Chapter 49: Can Someone Tell Me If It's Wrong to Be So Mad About You

(Hooverphonic)

She fell asleep on the couch while they were watching the news. They wanted to know if it would give them information on the six-guns-shooter; all they learned was: that smart FBI agent the twin had met would soon be on their trail. He was out of bounds, however. So, things were truly starting to look grim. Still, they agreed they had one last job to do. Tomorrow, after early church, they'd prepare to hit Papa Joe himself, in the comfort of his own home, that very night. Then, they would need to flee the city and maybe even keep a low profile for a while.

She woke up on a bed, with Connor spooning her tightly, and Murphy's face so close to hers their noses were touching. She couldn't have moved without awaking them, even with all her sneakiness. So, she reached for Connor's arm on her stomach, to lead his hand over her breast and squeeze, while she pecked Murphy on the tip of his nose and run her other hand through the light hair on his chest. They both simultaneously moaned in their sleep, making her feel naughtily accomplished.

The sun was almost up already; it was time for church if they wanted to get there and out before any crowd. She would have liked to say goodbye to Father McKinney, since he had been such a big help, a good boss, and kind of her only friend, but she couldn't risk tipping him off. So, they had agreed the day before that they'd have to go to a different church.

The boys nuzzled her and laid down kisses on her face and shoulder with their eyes still closed. And she had to exert her entire willpower to pull them out of bed. She made coffee while they had to gang up on Rocco so they could manage to force a single eye open on him.

Maybe because they were injured, maybe because they were sleepy and grouchy, maybe because of what had happened between them the day before, or maybe because they were starting to plan for a future all together, but she couldn't stop watching them with an irrepressible smile. She felt her heart swell up at the sound of their grumpy voices, at the sight of their dishevelled heads and rough demeanour. And she felt utterly stupid for it.

Rocco dropped them off. He kept throwing her sideways glances, and she kept avoiding them. Tomorrow, after tonight's last hit, she would need to speak with him. She would need to make him understand and get used to their situation, because she couldn't live with him judging her. She looked forward to being on the road with those three idiots, him gladly included. But he would need to accept this and move on. If God could assent to this strange and immoral relationship, Rocco should fall in line, right?

Though, when she entered the church, she feared for a second that she'd be struck by lightning for her numerous sins. She had no intention to confess yet, however, she fell deep into prayer. She needed His protection, and she needed His tolerance, now that she believed in Him again. She obviously prayed for the three boys that would be risking their lives again, but also for her nephews and sister-in-law that she wasn't sure she'd be able to ever see again. She had no doubt she was going to hell, but she thought that all these people in her life deserved to be happy and on their way to heaven.

Murphy's shoulder kept brushing hers, distracting her, so, because she didn't truly want to step away from him, she had to focus even harder. That's probably why, like him, she never even saw FBI Agent Smecker come in, followed closely by Rocco, nor Connor standing up to investigate.

Afterward, she was proud of her boys. When even a man that was supposed to uphold the law couldn't help but be on their side, they were surely doing something right. Plus, they needed all the help they could get. Because, this time, they all but Rocco had an awful feeling about tonight. Still, they felt like they had to go. After everything their friend had told them about Papa Joe Yakavetta, they knew he had to be dealt with. So the three of them swallowed their concern and got ready for that last showdown.

"Maybe ye should stay here," Connor tried, but Aideen didn't let him finish:

"Don't even think I'm not going." But then, she softened up: "I'll remain outside anyway, boys."

"If ye see the old guy, ye hide, alright? Don't try and play hero this time."

She nodded to Murphy but with her teeth clenched, and she kept her lips tight. She wouldn't promise him that. What was she supposed to do? Just watch quietly while he came after them? No fucking way. She was keeping watch and that meant she was making sure no one came in.

She had checked up all of their guns to guarantee that they were ready to fire; there would be no mishap this time.

And, when the evening finally came, she slipped her panties in Murphy's pocket with a wink before he grabbed her hand, made her twirl and tipped her backward in an exaggerated rom-com move. She was chuckling at his silliness when he kissed her smiling lips.

After he had walked out the door, she looked up to Connor who grinned with confidence, though his breath seemed stuck in his throat. She grabbed both sides of his head to kiss him unabashedly. Trying to convey all her trust and love. He hugged her back tightly and took a long time to let go, though when he did, he was able to breathe calmly again.

Rocco was right behind: "Huh, do I get one too or…" She swatted him on the arm before pulling him into a bear hug. "We'll talk about this after, alright?" she almost pleaded.

"Hey, I won't pretend I get it. But I guess it's none of my business either."

"Right."

"Though I'll still need to know if it means I have a shot too or not."

"No more than before, Roc."

"That means no less either, then."

"If ye don't mind being friends with the kind of girl I am…"

"You mean a pretty awesome one?"

She smiled shyly.

"Come on, let's go!" Connor called from outside.

"Alright!" Rocco yelled back. "I guess we'll talk more about that later. Cuz I'm not giving up on you giving me a shot." They walked out and to the van while he kept rambling: "Cuz, I mean, let's be honest here, hon, you know I'm way better than even two of these micks over there…"

She laughed and ended up jokingly promising to consider his offer before they finally got to the mafioso's mansion.

They had eventually become dead serious by the time the boys all swiftly exited through the back door and ran stealthily to the garage. Then, she waited.

And she waited. Too long. Way too fucking long.

Until she saw that Papa Joe guy walk out the front door, get in his car and leave.

Fuck!

She hesitated but a second before she jumped out of the van. By the time she reached the garage door in turn, she heard someone ring the front doorbell. It was a blond woman that would be a perfect distraction. Good. She rushed in, trying to be as quiet and careful as she could.

It took her a while to progress inside the house without being seen, but finally, the guy guarding the room got drawn the other way by a suspicious noise. She was hiding behind the slightly ajar door when she witnessed his throat being proficiently sliced open by the same old man from the previous hit. She shivered. She had no idea what was happening, all she could tell was that she had a real shot at getting him this time.

She saw him hide, though, and she had to wait, while the blond woman from before came and checked on the dead man with her gun drawn. The expert killer approached her from behind, so, for a second, Aideen thought she'd had to try and shoot, despite the distance, to keep her from getting killed. However, he promptly knocked the woman out, as he had done with herself before. Aideen nonetheless took advantage of his distraction to jump from her hiding place and close the gap between them.

She aimed, but in an instant, he spun on his feet to point his own gun at her head as well. They both froze, though Aideen knew she had to shoot, no matter what.

Still no review? Come on! You have to let me know what you think!
I'm going to have to up my game, then, I guess...
But I suppose, if you're still reading after almost fifty chapters, you must at least be enjoying it a little bit, right?