The door to the hotel room opened while Margaret and Romeo walked in the room and she closed the door behind them.
"Where's Connor?" Romeo asked.
"I don't know," Margaret said when she knocked on the door to the bathroom before she opened the door. She looked in the bathroom as she frowned then she closed the door. "He's not in the bathroom."
"Maybe he's in the other room," he said as he walked to the door to the connecting room and he opened the door. He walked in the other room as he noticed no one was in the room and he walked back in the other room. "No one's in here either."
"They should have been back by now."
Margaret walked to the bed after she removed the laptop from her overnight bed and she sat down. She powered the laptop when she looked at the screen then she typed on the keyboard.
"What are you doing?" Romeo asked while he walked closer and he looked at the screen.
"I placed a tracking application on all our cellphones so I can find any one of us if I need to," she explained when the search engine found Connor's phone and she looked at the screen.
"Did you find them?"
"Yes. They are in an abandoned building not far from here."
"Why would they go there?"
"That's why we're going to find out," she said while she typed on the keyboard, depowered the laptop, got off the bed, placed the laptop back in the overnight bag then they headed for door. They left the room while they walked down the hallway and she silently prayed that Connor, Louisa and Murphy were alright.
"Oh shit," the police officer said while they looked at the people on the fire escapes or on the edge of the roofs and the boys slowly sank to the ground. Murphy and Connor saw how scared the boys were when the twins looked at each other and Murphy tilted his head to one side.
"Who do you think they are?" Murphy asked.
"They're the Reapers," one of the boys said.
"They are?" Connor asked while he looked up.
"Yeah."
"I told you we should've just gone home," the other boy said.
"Hey," Connor said as he went down on his haunches and the boys looked at him. "We're not gonna let them hurt you."
"You don't get it! They're the fuckin' Reapers!"
"Aye, I get that, but…."
"Shepherds we be. For Thee, My Lord, for Thee. Thy power hath descended forth from Thy hand and our feet will swiftly carry out Thy command….," filled the air as the twins frowned and Connor held up his hands.
"Uh, you're sayin' it wrong," Connor interrupted.
"Aye, that's not how it goes," Murphy said.
"How do you know?" one of the figures asked.
"We just do."
"Then how does it go?" one of the figures asked.
"And Shepherds we shall be. For Thee, My Lord, for Thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy hand, that our feet may swiftly carry out Thy command," Connor and Murphy said together.
"What's the rest of it?" one of the figures asked.
"So we shall flow a river forth to Thee and teeming with souls shall it ever be. In Nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti."
The figures looked at each other when the ones on the edge of the roof moved away while the figures on the fire escape went back inside and Connor glanced at Murphy. The boys slowly stood as they walked toward Connor and Murphy and they held out Louisa's purse and Murphy's wallet.
"Here. Take it!" one of the boys said.
"Yeah. We don't want any trouble with the granddads of the Reapers," the other boy said.
"We're only forty-seven," Murphy growled and Connor softly laughed.
"Can we go now?"
"No, I'm afraid not," the police officer said while Louisa and the female police office walked closer and Louisa went to stand next to Murphy.
"You two ok?" Louisa asked.
"Aye, we're fine," Connor said and Murphy nodded.
"Look, we need to get out of here," the other boy said and the female officer looked at the buildings on either side of them.
"He's right, Paddy. This is Reaper territory," she said when a delivery door opened and a tall, young man with slick back blonde hair and green eyes walked outside. He was dressed in black jeans, black leather boots, a black leather jacket and a black t-shirt with a Grim Reaper on the front. Veritas Aequitas was tattooed across his collarbones and Celtic cross was tattooed on the back of his hands.
"Guess that's a Reaper," Murphy whispered to Louisa and she nodded. The young man pointed to Connor to Murphy then to the delivery door to the left and Connor and Murphy looked at each other. "Looks like he wants us t'go in there."
"Looks like," Connor said. Murphy took Louisa's left hand while they picked up the shopping bags and they walked to the delivery door. The delivery door opened enough for them to go inside while the young man looked at the boys, made a gun out of his fingers and thumb, then he "fired" the gun at them. The boys ran as the police officers ran after them and the young man walked to the delivery door then he went inside.
