It was hard to say goodbye to their father. Not that it was permanent or anything. Nonetheless, it was still hard as hell.
Connor and Murphy McManus were silent as their car sped along the highway. A song was playing on the radio, humming softly in the background of the thoughts that both brothers were lost.
Connor lifted his left arm, bringing it to his mouth so he could take a long, steady drag from the cigarette between his fingers. His other hand rested steadily on the steering wheel in front of him, his narrow eyes hidden underneath dark sunglasses.
He knew his father would be alright. He didn't have the privilege of growing up with his father by his side, but from stories his mother told him, and boy did she ever tell him stories, he knew his father was a strong man. But still, over the years he had spent rotting in jail, he had gotten older, and in Connor's protective eyes, more fragile.
With the three McManus men standing side by side, Connor had never felt stronger. But still, he couldn't help but worry about his father's age. In any other life, his father would be retired, living at home with his wife and enjoying his golden years. Instead, Connor's father was out with his twin boys, bringing about the end to some of the worst scum that lurked in the streets of Boston.
A thin smile spread across Connor's lips as he took another steady drag. God damn, he loved being a McManus.
Murphy, on the other hand, stared aimlessly out the window. His chin rested on his closed fist as he watched building after building pass him by.
Sometimes, he simply couldn't believe how utterly insane the last few months had been. What should have turned him and his brother into wanted fugitives had turned them into heroes. Well, in some people's eyes, at least. To others, he and Connor were just as bad, if not worse, than the scum they killed.
But what other people thought about him and his brother didn't faze him for a second. In Murphy's eyes, they were doing what they should have done years ago.
The fact that the justice system, the same system that is set up to protect innocent people, gives criminals so many loop holes and outs is beyond infuriating. For anyone who has ever known someone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, or even just people who would turn on the news after a long, honest day at work, it was plain to see that sometimes the justice system can work for the criminals it should sentence.
Show me one person who has never thought about taking the law into their own hands. Everyone has thought about it, at least once.
Every time he heard about someone being murdered, a woman being raped, or a child being molested, Murphy prayed to God to grant him a little personal time with the asshole who did it. All he needed was five minutes alone with the garbage to prove his point.
Murphy liked the fact that, for once, he and his brother were truly standing up for something they believed in. But no matter how careful they were about leaving behind anything that could tie them to the murders, Murphy knew that they wouldn't have been able to do what they did without the help of Smecker and some of Boston's finest.
"How long do you suppose it will take for others to come after us?" Connor asked before taking another drag from his cigarette. It was the first times words had been spoken between the brothers since they left the airport about a half a mile back.
Murphy pulled himself away from the glass and studied his brother's face. Hard, determined, a McManus. Though his eyes were covered by dark sunglasses, Murphy knew there was no fear lurking behind them.
"I wouldn't be surprised if they're already after us. Do you really think it's a good idea for us to stay here longer, Connor? I still think we should have gone back home with Da."
Connor kept his eyes peeled to the road in front of him as he swerved around an annoyingly slow car. Glaring at the person driving as he passed it, Connor turned his attention back to his brother. "The idea of those bastards following us back home and something happening to Ma drives me insane. I'd rather wait here for a few months, at least. Just in case. Let them plan what they feel they have to plan and come after us, and only us. I don't know what I'd do if Ma got involved somehow in all of this."
Connor felt the blood in his body boil at the thought merely passing through his mind. Without having to say a single word, Connor knew Murphy felt the same way. Their ma was everything to them. The strongest woman they ever met, and she'd had to be, raising the two twins that she did. She was the only woman they'd ever loved, and they'd be damned if they'd let anything happen to her. For now, they knew she was safe. Da was by her side. And both brothers knew their father would rather lay down his life than let some lowlife come anywhere near the woman who had his heart all these years.
"Aye, I know exactly what you mean. Let those sons of bitches come after us. I'm not scared, and I know you sure as hell aren't!"
Connor didn't respond to his brother's comment. But the truth was, he was scared. Not for himself, no. He was scared for his brother.
The image of the Russian's dragging Murphy out of their shitty apartment ran through his head. At that point, Connor had never been more scared in his life. His brother was his other half. From his earliest memory, Murphy had always been by his side. The thought of something happening to him was something Connor couldn't even bare to think about. He did what he had to do to save his brother that day. And he didn't regret a single action he took.
