Yakavetta's house

The car came to a stop while Duffy, Dolly and Baker got out of the car and they closed the door. They had received a phone call from the security guards about a possible break-in and Duffy and Dolly looked at the house.

"Why do I have a feeling this has something to do with the Saints?" Dolly whispered

"They didn't find any bodies, so I don't think they're involved," Duffy whispered.

They headed for the front door while Duffy looked at one of the police officers talking with one of the security guards then the police officer looked at them.

"Report," Dolly said.

"Well, according to Mister Gorvelli, the front door security camera has been replaced…," the officer said while reading the notes in his notebook.

"Was it broken?" Duffy asked.

"No, Sir. It was a brand-new camera."

"Any footage off the camera before it was replaced?"

"It appears all security footage was deleted."

"Shit," Duffy sighed.

"Also, some areas of the interior have been repainted."

"Do they know why?" Dolly asked.

"No, Sir."

"Anything else?"

"The front door and delivery door locks have been replaced and several of the night guard have gone missing."

"Sounds like someone covered something up," Baker said.

"Yeah, but who?" Dolly asked while Duffy turned and he walked back to the car. They followed him when they got into the car and Duffy looked straight ahead.

"The Saints did this," Duffy said after a few seconds.

"Oh, come on. Those guys are a lot of things, but this much covering up? You're giving them too much credit."

"Yeah," Baker agreed.

Duffy snorted out a breath of air when he started the engine, carefully backed the car up and the car headed down the driveway.

The door opened while Margaret walked in the bedroom and she looked at Connor sleeping under the covers. She walked to the bed when she carefully sat down on the edge of the bed and she watched him sleep. Her mind replayed the first morning they spent in Costa Rica and how he had opened his eyes and smiled at her.

"Watchin' me sleep again?" he asked with a sleepy voice and she looked at him.

"I was… I…," she said and he could barely see the blush moving across her cheeks. "Good morning."

"G'mornin'," he said as he sat up and he placed his wrists on his knees. "Can we talk?"

"We are talking."

"That isn't what I mean," he said and he noticed her eyes moving from his face to his bare chest then back up. "Tell me summat. Why do you keep doin' it?"

"Doing what?"

"You're givin' me mixed signals."

"Mixed signals?"

"Aye. When we first met, you were this… Uh… Shit, I don't wanna say it."

"You noticed I'm an ice queen? A cold fish? An unemotional, heartless bitch?"

She didn't mean for her voice to crack as she looked down and he titled his head to one side.

"Look at me," he said and she looked up. "No, that's not what I was gonna say."

"Then what were you going to say?"

"You were an' are a totally in control woman. You don't take shit from anyone an' that includes me an' my brudder. I admit we're immature eejits. It's who we are."

"And I… I like that side of you."

"See, this is what I'm talkin' about. You go from an ice queen t'flirtin' with me."

"You think I'm flirting?"

"Aren't you?"

"If I am, it's not intentional."

He sensed she was shutting down as he scooted closer and he tucked the covers around his waist. He was getting good at reading her face as he waited for her to talk and he placed his forearms on his thighs. She looked at the Celtic cross on his left forearm then she looked into his icy blue eyes and he grinned.

"Do you want me to tell you truth?"

"Only if you wanna."

"I told Louisa I have lost people I have cared about and I swore I would never allow myself to be put in that situation ever again. If that turned me into an ice queen then so be it. In my line of work, you cannot allow yourself to care."

"Or that's what you've been told."

"It's a little bit of both. But then you came along…"

"With those beautiful eyes, that smile, that handsome face and athletic body and that boyish charm," she thought and he noticed the tiny smile.

"An' Lou an' my brudder an' I turned your world upside down?" he asked.

"Yes," she said with a nod. "And I want you to know. If I am as cold as most people think I am, I would have left Louisa at the prison. I would have never allowed you to have your martial arts instructor. And your brother wouldn't have his motorcycle. Also, Romeo would still be in prison."

"Then why did you do it?"

"To start, neither of you were going to leave that prison without her."

"No, we weren't an' I told you why."

"Yes, you did."

"An' you let her keep her career."

"I'm going to tell you a secret. I never asked for permission to allow Louisa to keep her career."