Louisa stayed close to Murphy while they walked by empty shelves and some boxes and he had his right arm around her. They heard rock and roll music playing somewhere as they headed for the door and Connor looked for something to use as a weapon. He found a cricket bat on one of the shelves as he picked it off the shelf and he held the cricket bat in his left hand. He nodded as they went against the wall and he placed the shopping bags on the floor. He reached over with his right hand as he turned the door handle, but the door handle didn't move.
"Did you bring yer lockpick kit?" Murphy asked in a soft voice.
"No," Connor said when he heard the sound of someone using a key to unlock the door and he moved toward Murphy and Louisa. The door opened slightly as Connor held the handle of the cricket bat in both hands and he moved back toward the door. He used the cricket bat to open the door some more then he looked out. The hallway was dimly lit, but he couldn't see anyone and he nodded his head toward Murphy and Louisa. They placed the shopping bags on the floor when they followed Connor out of the room and they cautiously headed down the hallway. Murphy saw a crowbar leaning against the wall as he picked up the crowbar and he held the crowbar in both hands. Louisa took the rear as she followed them when Connor held his right hand up and they stopped. He looked into the room as the rock and roll music played and he walked in the room. Murphy and Louisa followed him as they glanced around the room and the young man who was in the alleyway approached them.
"How did you know the prayer?" he asked.
"It's our family prayer," Connor said. The young man looked at him as some young people and some children entered the room and they looked at Louisa, Connor and Murphy. Louisa looked to her right when she saw something on the wall and her eyes slightly widened.
"Guys," she whispered while she pointed and they looked at the wall. On the wall was a portrait of Connor and Murphy and the twins looked at each other. "Was this done with spray paint?"
"Yeah," the young man said as he looked at the portrait then he looked at Connor and Murphy and he frowned. "Wait."
"I think he figured it out," Connor said with a grin.
"Aye, I think he has," Murphy said.
"This is impossible. The Saints died eleven years ago," the young man said.
"Well….," Connor said.
"Derek."
"Derek? Ok, look, Derek, there is dead then there is retired."
"You retired?!"
"That's what I said."
"You see…," Murphy said as he looked at the other young people and the children and he walked to the recliner. He sat down as he reached out with his right hand and Louisa walked to him, sitting down on his lap. "When we received th'callin', it was like our eyes were finally opened! We finally knew what our purpose in life was! An' we grabbed hold of it with both hands! But we also learned th'cost of our callin'."
"Aye, we lost more than we gained," Connor said, walking to the recliner next to the recliner where Murphy and Louisa were sitting and he sat down. He looked at Derek then the others and he used the lever to put the foot rest up.
"Like what?" one of the young people asked.
"Well, we nearly lost our lives, fer one thing," Murphy said then he told them about what happened with the Russian Mafia. "If it wasn't fer th'Grace of God, both of us would have died before we even got started."
"He's right. I could've bled t'death after I pulled th'toilet off th'floor," Connor said, holding up his wrists so they could see the scars.
"Bloody hell," one of the females said in a soft voice.
"T'be honest?! Our first mission was jus' a case of bein' in th'right place at th'right time," he said then Connor told them about the pager and the phone call he made while they were at the police station. "An' fallin' through th'ceiling of th'exact room we needed t'be in was jus' pure luck. But I do admit danglin' from a rope while we killed them was fun."
"We wouldn't've had to do that if you hadn't brought that fuckin' rope in th'first place!" Murphy said.
"Let's not go there again."
"Hmph," Murphy grunted and he rolled his eyes.
"What happened after the courthouse? You just disappeared," one of the young men said.
"Yeah, we heard rumors you were in prison," one of the females said.
"That came later," Murphy said.
"Aye, after th'courthouse, we had t'leave th'country an' hide out until th'heat died down," Connor said.
"Still think eight years was a long time t'hide out," Murphy said and Connor nodded.
"When we heard about a priest gettin' killed an' people were blamin' us, we came out of hidin' an' that's when we lost someone who meant th'world t'us."
"Who was it?" Derek asked.
"It was our da," Murphy said.
"So, you went to prison after you avenged his death?"
"Summat like that."
"How did you get out of prison?"
"Someone broke us out," he said as he smiled at Louisa and she leaned her head against Murphy's head.
"She broke you out of prison?!" one of the young men asked.
"Not exactly," Louisa said.
