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Part II
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Kiera's eyes opened slowly as she tried to take in her surroundings. She was lying on an antique four-poster bed in a room that was sparsely furnished. The only other pieces in the room were the old dressing table and a large chair by the fireplace. She sat up and rubbed her head. Remembering what happened, Kiera spun around frantically searching for Conner and Murphy. A panic seized her heart when she realized that they were nowhere to be found. They couldn't have killed them, she pleaded to whoever would hear her. Please, God, don't let them be dead! As she struggled to contain her frantic worry, the bedroom door opened. In walked the man she had tried to forget for over 20 years. Colin O'Brien looked almost exactly the same, except there was silver streaking his hair and a few more lines around his eyes. She closed her eyes as she remembered the last words he had said to her. Be da's good little girl. You go into that room and you make da a proud man. She had never gotten the chance because her mother had rushed into the room. She had pulled Kiera away from her father and told her to run. Run, and don't ya ever stop, Kiera me love. They were the last words she had heard from her mother. The last words she would ever hear… Looking at him now, she had no idea what to feel. His cold green eyes looked into an almost identical pair.
"Hello, Kiernan," his voice said with strength. She ran her hand up to the side of her head. It came away sticky with blood.
"What have you done with my friends?" she asked. Her father watched her closely.
"They're being taken care of, for now," he said as he sat on the edge of the bed. Itching to be as far from him as possible, she stood up and crossed the room. Colin chuckled.
"Not happy to see dear ol' da, me dear?" he asked, his accent smoothing the steel in his voice.
"Why would I be happy to see you?" she asked seriously.
"You'd think that after almost 20 years your kin would be glad to see ya," he said with mock woe. Kiera turned from him in disgust.
"After almost 20 years of not seeing you, any kin of yours would be celebrating their good fortune and wishing for another 20," she said.
"Now, that's no way to speak to your father," he said.
"I have no father. My father would never treat me or the rest of my family like he did… my father would never be as despicable as you… my father wouldn't be holding me or my friends here against our will," she said. Colin's eyes almost twinkled as she said that.
"Friends? You think they are your friends? They are as coldhearted as I am, maybe even worse," he said. Kiera frowned.
"What do you mean by that?" she asked. Colin laughed.
"Your good friends are none other than the infamous Boston Saints… 'protectors of the righteous, angels of deliverance, adjudicators of the condemned.' I think those are direct quotes… Did they tell ya that? Did they tell ya that for the past two years they and their father hunted down common criminals and sent them to whatever maker they prayed ta without so much as a twitch?" he asked. Kiera turned to hide her shock as she thought over the new information. Conner and Murphy were the Saints… they didn't tell her… She shook her head, knowing full well that her father was trying to put her on the defensive in doubting Conner and Murphy. Frankly, why would they tell her? As much as she'd like to think differently, she had only known them for not even 24 hours. Not exactly the optimum deep dark secret revealing time. She didn't really know them… and they didn't know her. Yet, they were in danger because they were helping her. If that didn't instill trust, she had no clue what would. She turned to her father, her faith in the two brothers written in her expression.
"Why should that matter to me?" she asked, curious as to her father's reasoning.
"Those people they killed… they had families, people who cared about them… why are those two any different from the people they murdered?" he asked, standing up and walking to her. She flinched as he laid a hand on her arm.
"Their families are better off without them, whether they care for them or not…" she said harshly, stepping further away from the man. "I would rather be associated with good men who do what they believe in to rid the world of scum like you than to be related to a piece of filth like you." Colin's eyes hardened as he stepped forward and backhanded her across her already bruised face, causing her to fall to the floor. She looked up at him with hatred barely concealed.
"Revertin' ta your old ways, aren't ya da?" she said, slipping into her rarely used and almost forgotten brogue. For a second, Kiera was back in Ireland; sent back in time, to the many days of similar happening. This time, she was not the scared little girl who didn't know what to do. She was older and wiser. She knew that there was no love in this man. Colin reached down, grabbed her arm and dragged her to her feet.
"You screwed up, me girl. You've wanted me dead for so long, and this was your one chance. You missed it. I'm in control here. I say whether you go or stay, whether you live or die. I say whether your friends live or die. If you want them to live, you will do whatever I say…" He pulled her towards the adjoining bathroom.