"You didn't?! Then how….?"

"I just let her go. No one knows she's associated with the Saints. But I do send someone to keep an eye on her."

"How do you know they won't betray you?"

"Unlike you four, my people are…."

She paused when she realized she had slipped into her ice queen persona and she sighed. He reached over to place his left hand on top of her right hand and she saw in his eyes that he wanted her to keep going.

"Next, I had to get you a martial arts instructor after you nearly broke the coffee table while trying to mimic some moves you saw in one of those actions movies you like to watch," she said and he softly laughed.

"You were watchin' it with me. In fact, out of all of us, you're th'only one who does. Makes me wonder what other things we have in common."

"Now who's flirting?" she teased and he gave her a shy look. "As for your brother, I noticed he was getting bored and I was afraid he would run off and do something foolish."

"How did you found out he liked motorcycles?"

"I saw him reading one of those motorcycle magazines Louisa had bought him."

"I remember th'surprised look on his face when you took us outside an' th'motorcycle was sittin' in th'drveway."

"He walked around it for at least five minutes then he got on the motorcycle, started the engine then he rode off. I had no idea he knew how to ride."

"One of th'guys we worked with had a bike an' he taught Murphy how t'ride."

"As for Romeo, I heard you and your brother talking about him and Rocco and how much you missed them. I knew I couldn't bring Rocco back, but…"

"You could bring Romeo back," he said and she nodded. He tried to read her face as she brushed some hair out of her eyes and he waited for her to speak.

"I tried... I really tried to keep all of you at arm's length. But I couldn't. I became close to you. Well, I'm not that close with your brother…."

"Murphy will come around at some point."

"I hope you're right."

"When you say close, are you sayin' you like me?"

"I kissed you, didn't I?"

"T'keep me placid."

"No, because I wanted to kiss you."

His heart jumped in his chest as he leaned back on his elbows and she could just see the scar on his stomach.

"Did you want to kiss me?" she asked and he looked up at the ceiling.

"Aye, ever since you took that fuckin' mask off when we were on th'jet," he said and she cleared her throat.

"Then I ask you to forgive me when I switch from one persona to the other. You, Louisa, Murphy and Romeo… You are not just my charges or just one of my people. You are my friends. And I will make damn sure no one hurts you."

He watched her get up as she left the room then he smiled, got out of bed, headed for the bathroom and he closed the door behind him.

Murphy softly laughed as Louisa brushed her fingers over the ribs on his left side and his eyes opened. She climbed on top of him as he slid his arms around her and she held herself up with her elbows.

"Mornin'," he said.

"Morning," she said.

"Sorry about last night. I really wanted you t'go with us, but…"

"But nearly getting caught by the cops was enough excitement for one night?"

He nodded his head while his fingers moved up and down her back and she felt a cool tingle move through her.

"Tell me what happened."

"I told you we found a photo an' a message."

"I remember, but I want to hear the rest of it."

Murphy brushed the hair out of her eyes while he told her about what happened at the Yakavetta's house and she softly laughed after he told her about being able to use the grappling hook. Margaret knocking on the doorframe made her turn to look at the doorway and Margaret leaned on the doorframe.

"Good morning," Margaret said.

"Mornin'," Murphy said.

"Do you need us for something?" Louisa asked.

"Yes, I need your help," Margaret said.

"With what?"

"Did you tell her about the photograph we found?" Margaret asked as she looked at Murphy.

"Aye, I did," Murphy said.

"Then you'll come look at it?" Margaret asked, looking at Louisa.

"Let me get dressed," Louisa said and Margaret nodded, walking away. Louisa felt Murphy move the covers back as she got out of bed when she headed for the bathroom and she closed the door behind her. Sitting up, Murphy looked at the bathroom door when the bathroom door opened and he got out of bed.

Margaret was standing near the whiteboard while she looked at the photograph and the message while Connor walked out of the kitchen and he held onto the handle of the white coffee mug. He walked to her as she nodded and she took the coffee mug from him.

Romeo was sitting on the couch while he watched television and he had a plate with scrambled eggs, some sausage links and some toast on the coffee table. He was being careful not to get any food on the carpet while he ate and Connor went to sit next to him on the couch.

