"Breakfast's ready!" woke Murphy while he felt Louisa place her face against his chest and she laughed.
"Comin', Ma!" Connor's voice called out.
"Murphy!"
"I'm up!" Murphy's son called out.
"I'm talkin' t'yer da, you wee bastard!"
"I'm up, Ma!" Murphy called out and he moved the blankets back. Sighing, he got out of bed as he stood up and Louisa got up then she walked around the bed to help him put his bathrobe on.
"Better hurry, Brudder, or she'll be up here with th'ice bucket!" Connor's voice said from behind the door while he knocked and Murphy walked to the door. He opened the door as Connor smiled at him and Murphy arched an eyebrow. "Let's go."
Nodding, Murphy and Louisa followed Connor down the hallway when they went downstairs and they went into the dining room. Louisa headed for her chair when Murphy held the chair out for her to sit and she sat down. He kissed her cheek before he pushed the chair in toward the table and she felt the blush move over her cheeks.
"Ew," their twins said as Murphy glared at them and Louisa smiled.
"There is nothin' wrong with me kissin' yer ma," Murphy said.
"Aye, I like it when he kisses Mummy," Soibhan said.
"Thank you, Angel," he said as he walked over then he kissed the top of his eight-year-old daughter's head.
"Right. Sit yer ass down," Annabelle MacManus said as she used the black wooden cane to walk into the room and she pushed the serving cart toward the table.
"Ma, let me do that."
"I said sit!" she said as he sat down and Annabelle served the food. After she was finished, she slowly sat down at the head of the table and Connor held out his hands. They all took hands then closed their eyes and Connor said grace. When he finished, they opened their eyes as they started eating and Connor noticed his oldest daughter barely touched her food.
"You alright, Princess?" Connor asked.
"I don't wanna go t'school," Annie said, placing her fork down.
"You feelin' ok?"
"Aye, but…"
"But you don't wanna face yer friends because of what happened at th'party?"
She nodded her head.
"Well, if they give you any lip, tell 'em t'fuck off," Annabelle said and the kids giggled.
"Ma!"
"Hey, it's either that or she decks 'em," Murphy said and Louisa's eyes widened while she gave him a shocked look. "What?! That's what Connor an' I used t'do."
"Aye, an' I had t'leave work t'talk with th'headmaster about why my boys were fightin'," Annabelle said.
"No one is going to deck anyone," Margaret said as she looked at Annie and Annie sank slightly into the chair. "If anyone says anything, you are to ignore them or speak with your professor."
"Yes, Mom," Annie said and she started eating.
"She is turnin' th'lass into a wimp," Annabelle whispered and Connor and Murphy smiled after they locked eyes with each other.
"Well, it's getting late. Let's get going." Romeo said a few minutes later as he got up and the kids stood. The kids hugged their parents and Annabelle when he and Jessie led them out of the room and Annabelle looked at Murphy and Connor.
"Are you two jus' gonna sit there or are you gonna clear th'table?!" Annabelle asked. Nodding, the twins got up as they started clearing the table then they moved the serving cart into the kitchen. They headed for the sink as Connor went to clear the pots and pans off the stove then he turned, looking at his twin.
"You sleep ok?" Connor asked. He knew Murphy usually had nightmares about what happened to them the day after Saint Patrick's Day and Murphy leaned against the counter.
"Aye, I slept fine," Murphy said with a nod.
"I don't get why you still have nightmares about it."
"I'm surprised you never did."
"I never said that," Connor said while looking at the scars on his wrists. Even after twenty years, they hadn't fully faded and Murphy felt the guilt and sadness coming from his twin. Murphy pushed off the counter as he walked to Connor and he patted Connor's right shoulder.
"Thanks," Murphy said and Connor frowned.
"Thanks for what?"
"Fer savin' my worthless ass."
"Hey, don't you ever say that again," Connor said, lightly pushing Murphy.
"Well, it's true," he said, pushing him back.
"No, it's not," he said, shoving Murphy harder. Snorting, Murphy swung at Connor, but Connor ducked then he kicked Murphy's right leg out from under him. Murphy hit the floor as he growled, crawled to him and Murphy pulled Connor's left leg out from under him. Connor fell to the floor with a grunt when he dived on top of Murphy and they started punching each other.
"Guys!" made them stop when they looked toward the doorway and Margaret, Louisa and Annabelle glared at them.
