"I'm Good, I'm Gone" by Lykke Li

We spent the next few days adjusting to the time zone and took the time to check in with Noah, mom, Tyler, Declan, and Kelly. The kids were driving Noah insane (mostly Kelly who still keeps trying to bring Erik everywhere with her). But he sounds like he's enjoying them more than my mom being around. Tyler said she kept trying to pick fights with Noah in the usual way that she picks fights with everyone. After the phone call, Murphy and Connor informed me that she had apparently tried rearranging his house into a more useful state and, when told no, did so anyway. Noah's been slowly moving everything back into place so that she won't notice it all at once. Usually she notices and moves it back but he's making some small progress and taking delight in annoying her back. It was funny for me to think of Noah wasting time on something that childish and petty.

Today, however, we're apparently going gun and other mob killing necessity shopping. An illegal shop, of course, and Irish ran. It's the same place they initially bought everything apparently and then continued to buy whatever they needed there. I didn't really know what kind of money the boys had but I kind of doubted it was enough for any illicit gun buying activities.

(And, no, I have absolutely no idea what exactly is involved in today's activity. I've always been pretty straight and narrow when it comes to the law. Just minor infractions but nothing to actually be arrested for or anything. Mom would have killed me.)

The shop was within walking distance and it didn't take long to get there from the apartment. That was probably intentional knowing the boys.

"This is it," Connor announced, pointing to a door with a small Irish flag on it. He opened it, holding the door behind him so that one of us could go in after him. Romeo went next while Murphy held the door open so I could go next, his arm stretched out above my head.

There was a man sitting at a desk reading a newspaper. It definitely didn't look like a gun before I could voice my doubts, the man noticed us and jumped up with a grin.

"Yer back!" he greeted Connor and Murphy before looking over Romeo and I. "And ye've brought friends I see."

"We came to peruse the goods," Connor grinned, looking delighted at being remembered.

Romeo leaned over to whisper in my ear: "Do all Irish men talk this way?"

I smiled, trying not to laugh, while nodding slightly. The boys didn't notice, too engrossed with the man behind the desk. After a few minutes of catching up, he came over and pressed a code into a keypad on the wall. The door next to it unlocked, revealing a set of stairs once it was open. Romeo and I led the way while the man who owned the shop brought up the rear.

"Anything ye see is on the house. You boys do good work," he said before disappearing back upstairs.

"You've still got fans," I teased while the men began inspecting everything. I didn't touch anything as I looked around. Romeo managed to find a pair of revolvers with the Mexican flag on the butt of them. The boys found more practical things: knives, pistols and silencers, and a rope.

"Ye ever shot a gun before, lass?" Connor asked, startling me. I raised my eyebrows at him before glancing at Murphy. Did neither of them know? After a few seconds of silence, I realized that they didn't. Smecker must have taken credit. "I know ye said ye know how to shoot one-"

"I shot Aidan," I replied as evenly as I could, pushing the image of Aidan out of my mind. It's hard not to think of him like that when I remember things that have happened with him. But I can't help but picture him that way. One eye wide with shock. The other a gaping hole with blood coming out of it. I turned away from them, pretending to look at the knives. It was now uncomfortably quiet in the room.

"I'm going to uh," Romeo said, trying to come up with an excuse, before he just went out of the room entirely and up the stairs.

"Smecker said he did it," Murphy spoke finally.

"I'm pretty sure he lied so I wouldn't be involved at all."

"Explains why that room was torched," Connor admitted. "Why didnae ye tell us?"

"I didn't think about it for a while after it happened," I admitted, picking up a knife and appraising the blade. It looked like it was folded and flash frozen to retain how sharp it is. I put the sheath back on it, deciding that I'd take that as a weapon for me.

"It's not the same," Murphy said from beside me. He meant that me killing Aidan wasn't the same as it had been when they killed the Russians in self defense or went after the mob bosses.

"No, it's not," I nodded. "It's different."

I noticed a small selection of lockpick and decoder tools. Some were old fashioned, some electronic. I handed Murphy an old fashioned one and an electronic one. He looked confused. I rolled my eyes.

"Not everything requires a gun."

"No but ye do need a gun."

"I don't actually know much about guns." I know plenty about knives and lock picking. They're somewhat useful skills around the dig site.

"What about this one?" Connor asked, holding up a smaller, more compact looking gun.

"Glock 17. Yeah, that looks right," Murphy nodded. Connor handed it to me so I could hold it. It was the same size as the ones the boys picked out, but it was much lighter. Murphy pointed to a clock on the wall, holding his hands up so that his thumbs and index fingers were touching to make a triangle. "Close your left eye and tell me if that's in the center of the triangle."

I looked at him like he was crazy but complied. I shook my head 'no.'

"Alright, ye right eye then."

"Yes."

"Good, ye dominant eye is the same as yer dominant hand." Murphy handed me the gun, stepping behind me. He guided my arms up so that I was pointing at a target. "Keep ye finger off of the trigger unless ye intend to pull it." He straightened my elbows. "There's recoil, so make sure ye keep ye stance firm. Since ye haven't shot much, ye should close your right eye to line up a shot. Ye can learn to shoot with ye eyes open but I dunnae if we'll have the time to teach that."

I nodded as he removed his hands from my arms.

"We'll show ye how to clean it and general safety stuff when we're home." Then, to Connor, "ye see a suppressor around for it?"

"Already grabbed one," Connor replied, holding it up. Murphy nodded. The boys grabbed a few different holsters before putting the guns, knives, ammo, and rope into the duffle bags on the table. They slung the bags over their shoulders as we left the basement. Romeo was upstairs talking to the guy behind the desk, evidently saying something hilarious.

"Ye watch ye'selves out there," the man said, waving as we left. Romeo and Connor were arguing about something or other while Murphy and I walked behind them.

"Ye still don't have to do this if ye don't want to," Murphy said quietly. I looked over at him, shaking my head slightly.

"No, Kelly and Declan are involved so I'm involved. I want this to be over so I don't spend my life looking over my shoulder for them," I said firmly. "I'll deal with whatever happens. I'm not leaving."

He studied me for a few moments before looking away, falling back into his own thoughts.