"But she did have a hand in our escape," Connor said.
"After that, we went into hidin' again," Murphy said.
"Well, we did have t'heal after gettin' shot."
"True."
"What about afterwards? It was all over the news that you died," Derek said.
"It's better t'have people think that then us sayin' we retired," Murphy said.
"Safe for who?" one of the females asked. He looked at the little girl in her arms and he leaned his head against the back of the chair.
"Is that yer kid?"
"Yeah."
"How old is she?"
"She's three."
"Do you want her t'grow up without you?"
"Is that a threat?!" Derek said, removing the gun out of the holster on his right hip and he pointed the gun at Murphy.
"Use it or put it away," Murphy said and Derek saw the cold look in his eyes. Derek put the gun away and Murphy looked at the young female. "Do you?"
"No, I don't," she said.
"So, if you had a choice, no matter what it is, you'd give all this up fer her?"
"Yeah," she said with a nod.
"That's what happened t'us. Th'winds changed an' we were given a chance t'keep goin' or t'stop. Do we know why God gave us th'chance t'change our minds? No, we don't. But these last eleven years have been pretty good. We have peace of mind, heart an' soul an' that's rare these days," Connor said and Murphy nodded. Derek looked at them when he balled his hands into fists and he growled.
"Cowards! You are nothing more than fucking cowards!" he shouted. Murphy looked at Louisa as she got off his lap and he and Connor stood up. Connor held the handle of the cricket bat tightly in his left hand while Murphy picked up the crowbar and they locked eyes with Derek.
"Ready t'put him in his place, Brudder?" Connor asked.
"Let's show him what it's like t'piss off th'Saints," Murphy said.
"I'm not afraid of you!" Derek growled, drawing his gun again. Before he could move, Connor swung the cricket bat as he smashed the cricket bat into Derek's right hand and Derek screamed. The gun flew through the air, but it didn't go off when it hit the floor and Murphy swung the crowbar. He hooked the crowbar behind Derek's right ankle as he pulled and Derek fell to the floor. Derek crab walked backwards toward the wall as the twins followed him and Connor tapped the cricket bat against the palm of his right hand. Murphy thumped the crowbar on the floor as a small whimper came from Derek then the twins stopped, looking at each other.
"I think we've made our point," Connor said.
"Aye, I think we have," Murphy said as he knelt down on his haunches then he placed the end of the crowbar against Derek's chest. Murphy noticed the wet stain moving across Derek's jeans and he smiled. Standing up, Murphy walked to the gun when he used the crowbar to slide the gun across the floor and he headed for the door. Louisa had gotten up as she followed him out of the room and Connor looked at Derek then he looked at the other young people and the kids.
"Think about what I said. Winds change an' so can you," Connor said, placing the cricket bat against his shoulder then he walked to the door. He stopped, turned then he looked at Derek getting off the floor and Connor took a few steps toward him. Derek sat back down as Connor smiled then he left the room.
The door to the alleyway opened while Connor checked to see if anyone was in the alleyway then they stepped outside. Murphy and Connor looked up as they checked to see if anyone was on the fire escape or the roof then they walked down the alleyway.
"There you are," Margaret said. She and Romeo stood at the end of the alleyway as Connor walked to her and he leaned in for a kiss. She lightly pushed him back when he frowned and he dropped the cricket bat to the ground.
"What are you doin' here?" Connor asked.
"When you three didn't return, I used the tracking on your phone to find out where you were."
"Well, we were on our way back when someone mugged us," Louisa said and Margaret's eyes widened.
"Are you alright?!"
"Aye," Connor said.
"Then what happened?"
"We chased after them," Murphy said as he looked back into the alleyway.
"But th'Reapers showed up an' they chased them off," Connor said.
"Did you say the Reapers?!" Margaret asked and they nodded their heads. "Damn. We have to get out of here."
"Why do I have th'feelin' you called fer backup before you came lookin' fer us?"
"I did."
"Then let's get goin'."
They headed down the sidewalk while Connor and Murphy handed Romeo the shopping bags and Margaret looked behind them just as the black police vans pulled up to the curb.
Murphy felt Louisa's fingers moving over the scar on his left side as the cool tingle moved through him and he arched his head back. Louisa had been quiet during the trip back to the hotel and she barely ate any dinner. She slid her fingers over his stomach as he sighed and he kissed the top of her head.
