of them to their swim lesson."
Catherine sucked her teeth and cocked her head to the side. After years of watching him negotiate deals, she could tell by his body language that this was the simplest deal she would get out of him. If she pressed her luck any further, he would only ask for more.
"Deal. I'll let my Da know you'll be takin' 'em." She held out her hand to shake on it.
"Pleasure doin' business with ya." He shook her hand before standing up. "C'mon, I'll buy ya a slice of apple cake."
On the drive back to Craigavon so Catherine could pick up her car, neither of them spoke a word for most of the way. They were drowning in their thoughts, feeling overwhelmed by everything that had been talked about in such a short time.
Over coffee and slices of apple cake, they had decided they'd start reaching out to their buyers, testing the waters to see how they'd react to them jumping ship from the True army. Their sellers wouldn't give two shits, but that didn't mean jack unless they had someone buying their stock.
Catherine was still having a hard time swallowing the fact that if this worked out, she'd be sitting on a council.
"I don't think this is a good time for me to be leavin' and going to California," she blurted out. "If we wanna see this happen within the next year, you need me here gettin' everything in order."
Jimmy knew her apprehension about crossing the Atlantic was about more than just wanting to stay and help him out. It had been six years since she was last in California. Not to mention, she hadn't spoken to either Chibs or Happy since she broke the news to her uncle that Charming was longer in her future. That phone call hadn't ended on good terms. Needless to say, Chibs was the last person she wanted to face, but ironically, he would be the first one she met. Neither Chibs nor Happy had a clue she had risen as high as she did in the ranks. While Catherine was content with everything she's accomplished, she knew Chibs wouldn't feel the same.
He placed a hand on her knee and gave it a tight, assuring squeeze. "SAMCRO buys the most stock from us."
"Where are you goin' with this?" she asked.
Meaning nothing by it, Catherine placed her hand over Jimmy's and curled her fingers between his.
"Instead of headin' straight to the safe house, I want you to stay with McKeavy the whole time. Head back to the SAMCRO clubhouse with him, get a feel for how the relationship between McKeavy and Clay is. That way it won't seem like we're pullin' the rug out from under them. I'm gonna set up a meeting for you to meet with a contact I have out there—Viktor Putlova. He heads the Russian mafia in the northwest. Find out how business is goin' for them, see if there's anything we can supply them with."
He came up with that damn fast, Catherine thought. Then it clicked.
"Darragh came to you with this idea, didn't he? You two were gonna leave—that's why you weren't surprised, you knew someone would eventually bring it up again."
He took a deep breath. Wouldn't be any use to lie to her now. "I, Donny, and Dessie…we've been workin' on this for a long time."
"Am I'm guessin' it was a collective decision to push the Sons of Anarchy out, so you could do business with the Russians?" Jimmy's lack of answer spoke louder than words. "Christ, Jimmy. Do you have any idea what kind of shitstorm that'll create? The Kings'll come after us-"
"Don't worry about the Kings, a chuisle. By the time we get our feet planted on the ground, we'll be nearly three-hundred strong. I'm to lead as chief of staff. Darragh was supposed to be the director of operations and there was talk of you takin' over that role. But, I want you as my adjunct general."
She shrugged to find words. She had no idea this movement was as big as it was, and she had selected to sit on the council long before tonight. "Thank you, so much."
"Don't thank me, Catherine." His eyes not leaving the road, Jimmy kissed the back of her hand. "You've earned it."