"Go clean yourself, girl. You're filthy… and I require your clean presence later," he said. Kiera raised her brow.
"Gonna sell me off again, da? Well, remember this. I am no longer your little hock… I can fight back, and be sure that I will… I am no longer helpless," she said as she closed the bathroom door and locked it. Taking a second to calm herself, she leaned back against the door and let out a heavy breath. Steeling herself against her memories, she walked to the shower and turned it on. She undressed and climbed under the warm spray all the while trying to figure a way out of here… and with Conner and Murphy. A few minutes later, she turned off the water and climbed out of the shower. Her bloody clothes were gone and in their place was a long black silk robe. She dressed in her undergarments and slipped the smooth material over her. After belting the robe, she cautiously opened the door. It unnerved her a little knowing that her father had gotten into a room she had expressly locked to keep him out.
"I have somethin' to put on that cut," his voice said out of nowhere causing her to jump.
"I'll do it myself," she said as she turned to face him. He carried a small bandage in his hand and was approaching her slowly.
"I'm just tryin' to be nice," Colin said with a humorless smile. Kiera's eyes narrowed.
"There's not a nice bone in your worthless body," she spat out, pulling her head back to avoid his touch. Again, he smiled an empty smile. Her eyes widened as she felt the prick of a needle in her arm. Her eyes grew heavy as she struggled against her father's tight grip.
"This should make you a bit more cooperative…" he said. "I have some things to take care of, but I'll come get you later…"
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Conner's eyes opened slowly. The light seemed so bright… He tried to lift his hand to block it out, but he found that he couldn't. His hands were tied. What happened? The thought was barely coherent when he suddenly remembered.
"Murph, ya a'right?" he called, hoping to hear an answer. A groan came from across the room.
"I feel like I still have me fuckin' hangover," Murph answered. "God, I wish I could rub me head." Conner smiled to himself. Only his brother… He turned over on the cardboard-like cot and took a look at his twin. Blood ran down the side of his face where he had been struck. The sticky feeling on the side of his own face confirmed that he probably looked the same.
"Well, seems to be we're in a situation," Conner murmured. Murphy snorted.
"We're always in a situation…" he commented. Conner frowned for a second. There was a voice missing…
"Where's Kiera?" he asked suddenly, sitting up quickly. Murphy sat up as well. The two brothers looked around the small room as if expecting Kiera to show up.
"Her da musta fuckin' grabbed her," Murphy said. Conner nodded. He remembered the look of pure shock and abject horror on the woman's face. He could only imagine what it was like to realize that someone you hoped, wished and thought dead for so many years had been alive and well all along. Their father had been thought dead for years, but never had they wished him so.
"Ya know, I believe I was supposed to call our friend, the agent, a bit ago," Murphy said, slipping into a smooth Gaelic. Conner, fully aware that they could be monitored, answered back, except in Russian.
"No Gaelic, Murph… Kiera's da will understand… Do ya know when you were supposed to call him?" Conner asked. Murphy shook his head.
"I have no clue how long we were out for," he said back in Russian. Conner nodded.
"If Smecker knew we'd get into trouble he'll have put a trace on Kiera's car. He knows we're here… we just need to be patient. He's a smart man; he'll get us out or give us a way out," Conner said. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the door to the room opened. In walked three armed guards and Kiera's father. Two guards stepped to Conner and Murphy and released their hands. Conner brought his hands up to rub over the new welts. Kiera's father stepped forward.
"Good evenin' gentlemen, me name is Colin O'Brien," he said with a handsome smile. Murphy frowned.
"What the fuck have you done with Kiera, you mother fucker?" he asked. Colin only blinked at the hostility.
"I am sorry about the lack of graciousness, but understand, it is a precaution…" he said, another handsome smile gracing his face. Conner stepped forward, only to be pushed back with the muzzle of a gun. Looking at the gun, he spoke to Kiera's father.
"If you've done anythin' to hurt her…" he started. He was cut off by a laugh.
"Kiernan's white knights… how refreshin'…" he said. "Don't you worry your Irish heads… the lass is fine."
"The lass? Don't ya mean 'your daughter'?" Murphy asked angrily. Again, the man laughed.