"Let the cowards come after us. We'll handle them when they decide to make their moves. But for now, I suggest we lay low."
A smirk spread across Murphy's thin lips. "Does laying low include McGinty's?"
Connor lost the fight against the chuckle that tickled his throat. His shook his head, taking one final drag from his cigarette before tossing it out the window. He reached over and patted his brother's chest. "Really, Murph? That's your biggest concern right now? And then you wonder why I think I'm the oldest. Clearly, I am the more mature, level headed one."
Murphy swatted Connor's hand away from his chest as he patted it with the back of his hand. "What? I can't want a drink? After the last couple of months we've had, I think we have every right in the world to get shit faced! Besides, it's a Wednesday night. How many people do you suppose will be at Doc's?"
Connor let out a heavy sigh. After all these years, he knew his brother. And his brother was not going to drop this until he got his way. Besides, a nice pint sounded like heaven right about now.
"Aye, we'll go. We'll go later, though, to try and avoid seeing as many people as possible."
Murphy nodded his head and slid a cigarette between his lips. Reaching his arm out towards his brother, he patted him on the shoulder. "Damn right we will."
Much to Murphy's dismay, they had waited. It was well after midnight before the McManus brothers entered good old McGinty's. As they entered and looked around the place, Murphy held up his arms to his side, a victorious smile on his face. Connor rolled his eyes and pushed him towards the bar.
He hated when Murphy was right. He could never just let it go; the bastard always had to rub it in. Doc was the only poor son of a bitch lurking about in the bar.
The older man glanced up when he heard footsteps approach and nearly dropped the towel in his hands, along with the glass he was drying off.
"B-boys! What are you doing here?"
The twins took a seat along the bar, leaning their arms against the wooden countertop.
"We just couldn't stay away, Doc." Murphy offered.
"Aye. You know we can't go too long without seeing that beautiful face of yours." Connor reached over the counter and gently tapped Doc's wrinkled cheek.
"S-shouldn't you boys be laying low after w-what just happened?" Leaning in, Doc had lowered his voice, as if he were scared someone else would hear, despite the fact that the three of them were the only ones in the bar.
Connor let out a small sigh and threw his hands up in defeat. "That's what I said. But you know my brother, here."
Murphy rolled his eyes. "You can't go through life hiding because you're scared. You've got to get out there and meet whatever's coming at you head on! I'm ready for whatever!" He leaned in closer to Doc and winked. "Especially if it came in the form of a pint of Guinness."
"R-right away, boys!"
The rest of the night was calm and relaxing. Definitely not something the McManus brothers were used to. Not lately, anyway.
At one point in time, their lives were as routine as they could get. Wake up, go to work, go to McGinty's, go to sleep, and do it all over again the next day. But these past few months left the twins excited with every morning. They never knew what to expect, both good and bad, and they loved it.
Murphy had been right, not a single soul had come into McGinty's since they arrived.
It was nice to be able to sit down at their favorite bar again and talk with Doc. They didn't realized how much they missed the old man's words of wisdom until now.
Finally, after a few hours and more than a few beers, the McManus brothers decided it was time to head back home and call it a night. An uneventful night, but in their line of work, that's not always a bad thing.
"Doc, are you sure you don't want us to help you close up?" Connor asked as he pushed himself off his bar stool. The truth was, he felt bad for the old man. At his age, he shouldn't have to deal with idiotic drunks on a daily basis, and work until all hours of the night. Whenever Connor looked at Doc, he was reminded of his own father.
That was probably another reason why he and Murphy didn't stand for anyone's shit at the bar, especially if they decided to give the old man a hard time. No one bothered Doc. Not if Connor and Murphy had anything to say about it.
"I'm f-fine boys. Now g-get out of here before I kick your sorry a-asses out!"
Murphy chuckled and waved to the old man. "See you later, Doc! Don't work too late, now, old man!"
Doc waved the brothers off and mumbled something under his breath as he picked up a cloth and began scrubbing the wooden countertop.
Connor dug his fists deep into his jacket pockets as the cool night air pierced his pale skin. Murphy pulled out a cigarette and lit it as he walked alongside his brother.
They were silent as they walked down the dimly lit streets of Boston. McGinty's was on the same block as their apartment, which was the reason the brothers started going there in the first place. It was a small hole in the wall, but the regulars made it feel like a home away from home.
