American Dynasty

O N E

Chapter one of my brand new novel! :D I'm so excited to be back writing :) Our lovely Flynn Demspey is played by none other than the magnificent Sean O'Pry. I've given an external link for the soundtrack as well :) Happy reading!

******

New York, 1925

The sound of jazz music was what made Flynn Dempsey smile the broadest. That, and a large pile of money from bootleg.

The night was already in full swing at the Puncheon Club, one of the most exclusive speakeasies in New York. Heads turned as the dark haired young man strolled in, followed by his associates. Red crescents marred his knuckles from a street fight a few days ago, but otherwise his skin was flawless and as new as it had been the day he was born. His sharp eyes scanned the crowd, landing on a man in a dark suit sitting at a table in the corner.

"Cal," Flynn greeted him warmly as he approached the table. "It's been too long."

"Damn right it's been too long, Flynn, how are ya, mate?" Callaghan O'Hare got up from his seat and tightly hugged his old friend.

"Good, good. Business has been booming, as per usual," Flynn said as he and his companions took a seat at Callaghan's table.

Callaghan swirled around the whiskey in his glass and chuckled. "I should think so. This city needs liqueur."

Flynn smiled and leaned back in his seat. "That's why I need your help, Cal. Do you know how many other gangs are bootlegging?"

Callaghan pursed his lips and shook his head. "I'd wager...all of them."

"Exactly." Flynn tilted his head to the right. "I want to end that. I want the monopoly."

Callaghan's lips parted slightly and he sat up straight in his chair. "Flynn, the only way the gangs will give up bootlegging is if they're locked up in Alcatraz or if they're dead. Racketeering and embezzlement can only get you so far before you need to turn towards other means to get the dough."

Flynn raised an eyebrow and smiled crookedly. "I know."

Callaghan stared at Flynn for a good half a minute, watching as he ordered a rum on the rocks. "Are you out of your goddamn mind?" He finally broke the silence, his eyes wide with fear. "The Italian Mafia will hunt you down for trying to push them out of the bootlegging business, not to mention the other Irish mobs."

"The Irish mobs are of no threat to me. I've got a plan, Cal," Flynn said confidently.

"Oh really?" Callaghan chuckled and leaned back in his seat. He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and offered them to the men around the table.

"The Irish mob is made up of separate, smaller mobs," Flynn began, lighting up his cigarette and taking a drag. "But what if they were united as one against a common enemy?"

Callaghan froze, right in the middle of lighting his cigarette. His ice blue eyes slowly travelled up to meet Flynn's. "I wonder sometimes if that pretty boy persona is just a façade for you being a cunning son of a bitch," Callaghan said, smoke spewing from the corner of his mouth as he exhaled. Flynn simply smirked and took a sip of his rum. "So what's the plan if you get the Irish mobs to unite?" Callaghan said quietly. "Destroy the Mafia? Because I hope you realize that there's a better chance of me pulling a lucky leprechaun and his friend the unicorn out of my arse."

"I'll take my chances. Bend over."

"Flynn!" Callaghan hissed exasperatedly. "This is no joking matter! Even if you manage to kill one boss the others will come after you."

"Great victories take great risks, Callaghan," Flynn said, now solemn. "Am I really the crime king of New York when those damn Italians are always threatening my business? I want them gone. I want to create something that's more than a gang legacy, something that my sons will take over when they become old enough, then their sons, and so on. An entire dynasty of gangsters committing the most sophisticated criminal plots."

Callaghan pursed his lips. "You were always a big thinker. Always dreaming."

"I'm not dreaming anymore, Cal," Flynn said, shaking his head. "I'm making everything into a reality, and no Mafia mobster is going to stand in my way. I'll make them regret that they ever heard the name Flynn Dempsey."