"Daughter… family… what is family? It is but a disposable emotional entanglement… You two should know that more than anyone here," he said. Conner's anger seethed.
"Your blood runs through her veins, as does hers in you. Doesna that mean anythin' to you?" he raged.
"Not particularly. She was valuable before… she still could be… but her being a liability now far outweighs her worth… Can we amend that?" he asked, looking closely at the two brothers. "Maybe." As he said that, he nodded to the door. Another guard stepped through the door. Instead of a gun, he was carrying Kiera's motionless form. She was dressed in a black silk robe and her hair was wet. She, too, had a large gash on the side of her head where she had been hit earlier – except hers looked to be washed and treated.
"What the fuck have you done to her?!" Conner cried as the guard unceremoniously dumped her body onto one of the cots. Colin watched with a smile as the two brothers ran to where she lay. They turned to him and protectively shielded her body from everyone in the room.
"She will be fine, I'm sure. She just needed to learn the consequences of being uncooperative…" he said. He held up a hand when the two men looked to say something.
"Now, since I've been so hospitable to the three of you, I would like a little bit of one-sided conversation…" he said.
"Hospitable me fuckin' arse," Murphy said, causing the older man to look at him with warning. Conner elbowed his brother to shut him up.
"Now, I know who you two are… or rather, who you two were, when there was actually three of you…" Colin said. Conner shifted uncomfortably on his feet.
"So?" he said, crossing his arms. Murphy looked to his brother with concern. Colin smiled again.
"We're going to have ourselves a little bargain… I know what you've done to almost every lowlife you can get your hands on in the city of Boston… I know you boys single-handedly dismantled the Russian syndicate and pretty much torn the Yakavetta group asunder. I know exactly what you, the Saints, are capable of pullin' off. I know what ya can do ta me… so, we are goin' ta make a deal," he said.
"You've no right ta be spittin' off bullshit about deals. We all know that people like you make your own deals, but never hold to them," Conner spat. The man just smiled as he walked in between the brothers. He knelt down in front of Kiera and light caressed her face.
"The deal is… you leave me to my business… and I'll let her live. If the Saints decide to bring 'business' back with anyone within my organization… which is quite large… then I'm sure you willna miss her for too long," he said. Conner looked down at where Colin was touching her.
"It may not be us you'll be needin' a deal from," he said. Kiera's father stood up.
"Kiernan knows the score… She wants me dead, but she knows she screwed up this time and that she won't have another chance. Not when people's lives depend on it. Now, you three may think you are helpin' each other… but really, all you've done is become each other's Achilles heel," he said as he walked to the door.
"Your time'll come ta meet judgment," Conner said. Colin turned and smiled at the two men.
"Perhaps, but not from the likes of you," he responded. Murphy stepped forward with a smirk.
"Maybe not, but we'll be there ta see it… I promise that," he said. A slamming door answered Murphy.
"Do ya think we upset him, Conner?" he asked his brother with a smirk. Conner stared at the now closed door.
"We're regular charmers, we are… but I don't think he likes us much, Murph," Conner answered before turning to the cot and the woman that lay upon it. Murphy snorted as he sat down on the small mattress.
"Way ta state the extremely obvious…" he said. He watched as Conner gently took Kiera in his arms and sat down, arranging her across his lap. The woman didn't move.
"Is she a'right, Conner?" Murphy asked, concern marring his face. Conner felt a steady pulse and took a close assessment of the still face. Her eyelids were starting to flicker a little bit.
"Aye, I think she's beginnin' to come around," he said as he sat up straighter. Murphy took one of her hands and held it, waiting. After a few minutes, a slight groan escaped from the still form. Kiera's free hand came up to her forehead as her eyes flickered open, and then closed again. After the spinning in her head slowed down a little bit, she opened them again to see Conner and Murphy's concerned faces.
"What the hell?" she asked as she straightened up. Conner's arms stayed around her waist just in case. She looked at Murphy, and then at Conner. "I was in my father's room… we were arguing… and then I don't remember anything." Murphy swore under his breath as he squeezed her hand.
"The bastard drugged ya," he explained. She nodded as the conversation that she'd had with her… father… came back to her. These two were the Saints. It was almost hard to believe that these two fairly well mannered, church-going Irish boys were the two men that went renegade on the scum of Boston. With a tight swallow, she stood up with Murphy and Conner's help and looked around. There were no windows, only the door.
