American Dynasty

P R O L O G U E

Folsom State Prison, California, 1937

The patter of the rain hitting the roof was the only noise in the small, dank room. A dark, unreadable man's cold eyes stared into those of Greg Barker's, waiting for him to ask a question. Greg hesitantly cleared his throat and opened his notepad.

"So...Mr. Dempsey-"

"Call me Flynn," the man cut him off. His voice was not deep, nor powerful, but had an eerie quietness and calmness.

Greg swallowed the lump in his throat that he was sure was visible and shakily brought his pencil down to the paper. "Um...Flynn, what was it like leading a gang in New York during the Prohibition?"

Flynn leaned forward in his seat, his blue eyes holding a sort of emptiness in them. "Do I make you nervous?" He asked, ignoring Greg's question.

"Um, no, sir," Greg said, trying to keep his voice from wavering. There was nothing impressive about this man. He was quite tall but lanky. His face still held his youth; he couldn't have been more than thirty years old. He was extremely handsome and nothing about him said 'mobster'. Had Greg seen him walking along the street in a suit, he might have mistaken him for a wealthy, clean-cut business man.

Flynn slowly raised his eyebrow and the corner of his mouth twitched, like he wanted to smile but wouldn't allow for it. "Lying is not your talent," he said in a matter-of-fact way. For the first time since Greg walked in Flynn broke his gaze from the young man's and focused on the wooden table in front of him. "I was a mob boss. I can sniff out fear from a mile away."

Greg tried to get his nerves under control, trying to pretend like he wasn't alone in a room with a man convicted of three counts of murder and a smattering of other illegal activities. "You-you still haven't answered my question, Flynn."

Flynn's eyes snapped up from the table, making Greg flinch slightly. "You want to know what it was like leading a gang in New York during the Prohibition?" he said softly. "Then you had better be ready to hear things you don't want to hear."

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