"He started it!" the twins said at the same time and Louisa softly laughed. She and Margaret walked to their husbands as they helped the twins to their feet and Annabelle sighed, rolling her eyes.
"Get outta my kitchen!" Annabelle demanded and the twins followed their wives out of the kitchen. Before they left, Murphy and Connor kissed their mother's cheeks and she playfully swatted their shoulders.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Four pair of frightened eyes tried to figure out where they were as the darkness surrounded them and two whimpers filled the darkness. The sound of heavy footsteps approached the darkness when a small shaft of light appeared then vanished and the footsteps came closer.
"Are you afraid?" a voice asked as the footsteps stopped. "You should be."
The moaning grew louder as the eyes scanned the darkness and a deep sigh filled the air.
"Children. All of you are children. You have no idea what you are doing nor do you care. And what does a parent do with unruly children? They punish them!"
The muffled pleading filing the darkness turned into muffled screaming when the sound of heavy footsteps filled the air, the small shaft of light appeared then the darkness returned.
Angel Wings Ranch
"Meeeeeeeeeeeh!" the lambs called out while Murphy opened the gate and he walked to the lambs after closing the gate being him.
"Hold on," he said while carrying a small bucket with plastic bottles filled with sheep milk inside and he walked to the flat top rock at the center of the pen. He sat down when he placed the small bucket on the ground and the lambs headed for him. He picked one of the plastic bottles out of the small bucket when he smiled and a lamb wearing a green collar walked to him.
Green collars marked the lambs for market and Murphy remembered what Noah had told him about not getting too close to the lambs or the sheep.
"You can't eat somethin' you care about."
Murphy started feeding the lamb when he felt something butting into his lower back as he turned to see a lamb with cream color wool standing on the flat rock and the lamb was wearing a red collar.
The red collar marked the lamb as a ram and Murphy laughed, rolling his eyes.
"Hang on, Rocco. I'll feed you in a second," he teased and the lamb bleated at him. "Aye, the same t'you, too."
"Need a hand?" Connor asked while he leaned on the top of the fence and Murphy looked at him.
"Aye."
Opening the gate, Connor walked in the pen then he closed the gate and he walked to his twin. Kneeling down, he picked up a plastic bottle out of the small bucket then he started feeding the lamb to his left. They remained silent while the lambs fed and Connor noticed the look in his brother's eyes.
"Remember th'first time we tried t'do this?" Connor finally asked and Murphy nodded.
"We nearly go trampled," Murphy said as Rocco butted into his lower back then the lamb walked to his right side and the lamb sat down. Murphy reached over to scratched the lamb's left ear and the lamb bleated.
"You sure it was a good idea t'name that one?"
"Why not? I'm trainin' him t'take over fer him," Murphy said, looking over at the sheep pen and they looked at the large ram with curved horns glaring at them from behind the fence.
"I still think we were ripped off. Th'hell with him havin' a great bloodline. He's seriously injured five ewes after tryin' t'mate with them and broke down th'gate seven times."
"He tried to bite Rosie when she and Jessie went to feed him."
"Ma says we should just put him down."
"Da would've."
The ram made a loud bleating sound as Murphy flipped the ram his right middle finger and Rocco stood up, bleating at the ram.
After they finished feeding the lambs, Connor placed the plastic bottles in the small bucket and Murphy stood up. Connor picked up the small bucket as they headed for the gate then Murphy opened the gate and they walked out of the pen. After Murphy closed the gate, they headed for the barn while Connor looked behind them and a smile moved over his lips.
"We're bein' followed," Connor said. Murphy turned to see the lamb following them as he softly laughed and Rocco walked closer. They went inside the barn when Connor placed the small bucket on the hook then they looked at the trunk sitting on the high shelf then they looked at each other. Inside the trunk were their black Navy peacoats, their rosaries, sunglasses, their black leather gloves, some boxes of ammunition and their Barretta guns.
Suddenly, a loud bleating sound and a crashing sound made them look for the doorway as they ran out of the barn and the lamb followed them.
"Shit," Connor said. They ran to the pens when they saw the ram crashing into the fence which divided the ram from the ewes and the ram snorted.
"Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!" Rocco bleated and Murphy knelt down to grab hold of the lamb.
"Connor, what's going on!?" Romeo asked, running toward them.
"That damn ram's tryin' t'get to th'ewes again," Connor said.
The ram snorted as the ram charged the fence and the ewes bleated while they ran to the other end of the pen.