Murphy and Louisa walked in the room while Louisa walked to the whiteboard and she looked at the photograph. She removed the photograph from the whiteboard as she looked at the image and she frowned.

"What is this?" Louisa asked.

"That is what we need you to tell us," Margaret said.

"It's too dark to see the image clearly. If I had my darkroom, I could try to lighten it up."

"Does this place have a darkroom?" Murphy asked while he sat next to Romeo on the couch.

"I'm afraid not," Margaret said.

"Great," Louisa sighed and she placed the photograph back on the whiteboard. She looked at the message then she looked at Margaret and Margaret noticed the puzzled look on her face. "What does this mean?"

"We don't know."

"If it's about Smecker, th'last place we saw him was at th'courthouse after "Papa Joe" Yakavetta's trial," Connor said.

"Why was Smecker there?"

"He was helpin' us get away after we killed Yakavetta," Murphy said.

"I see," Margaret said and Connor noticed she was going into her ice queen persona. He got off the couch as he took a piece of toast off of Romeo's plate and Romeo glared at him. Connor walked to the whiteboard while he bit into a corner of the toast and Margaret arched an eyebrow. Shrugging, he looked at the message and he took another bite of toast.

"Do you want us t'go check out th'courthouse?" Connor asked.

"No," Margaret said with a shake of her head.

"I could go check it out," Louisa said.

"How would you know where to look or what you're looking for?"

"She's right," Murphy said and Louisa snorted out a breath of air.

"If we're gonna figure this out, we're gonna need some more help," Romeo said then he sipped on the coffee in the red coffee mug and he placed the coffee mug back on the coffee table.

"Who do we know who would be willing to help us?" Louisa asked.

"I think I know someone," Margaret said as she went down the hallway toward the bedrooms then she returned dressed in a black suit blazer, a white blouse, a black skirt, nude hose and black high heels. Her hair was pulled back into a tight pun and she was wearing dark rimmed glasses. She picked her purse off the small table next to the elevator when she lightly brushed her fingers over the cross at the end of Connor rosary then she pushed the button. The elevator doors opened as she walked in the elevator car and she looked at them. Murphy and Romeo gave her a blank look while Connor raised the white coffee mug and he gave her a small smile. She barely nodded her head and the elevator doors closed.

The door to the squad room opened as Margaret walked in the room and her high heels clicked on the floor tile. Baker, Dolly and Duffy looked at her when she stopped near Duffy's desk and they looked at her.

"Good morning," Margaret said.

"Good morning," Duffy said and Baker and Dolly nodded. "How may we help you?"

"I know none of you want to help the Saints…"

"Damn right, we don't," Dolly said.

"But what if they need your help?"

"What do you mean they need our help?" Duffy asked.

"It appears someone is playing a cat and mouse game with them."

"Do you know who it is?" Baker asked.

"Yes, we believe it is former FBI agent Paul Smecker."

"He's dead," Duffy said.

"No, he's not. In fact, we believe he was responsible for the attempted break-out at Hoag Maximum Security Prison."

"Attempted?! They did break out of prison," Dolly said.

"Or they were removed."

"Removed?" Duffy asked.

"Yes. The Saints seem to have attracted the attention of a lot of government agencies besides the FBI."

"Like Interpol?" Baker asked. Margaret gave him a cold look as he sank slightly in the chair and she looked at Dolly and Duffy.

"If Smecker is playing a cat and mouse game with the Saints, what does he hope to gain from it?" Duffy asked.

"The Saints themselves."

"He did seem obsessed with them," Dolly said.

"Yeah, he did," Duffy said.

"That is due to him seeing the raw talent they possessed. These two young men wanted to do something no one has or have the courage and the guts to do and they proved to be good at it," Maggie said and Dolly and Duffy looked at each other.

"You sound like Smecker. Hell, you sound like Bloom, too. Don't you get it? These guys are dangerous."

"Yeah. If they hadn't taken up whatever this "calling" of theirs is, some people would still be alive," Dolly said.

"Like who?" Margaret asked.

"None of your business," Duffy said.

"Let's just say this person was a friend. And what happened to him was their fault," Dolly said and Margaret frowned. She thought back to their first conversation when something clicked in her head and she blinked her eyes a few times.

