Allegiance: A Dublin Novella by Heather Domin Page A

of hands to another, like, to spread the trail a bit.”
    William tilted his head and looked confused. “Like what kinds of things?”
    “Munitions, money, food, supplies
—
”
    “You keep guns in the pub? Isn’t that dangerous?"
    “Jesus lord, no, I don’t keep guns in my pub!” Gerald laughed. “Parts, aye, and ammunition, money a time or two, but gun shipments never stay in one place long enough to be stored here. We run them, sure, but they’re needed elsewhere.”
    “We’re not soldiers, Glasgow,” said David. “We’re not running the IRA from the back room of a pub. We’re a few working men doing what we can. No one here is particularly anxious to get himself hanged.”
    “Well, maybe Kelly,” said Andy, and everyone laughed. Kelly cracked a dark grin.
    “I just like to see things done myself,” he said.
    “You just like to see things blown to Kingdom Come,” said Adam, and his face had shaken off its wary shadow. Kelly gave him a sly wink, and the two of them grinned at each other.
    Gerald shook his head. “Don’t take no notice of those two. These young hotheads today are itching to get themselves on hero’s posters. It isn’t enough that every lad around this neighborhood craves a kind look from any of them, and young Elliot here swaggering about like the Second Coming.”
    Adam laughed with the rest of them, but William saw a faint flush touch his cheeks as he stuck his hands in his jacket pockets.
    Gerald looked at William plainly. “So that’s the way of it, Glasgow, and now you know. We’ve got a job needs doing – it’s not much, but it’s all we can do. And we would have you with us.”
    At this point, Daniel leaned forward and crossed his arms on the table. “There’s a large shipment of munitions arriving from Germany on the second of March. It’s far too large to avoid the wrong eyes, so it’s being divided into small batches. Andy’s to pick up a share on the night of the fifth – we’ll be meeting him at the docks with my father’s lorry.”
    “What about the police?” said William. “Won’t they be patrolling the docks?”
    “Nah, we’ve no worry from the police,” said Adam. “They don’t care what they see – hell, half of them would aid us if they could. Anyway, there ’ s men loading and unloading at all hours down there. There’s no reason to look any closer at a bakery truck and a couple of lads.”
    “Tis the army you have to look out for,” said David. His gentle face crinkled with disgust.
    “Irish fighting Irish,” said Kelly. “Fucking shameful.”
    Gerald raised a hand for quiet. “There’s nothing to it, lad,” he said to William. “But aye, I won’t lie, there’s always a chance. And I won’t be going with you – I’ll be waiting here. So you’ll have to go alone with this ragged lot.” He smiled at the men around the table with open affection, which they all returned; and then he looked toward the door and raised his voice.
    “With not even Mary to protect you.” There was a tiny thump from outside, and the second door creaked. “Aye, you may as well come in, lass, you’re fooling no one.”
    William turned to see Mary’s blue eyes blinking from around the corner. She stepped into the room, cobwebs on her face and her shoes in her hand. Her hair was slowly escaping its braid; she brushed it back from her freckled forehead and tried to look nonchalant.
    “Er, aye, well, I
—
I thought to see if you lot were wanting some tea, or some such.” Her cheeks growing pink, she avoided Adam’s eyes as well as her father’s and said instead, “Hello William.”
    “Mary,” said William, thoroughly amused.
    “No daughter, we’re all fine here, though it’s touched we are at your concern.” Gerald was smirking, but his brows were creased a little too deeply. “You’re supposed to be at Mass, girl.”
    “Well it got out early, then, didn’t it?” Mary said, her composure returning. “The good father hadn’t as