"Are you gonna tell me what's wrong or do I have t'guess?" grumbled in her ear while his heart thumped soft and steady and she looked up at him.
"I just sat there," she said, looking at the wall and he frowned.
"What?"
"You and Connor were about to beat the shit out of that guy and I just sat there."
"So?"
"So!?"
"Lou, he was bein' disrespectful."
She sighed as he felt a ball of ice building in his chest and he moved his fingers up and down her right upper arm.
"This is why I don't wanna take you with me when Connor an' I have t'do things like that," grumbled in her ear and she frowned. "It's not jus' because it's dangerous. It's jus' that I don't want you t'change."
"Change?"
"Aye. You tell me I'm still th'same guy you fell in love with all those years ago, but I'm not. Connor's not. We changed. Our da changed. Rocco changed. Romeo even changed. But I like my angel jus' th'way she is."
She carefully crawled on top of him when he wrapped his arms around her and his fingers up over the tattoo of angel wings on her back. A soft gurgling sound made them laugh as she placed her forehead against his chest and he looked at the ceiling.
"Sorry," she said.
"It's ok. You didn't have much fer dinner," he said and she looked at him. "Wanna go out an' get summat t'eat?"
"Sure," she said while he moved the blankets back and they got out of bed then they went to dressed.
Connor watched the action movie with the sound off while Margaret looked at the laptop screen and she read the report.
"What're you doin'?" he asked, leaning over to look at the screen.
"Just reading the arrest report on the Reapers," she said while the bathroom door opened and Romeo walked out. He had a towel wrapped around his waist as he walked to the bed and he used the other towel to dry his hair.
"What're you doing?" Romeo asked.
"She's readin' th'arrest report on those Reapers eejits," Connor said.
"Do you think they'll try to get even with us?"
"Th'only one who might wanna get even is th'guy Murphy an' I wanted t'beat up," Connor said when someone knocked on the door and they looked at each other.
"Connor? You awake?" Murphy called out and Connor got out of bed. He walked to the door when he opened the door as far as the chain would allow and he looked at his twin and Louisa. "Hey, wanna come get summat t'eat?"
"Aye," he said when he closed the door, moved the chain back, then he opened the door. He looked at Romeo and Margaret as he smiled and Murphy leaned his chin on Connor's left shoulder. "Wanna go with us?"
"Nah," Romeo said.
"No thank you," Margaret said. "Just be back at a proper hour."
"Aye, Ma!" the twins said as Connor left and he closed the door behind him. Margaret looked at the door then at Romeo and they both stared laughing.
New Scotland Yard
The overhead lights made a soft humming sound while Derek sat on the bed in the holding cell and he had his left hand behind his head. The police had taken him to the hospital to get the broken bones in his right hand set and he was drifting on the high from the pain killers. They had allowed him to make one phone call as he called his sponsor and he explained what happened.
He had heard from the guards most of the Reapers had gotten away, but he knew he would never see them again.
"They're in the wind," he whispered. He looked at the cast on his right hand as he thought about Murphy and Connor and how they had humiliated him in front of the others. He placed his hand down when he heard the door to the holding cell open and he looked toward the doorway. The heavy footsteps came closer while he looked at the security cameras on the walls, but the red lights were off.
"We are quite alone."
"Why….?! Why are you here?!" Derek asked.
"Why do you think I'm here?"
"I told you it wasn't my fault!"
"Oh, but it is your fault. I thought my little warning would have been enough to remind you what happens to those who fail me."
Derek got off the bed as he walked to the far wall and he tried to find away to make it to the door before he was caught.
"What about those old wankers?! They're the ones who fucked things up!?" Derek said.
"Yes, about them. Do you know who they were?"
"The Saints. They were the Saints."
"The Saints are dead."
"No, Man, they're alive."
"Liar!"
Derek felt his heart slamming in his chest as he looked at the doorway when he ran out of the room then down the hallway. He didn't hear the gun going off as something hit him in the back and he fell to the floor. He felt his body numbing over as the heavy footsteps came closer and he felt something pressing against the side of his head.
"In Nomine Patris, et Filli, et Spiritus Sancti," was the last thing he heard before the gun fired and everything went dark.