"We need to get out of here," she said.
"It sounded like your… da was goin' to let us go," Murphy said as he, too, looked to the door. Kiera let out a short laugh.
"Colin will let us go… just not without… a few parting gifts," she said as she laid a hand on her now very bruised cheek. "At least I got a shot at Will for this." Murphy watched Conner as he looked around the room. All of a sudden, a commotion was heard outside the door. Murphy smirked.
"Two rounds says that Smecker found us," he said. Conner looked at the door.
"You know what we really need?" he asked. Murphy rolled his eyes.
"Some fuckin' rope?" he asked with a smirk. Conner glared good-naturedly at his brother while rubbing the back of his neck.
"It came in handy the last time, but no. We need a screwdriver or somethin'…" he said scratching his head. Kiera looked confused.
"Why?" she asked. Conner pointed at the door.
"That doorknob is held on with four screws… we could pop that off and find our way out of here," he explained. Murphy bent down and took something out of his boot.
"Would this work?" he asked as he held out a pocketknife. Conner frowned at him.
"Where did ya get that?" he asked. Murphy shrugged.
"I've had it since… well… Rocco," he said. "I figured we'd get ourselves into situations where we'd need it… just like we would have then." Conner nodded as he moved to go to the door. Kiera held the two men's arms.
"What about the guards?" she asked. The two brothers looked at each other.
"Well, if Smecker is here, then I'm guessin' that the legion of thugs is with your father… leavin' one or two behind to watch. When we get that knob off, Murph and I will take care of the guards, put the knob back on, stick them inside, and it will buy us some time before they realize they're missin'," Conner said. Kiera nodded.
"Sounds like a plan… give me the knife," she said. Murphy frowned and took the knife back.
"I don't think so," he said. Kiera let out a sigh of irritation.
"While you two heroes are busting our way out of here, who's going to put the knob back on? You can't be in two places at once… so, give the knife to me," she explained rationally. Murphy frowned again, but handed over the knife.
"There now. You two be good boys while these hands work their magic," she said heading over to the door and starting on her job. Conner and Murphy stood over her right shoulder, waiting. After almost five minutes of concentration and a few rough pulls, the knob popped off the door on both sides with a clang. The door swung open. Two guards were waiting on the other side. Kiera noticed a third running down the hallway as Conner and Murphy were dispatching the first two. She surprised the third with a well-placed kick to the chest and a punch to the face. As the brothers placed the fallen men into the room, Kiera fixed the door. The three of them picked up the discarded guns and made their way up the stairs. At the top, Kiera peeked around the corner. There were no guards. As she walked through the hall, an idea struck her.
"Do you think it is your agent friend?" she asked the brothers. Murphy nodded his head.
"Bet me life on it," he said. She nodded as she tucked the gun within the folds of the robe and mentally scratched out the "sneak out" plan.
"Well, then… follow me boys," she said as she guessed her way towards the front door. The three of them heard voices… and could pick out Colin's, Agent Smecker's and Detective Greenly's. As they neared the front door, they could see four armed thugs with Colin. Smecker, Greenly, Dolly and Duffy were all there, accompanied by three uniformed officers. The detectives all looked up at their entrance.
"Agent Smecker! How nice to see you again! And you too, detectives," she said pleasantly as she walked into the room, flanked by Conner and Murphy. Kiera knew that her father couldn't do anything to anyone in this room. Not while he was outnumbered… or if he wanted the South Boston Police Department to camp outside his door. Smecker noted the lacerations on the two brothers' heads as well as the treated one on Kiera's.
"My father was throwing one hell of a party. It's such a shame to leave… but leave we must…" Kiera said as she continued to the door.
"Kiernan, darling… the detectives here were just leavin'. Surely ya would like to stay a while longer," Colin said smoothly. Kiera looked at her father square in the eye.
"Missed my free shot?" she asked. Colin just smiled. The gun Kiera held shot up and her finger squeezed. The shot hit its mark on Colin's right shoulder. Thirteen guns were immediately drawn… four against nine.
"Goddammit! You just saw that bitch shoot him! Point your gun at her!" one of the thugs yelled.