"Hang on!" Romeo said as he ran into the house then he returned with a rifle. Louisa, Margaret, Jesse and Annabelle came outside as Romeo ran to Connor and the ram slammed into the fence for a third time.
"Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!" Rocco called out as Murphy wrapped his right arm around the lamb and he made soft hushing sounds. The other lambs were bleating when the ram turned and the ram snorted. The ram charged the fence to the pen were the lambs were and the ram slammed its head into the fence.
"Back off!" Connor shouted, taking the rifle from Romeo, took aim and the ram turned to glare at him. Connor raised the rifle as he locked eyes with the ram and the ram snorted, clawing the ground with its hoof.
Annabelle looked at Louisa as she placed her left hand on Louisa's right upper arm and Louisa glanced at her. They all knew Louisa didn't like the sound of gunfire. Not since her twin, Norman, had been shot.
"I'm fine," Louisa said in a soft voice and Annabelle nodded. They looked back at Connor as he wrapped her finger around the trigger and the ram lowered its head. Connor suddenly felt a calmness move over him while the ram charged the gate and Connor fired the rifle. The ram ran to the right after the bullet hit the ground in front of it and Connor slightly lowered the rifle. The ram snorted as it walked away and Connor handed the rifle to Romeo.
"Asshole," Connor whispered and Rocco bleated in agreement.
"That was too close," Louisa said as Annabelle and Jesse went back in the house and Margaret nodded.
"I told him not to buy that ram," Margaret said when she felt the vibration of her phone in her jeans pocket and she removed the phone. She looked at the screen when she pushed the button and she placed the phone back into her pants.
"Don't you need to answer that?"
"No," she said with a shake of her head and she headed for Connor, Murphy and Romeo. Connor watched Margaret stopping in front of him and he saw the anger in her eyes.
"Before you say anythin', we're gettin' rid of th'ram," Connor said as he held his hands up in surrender.
"And how are you going to get it into the truck without getting gored?" Margaret asked.
"Haven't figured that out yet."
"Still think we should put it down," Murphy grumbled as he walked away and the lamb followed him.
"Yeah," Romeo said, walking back to the house.
Connor saw his wife had gone into her ice queen mode as she placed her hands on her hips and Connor scratched the back of his head.
"Let's go put the lambs in their shed," she said after she had placed her arms around his waist and she looked into his shiny blue eyes. Nodding, he lightly kissed the tip of her nose and they headed for the lambs.
Murphy and Romeo walked inside the house while Romeo went to put the rifle away and Murphy walked to the couch. Louisa had some photographs spread over the coffee table and she pushed the wire rim glasses up the bridge of her nose with her left index finger. His mind reminded him of the time when she was blind thanks to injuries inflicted by her ex-boyfriend and Murphy's face was the first thing she saw after she had regained her sight.
"What're you doin'?" he asked, leaning his forearms on the top of the couch and she turned to look at him.
"Just checking the proofs for that nature magazine," she said.
"Can I see?"
"Sure," she said with a smile. He walked around the couch to sit next to her when Louisa noticed something and she pointed to the lamb.
"Meeeeeeeeeeeeeh!" Rocco said and they laughed.
"Who let that fuckin' thing in th'house?" Annabelle demanded.
"Sorry, Ma," Murphy said and she sighed, rolling her eyes.
"if it takes a shit on th'carpet, you're cleanin' it up!"
She walked away as Louisa lightly nudged him and Murphy scratched the lamb's ear. He picked up one of the photographs as he looked at the lambs sleeping close together and Rocco was in the middle of the pile.
"Hey, Rocco, look. It's you," he said as he showed the lamb the photograph, but he pulled the photograph back when the lamb tried to eat it. Smiling, Louisa took the photograph from him as she placed the photograph back on the coffee table and Murphy sighed. He looked at the other photographs when he found a photograph of him sitting on the top of the fence and he was looking at something with a serious look on his face. "When did you take this one?"
"It was when you were watching the alpacas," she said, looking at the photograph. Even at forty-seven, she thought he could still do some modeling and he glanced at her, arching his eyebrows up.
"Still yer favorite subject?"
"Aye," she said and she leaned over to kiss his right cheek. He blushed when he noticed the lamb was going after the photograph again and he sighed, stood up, and he picked the lamb off the floor. She watched him walk to the front door as he opened the door and he left the house. Smiling, she shook her head then she went back to sorting the photographs.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The muffled moans filled the darkness while the two pairs of eyes blinked when the sound of heavy footsteps came closer and muffled screams filled the air. The small shaft of light appeared then vanished as the heavy footsteps came closer and muffled whimpers came from the darkness.
