Julie watched the normal group of men as they laughed and drank. It was St. Patrick's Day. She rarely left her apartment during this time of year, too afraid of the sea of hell that would wash over her carefully pieced together quiet life. Green beer, whiskey and testosterone never bode well for her.
She chuckled grimly at the thought and down the shot of tequila. She closed her eyes as the smooth liquid burned down her throat. Opening her eyes she looked up at the bar, locking eyes with the bartender Doc. She had always had a soft spot for the stuttering turrets afflicted widower. She had known him for only four years but had come to think of him as family. She even cleaned up the bar sometimes, free of charge, occasionally with the help of some of the bar patrons. "You're sweeter than humble pie, Julie" Doc would say with a stutter and Julie would laugh and pat his head lovingly.
This night, though it was not her normal time to spend in the bar, she had still come over. He was closing down the bar. The Russians had come in, made threats, ripped up paperwork and smashed a few glasses. Doc's turrets was worse that morning and Julie's heart went out to him.
Julie noticed Rocco come in and grin. He was dumb, hard pressed and normally desperate. He'd come on to her a few times when he was exceptionally trashed and she'd smiled and moved on. "Hey fuckass get me a beer!" Rocco shouted and was greeted with a storm of happy greetings. He was hugged by Connor and Murphy. Those Irish twins made her warm down to her toes and through to her bones.
One night when the bar had been terribly dirty and Doc was sick, she had decided to scrub the floor as a surprise. Connor had offered to stay behind and make sure she got home safely and Murphy, not wanting to be left out, stayed too. They went to work cleaning glasses and straightening up the bar not long after that. Connor made a comment about Murphy and the two began horsing around. They knocked over the bucket, instantly drenching Julie. Murphy stripped off his shirt and gave it to her. She still had it. She still felt like a fool for it too.
Julie was snapped back to reality when Murphy looked over in her direction, tilted his head in acknowledgement and turned back to the bar. Her breath hitched in her chest and she felt her face flush. Connor looked next, flashing a smile and motioning Julie over. By this time Rocco had noticed Julie in the corner and stumbled over. "A shot of whiskey for Julie!" he announced and the group cheered. Julie looked at her table, the empty shot glass, the book she was reading and the lesson plan she had been going over. She deserved a little fun, thought and walked over.
After two shots of whiskey and telling a few crazy jokes that had the group falling off their stools, Julie could feel her senses and will power drifting. Her shyness melted. She stripped off her jacket, revealing a sleeveless blouse unbuttoned low down the front. She reached forward to grab for a glass of water and when she sat back there was a hand on the small of her back. She could tell it was Murphy's; Connor was too busy talking to Doc and Rocco about something. He never touched her before, why now? She glanced at the clock and saw it was almost 3am. Julie had to get some sleep and she didn't trust herself to stay any longer without doing something stupid.
"I really should be going." She announced, grabbing her jacket and walking over to the table. There was a sea of vocal disappointment and Julie felt her face redden. "Well I have a lesson plan to finish. Sorry guys." She said walking back over to the bar to give out her hugs. "They sure didn't have teachers like you when I was growing up." One slurred giving her a sloppy kiss on the cheek. "Aye, you can tutor me anytime Julie!" said another. Julie waved goodbye and left.
It wasn't until the next day that she discovered that the Russians had stopped by and mayhem had ensued. An FBI agent stopped by named Paul Smecker and interrogated Doc. He asked about the MacManus Brothers and Julie was frightened. What had they gotten themselves into know.
Author's Note: I'm just placing the characters in the beginning for a bit of back story before I zoom forward to the day of the trial. But please comment nonetheless.