Disclaimer: I do not own anything that has to do with the Black Donnellys. The only thing I own is Makenzie.
Note: the narrator is in bold and it will switch from Makenzie to Joey so you get different aspects of the story. Makenzie is in Italic Bold and Joey will be in regular bold. This story takes place after the mess with Dokey and Nicky cools down a bit.
Makenzie sat on her old ratty couch looking at the blank screen of her television. She couldn't sleep so she just came out to watch a little television, but only paid programming was on at four in the morning. Her head fell back on the couch as she let out a sigh. She couldn't stop thinking about Nicky with that guy in the abandoned house earlier that night. It looked extremely suspicious and she was afraid Tommy would try to deal with it by himself. She rubbed her forehead in frustration before she reached over for her cell phone. It was nothing special, it was the cheapest one she could find. She peered down at the small screen, the blue luminescent lighting shining back on her face. It read 4:25am. A snore came from Joey's room down the hall. She felt her phone vibrate and she looked down at the screen. A picture of Jimmy making a funny face flashed on the screen. She loved that picture of him, it was the first picture she had taken with her phone. He hadn't wanted his picture taken, but gave in after she pleaded with him.
I could get Jimmy to do anything for me. He would try to put up a fight sometimes, but he always gave in. Only one Donnelly folded faster than Jimmy when it came to me and that was Tommy, but Tommy can't say no to anybody.
She pressed the small button with the green button on it and didn't say anything; she didn't have to.
"I knew you would be awake," Jimmy said on the other end of the line. He sounded tired, but determined to talk with her.
"Your lucky I was awake or I might have had to kick you ass when saw you next."
"Your always awake Mac."
"Sleeping just doesn't come easy for me." she had this nervous feeling in her gut on why he had called her, but he never brought it up. She knew that Jimmy and Kevin had caught onto her fake smile back at the bar, and she was glad that Jimmy wasn't bringing it up. Makenzie knew if Jimmy found about what she saw that night that Jimmy would only get angry and suspicious, eventually making the whole situation worse.
Jimmy sat on a bar stool holding the phone tightly against his ear. He had been trying to call Makenzie for the last few hour, but every time he went to he would make up some excuse not to call her. They all knew she had a hard time sleeping so more than likely she would be up when he finally called. He liked the sound of her voice, he smiled when she talked about kicking his ass if he had actually woken her up. He wanted to ask her so bad if Tommy had kissed her when she went outside to check on him. He remembered feeling that tightness in his chest after he saw them walk back in the bar together, Tommy's hand on Makenzie's arm. Jimmy ran a hand through his light brown hair and sighed.
"What's wrong Jimmy?" Makenzie asked him. He could imagine her on that old couch in her pajamas, her head resting on it and her brown eyes fixed on the ceiling.
"Nothing."
"Don't tell me nothing when I know it's something. Just because I can't see you doesn't mean I can't catch you in a lie Jimmy, now..."
"Did you kiss Tommy?"
"What?" Makenzie asked, sounding perplexed.
"Did he kiss you?" Jimmy asked again, a little jealousy seeping into his tone.
I had no clue why he was asking me that. It seemed so out of left field. I was so worried about him finding out about the building that my brain was not ready when he asked me that. Jimmy had actually sounded jealous and in all honesty I felt a swell in my chest, like I was excited to come across this discovery. I mean Jimmy Donnelly jealous over the 'maybe' kiss with his younger brother. I was actually starting to make a romantic dent in the lives of the Donnellys. I was actually breaking away from being one the boys and was I ever excited when I finally realized it.
"No I didn't kiss Tommy."
"Go..okay then" Jimmy said catching himself. There was no way in hell he wanted her to find out anything about these feelings he had about her. Hell, he wasn't even clear about them yet.
"Okay well was that why you called?"
"Yeah... Goodnight Mac," Jimmy said quietly.
"Night Jimmy," Makenzie said then flipped the phone shut. She felt a wave of fatigue come over her and her heavy eyelids finally shut over her tired eyes.