Turning to enter the alleyway behind their building, Connor lit up his own smoke, taking a heavy drag from it as they approached the spot that had changed their lives forever.
It could have ended so much differently than it had. If that surge of rage and adrenaline hadn't taken over Connor's body, he may never have freed himself from the toilet he was handcuffed to. If he had jumped off the roof so much as an inch more or less than what he had, he could've simply jumped to his death instead of protecting his brother. Stunts like what he somehow managed to pull off only happens in the movies. Luckily for him, it happened in real life.
Would he ever try his luck again? A smirk spread across his thin lips as he glanced at his brother beside him, taking another long drag. For his brother, you're damn right he would.
They were almost at their backdoor when the brothers heard sudden movement from behind them. With cigarettes hanging from both of their mouths, they stopped in their tracks and slowly glanced over their shoulders. Both of them knew what was about to happen. But still, as they turned to see the man standing before them, they both had a splinter of hope that they were jumping to conclusions.
Murphy glanced back at the building's door that was just a few feet away and let out a silent sigh. Turning back to look at the man standing before them, he rolled his eyes and tossed his cigarette on the ground, crushing it with his heavy toed boot. He wasn't in the mood for this. He had to take a piss.
"You two have been causing a lot of problems around town for my people." He was tall, towering over both McManus brothers. At least 6'3" with a body built like a freaking tank. He had a shaved head and a heavy beard. A similar appearance to the man that had started Connor and Murphy on the murderous rampage on St. Patty's.
Running into a guy like this in an alley would scare anyone. But not the McManus brothers. They'd dealt with bigger men, and this random in front of them was definitely not going to be the last to cross their paths.
"If you want to start something here, I think you should know that you're clearly outnumbered. Now we just want to go about our night here, without any trouble. So I suggest you walk away right now, and we'll call it a lovely night." Connor warned. He really wasn't in the mood for this.
Murphy's narrow eyes watched the man carefully, studying his every move. He knew to expect the mob to come after him and his brother, but deep down, thought he would never admit it to Connor; he had hoped that they would be left alone.
Murphy's biggest fear by far was someone coming after them when they were asleep. It's the only time the McManus brothers were completely defenseless, and he feared it was only a matter of time before someone caught on to that and decided to take action at their most vulnerable time.
The strange man just grinned as he watched the two brothers. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a switch blade.
Connor and Murphy couldn't help but burst out laughing. Connor extended his arm and slapped his brother on the back. "Oh, no, Murph. He's got an itty bitty knife! I suppose we need to take this guy seriously!"
"Yes! Please, good sir, spare our lives! We still have so much to experience!" Murphy pleaded, throwing up his hands and biting back a smile.
Connor and Murphy McManus were damn good fighters. It had stemmed from countless fights growing up. They knew every move this guy was going to try and pull with his little switch blade. And even more, they knew how to disarm him without breaking a sweat.
The man's blood began to boil as he listened to the brother's mocking him. He had promised to make them suffer, to cut them up until they were small enough to toss into the sewer. But these guys were just assholes!
Reaching into his trench coat, the man pulled out a handgun and aimed it at the brothers, dropping the switch blade in the pocket.
"Whoa, there. Do you know who you're pointing that mighty fine firearm at?"
The man sneered. "I know exactly who you are. I also think you should know that I, in fact, did not come alone, either."
Before the brothers could react, they were grabbed from behind. Each man who stood behind the brothers was as big as the one who approached them. And apparently they were just as strong as they looked. The brothers tried to break free from their strong grip, but it was no use.
"Not so tough now, are you?" The man asked, approaching them. "If you want something done, you must do it yourself." He chuckled under his breath. "Tell me, what part of your body would you miss the most, Irishman?" He grinned at Murphy as the man holding onto the twin tightened his grip around his throat.
"Why don't you ask your mother? She got very acquainted with it last night." He managed to get out.
The man gritted his teeth and brought his arm behind him, preparing himself to pistol whip the young man being held into place when a voice rang out from behind him. A voice that made everyone freeze in their spot.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
The man with the gun glanced behind him, squinting his eyes into the darkness to identify the young voice that interrupted him. The McManus brother's glanced at one another briefly and silently came up with a plan that was to take immediate action.
With everyone's guard down momentarily, it was the perfect time to kick some ass and take names.