"Silence!" a voice demanded as the heavy footsteps moved back and forth then the heavy footsteps stopped. A sharp yelp filled the air as the sound of muffled begging and kicking filled the darkness and the last pair of eyes grew wider. "Stop struggling! You will only make things worse!"
The kicking sound turned into dragging as the shaft of light appeared then vanished and the sound of muffled sobbing filled the darkness.
Angel Wings Ranch
"Hey, Angel," Connor said as he leaned against the door frame and his daughter looked at him. She was sitting at her desk as he noticed the looked on her face and he walked in the room. He walked to the desk when he knelt down on his haunches and he placed his right hand on her left shoulder. "Was it that bad?"
She nodded her head and he felt his chest hurting. They stayed quiet for a few seconds when she sighed and she placed her hand on top of his hand.
"Have you ever lost yer best friend?" she asked.
"Uh… No. My best friend's down th'hall," he said with a smile and she softly laughed. "But I have lost friends fer one reason or another."
"I'm no longer friends with Sarah."
"What happened?"
"She kept sayin' we were poor an' we had t'rely on Uncle Morgan fer money. That's why my party sucked."
"I see," he said with an angry look on his face.
"I told her t'fuck off an' that she's not my friend anymore."
"Good."
He noticed she was trying not to smile about something and he tilted his head to one side.
"Is there more?" he asked.
"Well…," she said then she paused. "Mary Elizabeth told me they were in swim class an' she found out th'reason why Sarah's breasts were so big was because she had stuffed her trainin' bra with tissues."
"She did!?" he asked as his eyes widened.
"Aye."
"Did you laugh when you found out?"
"I wanted to, but I thought about how I felt over what she said about me."
Connor felt a sense of pride moving through his chest as he stood and she looked up at him. She stood up when he hugged her and he kissed the top of her head.
"So, you're not mad at me?" she asked, looking up at him.
"No, I am very proud of you," he said.
Nodding, she let go of him when he left the room and he headed down the hallway. He walked down the stairs when he went into the kitchen and he got a bottle of beer out of the refrigerator. He opened the bottle when he took a sip of beer, turned and he saw Annabelle behind him.
"Hey, Ma," he said.
"What are you doin' in my kitchen?" Annabelle asked.
"Jus' havin' a beer. Want one?"
"You know I've been cuttin' down."
"Aye," he said with a sigh and she frowned. She knew when one of her sons was upset and she thumped the end of the cane against the floor.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Annie jus' lost one of her friends."
"Was it that bitch who made fun of her at th'party?" she asked and he nodded. "Did she give Annie lip?"
"Aye, she did. Annie said she told her t'fuck off an' they're not friends anymore."
"Good. She's better off without her."
"Maybe."
Annabelle walked closer when she took his left hand in her right hand and she gave him a little smile.
"Being a parents sucks, doesn't it?" she asked and he nodded his head. He was slightly surprised when she hugged him and she placed her head against his chest. "Get outta my kitchen."
"You sure you don't need any help with dinner?"
"No, I don't. Go."
Nodding, he walked out of the kitchen when he took a sip of beer, smiled and he went to go watch television.
The door opened while Margaret walked in the den and she headed for the desk. She sat down when she looked at the monitor and she powered the computer. The screen came on as she looked at the screen wallpaper as she smiled then she noticed the video chat window was flickering. She was reluctant to open the video chat window as she sighed and she moved the cursor over the icon. She clicked the mouse button as the video chat window appeared and she looked at Morgan.
"Hello, Sir," Margaret said.
"Good evening," Morgan said with a blank look on his face. "Why have you been ignoring my texts?"
"I've been busy."
"Doing what? Surely, taking care of sheep can't be that time consuming."
"We also have several children, some horses, a few alpacas and some chicken," she teased, but he just stared at her.
"There was another incident."
"Where?"
"Philadelphia, Pennsylvania."
"How many?"
"Four."
"Was there a message?"
"Yes."
"What did the message say?"
"Power hath descended forth from Thy hand."
Margaret felt her stomach sinking and she sighed and she leaned back in the chair.
"Damn," she said in a soft voice.
"I understand your reluctance…."
"The answer is still no."
"We need their help."
"They're dead," she said when she ended the chat and she lowered the window. Turning the computer and the monitor off, Margaret got up when she walked to the door, opened the door, turned the light off and she left the room.