"'Coerced' is the word for this situation. I don't know about you folks, but I certainly think that was coerced," Smecker said straight faced, still holding his gun on the four men. Those same men paled when the detectives and officers nodded in agreement with Smecker's assessment. Kiera knelt down to where her father was wincing in pain.
"I don't think I missed, do you?" she asked quietly.
"The next time I see ya, you'll be dead…" Colin hissed through his teeth. Conner stepped next to Kiera and aimed his gun at the man's head.
"You could be dead with a twitch of me finger…" he growled back.
"Remember what I told you earlier me boy… funerals are a hell of a thing to plan…" he warned. Kiera reached up and drew Conner's gun away.
"I took my shot for today. You say that the next time we meet I'll be dead… it just might be the other way around," she said as she stood up. She looked first to Conner and then to Murphy. "Let's get out of here." The trio walked past Smecker and three stunned detectives.
"Who is she?" one of the detectives asked, referring to Kiera.
"Not now, Greenly," Smecker said as he made his way to follow the group. "Ms. Shannon!" he called to her. Kiera stopped, hesitated, and then turned to watch the red-haired agent approach her.
"Yes?" she asked. The serious-looking federal agent shocked her by holding out his hand. She took it timidly and he shook it.
"Special Agent Paul Smecker. Nice to meet you," he said. She nodded her head.
"Thanks," she said, a bit unsurely.
"Sorry about your friends. I know that must have been hard for you," he said. Kiera nodded again.
"That's the man that did it… connect him to it and put him away and I will be forever grateful," she said as she released her hand. With a slight smile she turned and walked back to her car leaving the agent to talk with Conner and Murphy.
"This would be why I told you to call me in an hour, Murphy," Smecker said with a laugh. Murphy shrugged.
"Only proves you're smarter than ya look." Murphy joked. Smecker laughed as he pat Murphy on the back.
"I'll go say bye to Conner, then I'd better get back to the station for a while and get some things cleared up before this turns into a zoo," he said before turning to find the other brother. Murphy shook his head as he popped a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. He turned and saw Kiera leaning against the car with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face.
"What's that look for?" he asked as he closed in on her.
"I think he likes you Murph," Kiera teased as she watched Smecker talk to Conner. Murphy swung an arm over her shoulder as they leaned against her car. Conner shook the agent's hand and began walking to where the two stood.
"I don't know… I think he has taken a shine ta Conner, meself," Murphy said with a wink.
"I suppose I could see why," she said, giving Conner an obvious once over as he approached. Murphy laughed, knowing that his brother was feeling very uncomfortable.
"You should see it… it about makes ya sick. 'It's sooooo good to seeeee you Conner' or 'You should come around more often, Conner.' It takes a lot for me not to throw me lunch…" Murphy continued to tease, causing Kiera to laugh. Conner just looked at the two of them for a second.
"Would you two shut it?" he asked with a frown. He took a pack of cigarettes out of his coat pocket, took one out and stuck it in his mouth. Kiera wrapped an arm through one of his as he sat back against the car and lit the cigarette.
"But you are just too cute," Kiera said in a sugary sweet voice as she tucked a strand of hair behind his ear and pinched his cheek. Murphy was almost rolling on the ground laughing.
"Me badass brother is blusin'," he laughed, pointing to Conner, who tried his hardest to look anything but uncomfortable. Kiera heaved a dramatic sigh and hugged Conner's arm closer to her.
"How could a smart man like Smecker resist?" she said. Conner almost choked on the smoke he had inhaled. He coughed to cover the laugh.
"Shut it," he puffed out. Murphy smirked.
"Ma always did say ya were the pretty one of the two o' us," he said. Conner's eyes narrowed only slightly before he reached out and pulled his brother into a headlock. Kiera laughed as Murphy struggled to get out of his brother's grip.
"Pretty? Ya think I'm pretty, Murph?" Conner asked while rubbing the top of his brother's head.
"Let me go, ya wop!" Murphy cried, causing Kiera to laugh. It was funny to watch the two brothers fight. She wished she'd had that over the years.
"A'right, a'right…" Murphy cried in defeat. Conner let him go and Murphy straightened himself up pat his now wild hair down. "You're as ugly as sin…" Conner shook his head and stepped forward as if he were going to get Murphy again. Murphy jumped with a smirk and ran around the car to the other side. He brought his hands up and waved them towards himself.