Connor grabbed a strong hold of his capture's thumb, snapping it as far back from his palm as he could. A loud snap rang out into the darkened alley, accompanied by the man's horrified scream as his thumb snapped in half. Connor didn't give the man a second to recover from the first blow. Winding up his arm, he brought his elbow to the man's temple, making hard contact with one of the most delicate areas on a man. The man went down without a fight. As his head made contact with the cement floor below, the Mafioso's eyes went back in his head. Connor didn't waste time with the passed out body on the floor. He turned his attention to the armed man that started this whole thing.
As Connor moved towards the man, Murphy just finished taking care of the dark figure who had restrained him only a few seconds before. He was down on his knees now, defenseless as he looked up into the cold blue eyes of a killer. Lifting up his boot, Murphy brought it down against the man, striking him in the shoulder with as much force as the Irish twin could summon up after a night of steady drinking.
Another loud crack rang out into the alley as the force from Murphy's hard boot dislocated the man's shoulder in one swift move. He landed onto the floor behind him, blacking out from the pain, accompanied with the sudden contact between the back of his head and the concrete.
Murphy looked up to find Connor stomping his boot on the ground, clearly annoyed. "The bastard got away! What a little girl!"
Murphy cocked his head towards the entrance of the alley. "What about whoever that was?"
Both brothers glanced up, narrowing their eyes to try and give themselves a better view of who was before them. They stepped forward, further into the darkness to approach the person who had dared to intervene in a fight that didn't involve them. Something people got killed for, around here.
Shooting one last glance at the men on the floor behind them, the brothers finally came face to face with the voice that had called out into the night. The voice that could've very well saved them.
Neither brother could believe the person they saw waiting for them at the edge of the alley. It was a woman. Hell, from the look of it, it was a young girl. She couldn't have been older than twenty, at the most.
"Are you guys okay? Who was that guy? Was that a gun that I saw in his hand?" She asked curiously, looking up at them from under the dark bangs that hid her forehead.
God damn, this girl asked a lot of questions. All of which neither brother really wanted to answer.
Connor ignored all the questions she blurted out at him and his brother and asked a few of his own. He grabbed a steady hold of her upper arm and stared down at her with only concern in his deep blue eyes. "What the hell were you thinking? Do you have any idea what time it is? How bloody dangerous that stunt you just pulled was?"
The girl yanked her arm free from Connor's grip and furrowed her brows. "I'm not a child. I can be out however late I want."
Murphy stepped forward, his tired eyes scanning their surroundings, looking for the man who got away. The armed man. "Well, that's all fine and dandy. You're a grown woman, congratulations. Now which way did that son of a bitch go?"
The girl shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest. "How am I supposed to know? I have no idea where that guy went."
"Alright, well it's not safe here. Come on, let's get you home." Connor said, taking another hold of her arm. He started leading her further out of the alley, into the deserted streets of downtown Boston when she broke free again.
"What do you think you're doing? You think I'm going to let strangers walk me home? Why, so you can turn around and rape me? I don't think so." She huffed.
Connor and Murphy exchanged tired glances. Was she serious? "I can assure you, we're not going to try and get fresh with you."
Murphy spoke up to try and defend him and his brother's name. "It's late. What type of men would we be if we let a young thing like you go home by herself at this hour?"
"I'll be fine, I promise you that much. Make no mistake, I'm grateful for your kindness, but you don't have to worry about me. I'm a big girl. Besides, from what I stumbled upon tonight, I think you guys are the ones who need to be more careful."
Before the twins could get another word in, the young woman turned around and walked away, disappearing into the dimly lit streets. Just like that, she was gone. They hadn't gotten her name or anything.
How was she not scared? It didn't even seem as if she had broken a sweat from what she had just stumbled upon. Did she really not feel any fear at all when a man carrying a weapon walked by her? How did that not even phase her?
The brothers exchanged a bewildered look with one another before turning around to face the men sprawled out on the alley floor. Scratching the back of his head, Connor was left speechless. What the in the bluest of blue hell just happened here?
Murphy lit up a cigarette and let the heavy smoke fill his lungs. He shrugged and took another step further into the alley. "So I guess going home anytime soon is off limits. I'm going to go take a leak. Do me a favour, Connor. In the minute that I'm gone, please try to refrain from getting us into a fight, alright? I think I'm done for the night."
Connor let out a long sigh and let his head fall back to stare at the stars above. Like that was even possible at this point.