"Thank you, Gentlemen," she said as they watched her walk to the door then she left the room. Dolly watched Duffy as Duffy got up and he headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Dolly asked and Duffy turned to look at him.

"Remember I said the Saints had something to do with the break-in at the Yakavetta's house?"

"What about it?" Baker asked. He and Dolly had gotten up as they walked to the door and Duffy opened the door.

"You might be right. Those assholes aren't smart enough to do that much covering up. But she isn't."

"Are you saying she's working for them?" Dolly asked.

"Only one way to find out," Duffy said and they left the room.

The soft ping of the elevator sounded as the doors opened and Margaret walked in the room. She had been alerted she was being followed and she had spent most of the morning evading whoever it was. She had gone to the courthouse to see if they had any unusual activities, but there hadn't been any and she placed her purse on the dining room table.

"Hey," Romeo said while he sat on the couch and he was watching a movie on the television. Murphy and Louisa were sitting next to him and Margaret walked to the couch.

"Where is Connor?" Margaret asked.

"He's in his room," Murphy said, placing some popcorn in his mouth.

"Did you get us some help?" Louisa asked.

"No, I am afraid not," Margaret said and she headed down the hallway. She stood in the doorway to Connor's room and she noticed he was just wearing his boxers. Connor was sitting in lotus position on the floor and he had his eyes closed. His hands were face up and resting on his knees and he didn't seem to be breathing. She removed her heels when she slowly walked closer and she went to kneel in front of him. She noticed the gentle up and down movement of the cross dangling from the rosary around his neck when he took a deep breath, slowly let it out and his eyes opened. He blinked his eyes a few times when he smiled and she sat back on her legs. "Sorry to bother you, but I need to tell you something."

"Oh, I thought you wanted a kiss," Connor teased. She couldn't believe how easily he could get her to blush and she leaned closer to kiss his lips. He half-closed his eyes as they deepened the kiss then he moved back, straightening his legs. She stood up as she helped him to his feet and he went to put his jeans and t-shirt on. He held out his left hand as she took his hand and they left the room. They headed down the hallway when they entered the living room and Murphy looked at them. He locked eyes with Connor when Murphy reached for the remote and he turned the television off.

"Hey!" Romeo said.

"Sorry, but I need to talk with you," Margaret said.

"About what?" Murphy asked. He, Louisa and Romeo stood as they followed Margaret and Connor to the whiteboard and she looked at the information.

"When we first started looking into this, we thought Smecker was the only connection besides the two of you. What if there was someone else? Someone we didn't even consider?"

"The only people we didn't consider are the Russian Mafia, the Chinese Mafia or the Italian Mafia," Connor said.

"No, not them. Someone no one would think of."

"Th'only ones I can think of are th'police. Why would they be doin' this to us?" Murphy asked.

"Aye. An' th'only ones I know who might be pissed off at us are Detectives Dolly an' Duffy," Connor said.

"Hold on," Louisa said when she realized who she was talking about and they looked at her. "We forgot Greenly."

"Greenly? He's dead, Lou."

"Right, but he was there when all this started," Murphy said. Connor walked to the whiteboard as he looked at the information then he looked at the last message.

"Murphy, where was th'last place we saw Greenly?" Connor asked.

"It was…," Murphy said as he paused and his eyes slightly widened. "It was McGinty's."

"Aye."

"And you wanted to go back there last night," Margaret reminded him.

"That's because we forgot to check the delivery room." Romeo said.

Margaret went to stand next to Connor as they looked at the information and the fingers of his left hand brushed against the fingers of her right hand.

"If that's true, we need to figure out why. Why does whoever this is want us t'go there?" Connor asked.

"I told you. You are supposed to witness something," Margaret said.

"Aye, I remember you tellin' me that."

"I don't like this," Romeo said. "This has trap written all over it."

"That is why you're not going," Margaret said, looking at Connor. He saw the anger and worry in her eyes and he felt the calling building inside him.

"What are you gonna do? Call in fer backup?" Connor asked.

"Now that we know this is a trap, yes."

"No."

"Connor," Louisa said and he looked at her then he looked at Murphy and Romeo. Connor walked down the hallway while Romeo and Murphy followed him and Louisa looked at Margaret.