"Come on, Conner, leap over the car – Charlie Bronson-like… Let's give the crowd a fuckin' show," he taunted. Conner rolled his eyes and opened the door to the car.
"Let's get out of here. Get in the car, ya mistake of birth, ya trick of fate, ya bane of me existence…" Conner said as he got in the vehicle. Murphy rolled his eyes.
"A'right, we get the point. I'm such a trial. You had your fuckin' chance… ya shoulda let the Russians finish me off," Murphy said without thinking. Conner immediately popped back up to standing and pointed his cigarette at his brother over the car roof.
"Don't ya ever fuckin' say that again, do ya hear?" he said his clipped accent, his voice almost breaking in anger. Kiera watched in amazement as the formerly laughing man in front of her completely shut down into himself and climbed into the car. She looked back at Murphy. He caught her eyes and winced before he got inside the car. Kiera followed suit and started the ignition. A quick glance to her right told her that Conner wasn't up for any more conversation. Conner's tension was almost a tangible testament to the closeness between the two brothers. Kiera's heart ached… her wishing for that sort of closeness almost painful.
*********************************
Conner knew that he was being a little oversensitive. He knew that what Murphy said had been said in jest. Nevertheless, all jokes aside, that didn't take the absolute fear, the horror, or the helplessness away. That day weighed on his mind constantly. It was the day that everything had changed. Taking a few calming deep breaths, he rolled down the window and threw out his cigarette.
"So…" he said, breaking the tense silence. "Since we've spent most of the day tied up and locked in a room, where we goin' now?" Kiera looked over at him and smiled.
"Well… I'm going to take you two heroes home and then I'm going to my place and…" she started.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa… you're not goin' home," Murphy said leaning between the seats.
"And where would you suggest I go, Murph?" she asked with a patient smile.
"It won't be safe there for ya," he continued. Kiera shrugged.
"It won't be safe anywhere for me, not really. I'm not going to stay with anyone I know. The last time I did that, they all ended up shot. I'm not going to involve people in whatever this is. I can't have more blood on my hands," she said seriously. Conner reached over and touched her shoulder causing her to jump slightly.
"Ya know that wasna your fault," he said softly, knowing what she was feeling. She shook her head.
"No, it was. Not directly, maybe, but it was my fault. Their involvement with me put one big fucking target on their heads," she said. There was complete silence in the car for a few moments. Murphy took a deep breath.
"Well, we're already involved… more so than most," he said. Kiera took a hard swallow as she stopped for a red light. She looked back at Murphy and then over at Conner.
"God," she said, finding an interest in her hands on the steering wheel. "I'm so sorry, you guys. Colin is as ruthless as they come… and since he knows who you are and that you're friends with me… I don't know what's going to happen now. You guys may want to take a vacation from Boston for a while." Silence ensued again as Kiera commenced driving. Conner's logic warred with what he was feeling. His brain was telling him that she was right… they needed to get out of town for a while. But the rest of him was telling him that their part in this was not over.
"Boston's a fine place… I think we'll stay here," Conner said as he sat back in the seat and stretched. Kiera sighed as she continued to drive.
"You have to make this hard, don't you?" she asked. Conner just shrugged.
"It's the Irish way," he said causing Murphy to choke back a laugh and hide his grin. Kiera even cracked a small smile.
"I'm still going back to my apartment," she said.
"Fine, but we're goin' with ya," Murphy said. Again, Kiera sighed.
"Fine," she said as she looked behind her and out both sides of the car. The two men gripped tightly to the seats as she whipped the car in a 180.
"Shit!" Murphy cried as he was thrown to the other side of the car. The car straightened out and the brothers quickly got their bearings back. Kiera looked over at the two men innocently. She watched Murphy rub his head where he had hit it against the window.
"That's why we wear seat belts, Murph," she commented as she turned to face the road again, eliciting a slight glare from the Irishman. Conner continued to watch her.
"Couldn't ya have just gone around the block and not taken 20 years off of our lives?" he asked. Kiera raised an eyebrow at the question.
"That would have been the easy way…" she retorted. There was a few seconds of silence before Murphy sat back in his seat with a laugh and Conner turned to the front with a smirk.
"Smart ass," he murmured, causing a grin from their driver.
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A clean and somewhat refreshed Kiera walked slowly into South Boston General with Conner and Murphy trailing behind, almost like a couple of bodyguards. The nurse on call watched with a raised brow as the darkly dressed trio made their way down the hallway.
"So, what are we doin' here?" Murphy asked stupidly. Conner reached over and smacked his brother.
"Does it matter?" he asked. Murphy looked over at him quizzically as he rubbed where his brother had so politely prodded him.
"Jesus fuckin' Christ… could ya try to curb your violent tendencies?" he asked. Conner smirked.
"Lord's fuckin' name," he said in his best impression of their mother. Murphy rolled his eyes at the ceiling as he crossed himself.
"Mother Mary, full o' fuckin' grace," he muttered while sending his brother a glare out of the corner of his eye. A short cough brought both brothers' attention to the door in front of them. Kiera stood there, her hand poised to open it, with an amused expression on her face.
"Could you possibly not act like you're six years old for a few moments?" she teased. Conner and Murphy gave her sheepish smiles. With a shake of her head she opened the door and peeked in. When Kiera saw who was sitting up in the bed her worried frown turned into a happy grin. The two men followed behind the now rushing woman into the room.
"Fi!" she cried as she practically tripped over her own feet trying to get to the side of the bed. The redhead laughed softly at her friend's eagerness
"Slow yourself down, girlie… I'll still be here in five seconds," she said, and then groaned as she shifted the wrong way in the bed. Kiera pulled up short as she made to embrace the young woman.
"Are you okay? Should I get a doctor? Are you bleeding? Do you need help?" the questions rambled out of Kiera's concerned mouth. Fiona held up a hand at the woman's panicked face.
"I've got three holes in me, Ki… Excuse the discomfort it causes, but I'm not on my last breath, yet," she said lightly. Murphy and Conner watched from the door as the two women talked. Fiona's green eyes caught on the two figures.
"Well, well… the guys from the bar… I'm sensing there's a story here…" she said as she sat back and looked laughingly to her best friend. Kiera gave a pained smile as the two men remained silent. Fiona sat up a little bit straighter and narrowed her eyes at Kiera.
"Whatever it is you are not telling me, you'd better tell me," the redhead said seriously. Kiera sat down and took her hand. She cast a quick look at Conner and Murphy.
"These two are Conner and Murphy McManus. They were there when Will started causing problems again…" she said. Fiona looked at Kiera, but the brunette wasn't volunteering any more information. And there was more, she knew from the look on Kiera's face.
"You'd better tell me the rest," Fiona warned. Kiera shook her head.
"There's no more to tell," she said. Fiona scoffed.
"Fuck that. Will murdered my family… he's back to causing fucking trouble again… and this has nothing to do with you turning down a fucking dinner invitation this time… Now, tell me what's going on!" she demanded. Kiera looked out the window, pushing down the guilt and avoiding the demand. She heard Fiona sigh and sit back on the bed.
"Is there anything you need?" Kiera asked as she turned to look at her friend. Fiona looked to think about it.
"Yes, actually. Could you be a darling and get me a pitcher of water? My throat is pretty dry," Fiona said politely. Kiera nodded and went out of the room to find a nurse. The redhead turned her attention to the two men still standing by the door.
"Well… alone at last," she said. A laugh almost escaped her as she watched the two brothers look at each other warily. "Come, sit down, and tell me about yourselves…" Conner watched the woman as he pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down. Murphy followed suit soon after.
"There's not much ta tell about us," Conner said. Fiona smiled.
"I love the accent… and of course there is… but we don't have to talk about that now… what I do want to know about is whatever Kiera is not telling me," Fiona said. Murphy looked to Conner, who was watching Fiona.
"What Kiera is not tellin' ya is Kiera's business," Conner said. Fiona leaned forward as much as the pain and her bandages would let her.
"Listen here… Conner, is it?" she asked. The light haired man nodded. "Okay, listen here, Conner… Kiera is my friend… I know that she feels this whole thing is her fault, but she's wrong, okay? She is not responsible for everyone else's actions. If these murderers are after my best friend, I want to know why and I want to know whom. She can't do this on her own." Murphy stood up.
"She's got us, ya know," he said, almost offended. Fiona eyed the dark-haired man. He was a bundle of restrained energy.
"I know that and I didn't mean to offend you… whatever you've done for her, I greatly appreciate. She needs someone to look out for her. Nevertheless, those bastards took my family from me; they took the two men that I lived for without blinking an eye. And if Kiera is going to take them on, she's going to do it with me by her side whether she wants me to or not," Fiona said fiercely and holding back tears. Conner nodded in understanding. Murphy sat back down in his chair.
"The reason Kiera hesitates to tell ya more is because the man that gave the order to kill your family is her father…" Murphy said leaning back to avoid a smack from Conner. The two brothers watched as Fiona's eyes iced over.
"That fucker!" she almost yelled before she caught herself. Murphy smirked.
"Oh, then I take it ya know him, then," he said cheekily. Conner glared at him.
"No, I don't know him," Fiona admitted. "But I know of him. The stories Kiera has told me about him put the devil to shame." The brothers looked clueless.
"I take it she never told you," Fiona concluded.
"We've met the pig… he wasna as hospitable as he seems ta think he is," Murphy said. Conner nodded, confirming Murphy's statement. Fiona nodded.
"Kiera is as deep bred Irish as you two are... for almost twenty years she's lived here in America trying to forget her life in Ireland. Colin O'Brien was never a lazy louse of a drunk like the stereotypical Irish male, according to Kiera," Fiona revealed as she sat up straighter in the bed. Conner moved to help her, but she waved him away. He looked to his brother and saw that Murphy was just as interested in the story unfolding.
"No, Colin O'Brien was severe, methodical, and a tyrant," Fiona continued. Murphy snorted softly.
"From what I gather, he still is," he said disdainfully.
"Well, Kiera had a sister, Rhianna. And when Kiera's mother was away, he would lock Kiera in a closet and he and his friends would brutalize her sister so that Kiera could hear every scream," Fiona said with a faint shudder, her eyes unfocused on the bedspread. Conner and Murphy were completely silent.
"My mother wasn't always away," a voice said from behind the men. Three heads snapped up to see Kiera leaning against the doorjamb with a pitcher of water in one hand and a blank expression on her face. At the questioning looks, she stood up straight and continued to where her best friend lay. "My mother was home some of the time. On a few occasions, my father stuck her in the closet with me. The other times, he'd beaten her senseless. The majority of the time, she was serving at the local pub… she was saving money, so the three of us could leave him." Kiera's hand was a little shaky as she poured Fiona a glass of water.
"Why would he lock ya in the closet?" Murphy asked, honestly curious at the cruelty. Kiera smiled a humorless smile as she watched Conner glare at his brother's blunt question.
"Because he wanted me to listen and learn. I was only about six or seven at the time. He wanted me to know what they would do to me… when I was old enough…" she said, swallowing past a painful lump in her throat. "Mother and I couldn't do anything. He had too many friends. Too many people to watch us. We couldn't ask for help." Kiera looked to Fiona. The look of pain on her friend's face wasn't her own… it was pain for a small, helpless, broken child. Kiera looked past her audience, to a wooden cross on the wall.
"His fists were the only touch I ever received from him. And then one day, years later, he came to me… all I remember of him was that he caressed my cheek and told me to make him proud. My mother came in and took my arm. I remember crying because her grip was so hard it hurt. She pushed me out the door – my father was calling her horrible names. The look on her face – it was so serious… and she was crying. She told me to run. Run and never look back. So that's what I did. I ran and ran and ran. I ran for miles until my legs could barely carry me. I made it to my aunt's house… she took me in, fed me, let me sleep. The next day she took me to the boat with all the money that my mother had been keeping with her. Thankfully, my aunt had friends who had family over here… otherwise, I would have been completely alone," she trailed off.
"Doc?" Conner asked, making the connection. Kiera nodded as she sat on the edge of Fiona's bed and held her hand tightly.
"How did he find ya here?" Murphy asked. Kiera shrugged her shoulders.
"I have no idea… but he has contacts everywhere. He's been involved in something big ever since I can remember, so he could've searched me out. Or…" she started.
"Or what?" Murphy asked. Her eyes focused on the wooden cross again before looking at the two brothers.
"Or it is merely God telling me to finish this once and for all…"
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