She sat behind the small desk, tapping her pen to a rhythm of the song she had in her head. The air conditioning had gone out in the small shop and Makenzie was starting to sweat profusely. She hated the summer, especially this one, it was the hottest summer she ever had in the Kitchen. It really felt like hell recently. She hated her job, but she had to have one. Makenzie worked at a small record store that only got enough customers to stay open. The bell over the door chimed as someone walked into the shop. She looked up and her breath hitched in her throat when she saw who it was. She really wasn't happy to see him, he scared the shit out of her. Nicky's smile grew when he saw her behind the counter.
"Hey Mac," He said as he leaned up against the counter. He watched as she pushed her seat farther back from him. His dark brown eyes were shining with happiness at her discomfort. "It's been a long time," He finished, running his tongue over his bottom lip.
"Not long enough," Makenzie said, shifting in her chair uncomfortably. She really hated being under his gaze, it always made her feel so naked. He let out a laugh.
"What do you want Nicky? We have a few Sinatra cd's in if your interested."
"Not a Sinatra fan. So when are you going to go out with me?"
"Never Nicky. Besides don't you have that stripper girlfriend that you were living with?"
"Nah I had to get rid of her."
"Well I'm sorry to hear it Nicky," Makenzie said. Her eyes flashed towards the door to see if by chance anyone she knew just happened to walk by. She was praying that someone would come.
"I'm not. So did you have a nice chat with Tommy last night?" Makenzie froze. He must of saw them.
"Every time I talk to him," Makenzie said, trying to sound nonchalant about the situation.
"It would be wise if you and Tommy kept your mouths shut about what you saw last night. I don't want anything to happen to you okay," Nicky said as he cupped her face in one of his hands. He looked at her as she shook her head and then he left. Makenzie let out a huge breath she didn't realize she had been holding.
Let me explain something real quick to you. When I was about seventeen is when I met Nicky for the first time. My dad got in some trouble with the Italian's over some gambling and he owed a lot of money that he would of never been able to pay. So my dad ended up having to do some 'work' for the Italians, sadly making Nicky a constant asshole in my life. He acquired a liking for me, but I always refused him and his stupid comments. The Donnellys knew about him and how he was about me which only made them hate him more. When my father died a year ago I thought I was finally going to be rid of Nicky Cottero, but of course it was just another thing I was wrong about.
The small doorbell chimed again and Makenzie's head snapped towards the door, afraid that it was Nicky again. She was relieved to see it was Kevin walking in. He had a mischievous look planted on his face.
"What?" Makenzie asked. She knew that he was up to no good when he had that look on his face.
"I got a hot tip for the track today," He said, sitting himself down on the counter.
"You always say that Kevin and guess what? It's never a very good tip."
"This time it's different I know it is, I'm going to win today Mac and I want you to go with me so I have someone to witness it," Kevin said with a smile. Makenzie raised an eyebrow at him, skepticism clearly written all over her face.
"Why don't you take Joey with you, he likes to gamble. He actually one once, unlike some other guy I know." Kevin gave her a wounded look.
"Joey's watching the bar for Jimmy while he takes care of some business."
"Business, huh. What about Tommy or Sean?"
"Sean went with Jimmy and Tommy was busy to. Come on we haven't done anything in a while. I miss my best friend... Please," Kevin pleaded. Makenzie crumbled. She looked at the clock, it wouldn't hurt if she got off an hour early and it wasn't like they were busy anyway; Plus she could use the distraction to get her mind off her unpleasant visit from Nicky.
"Mr. McKaren I got to leave an hour early okay!" Makenzie shouted towards the back room. She heard a grunt from the storekeeper. He was about ninety so if Nicky tried anything he would have been no help at all, he probably would of just made the situation worse. Makenzie grabbed her small black purse and headed out the door.
"This better be a better tip than last time Kev," She said over he shoulder.
"It is. Would you just trust me."
"I trust you Kev... just not with my money," Makenzie said with a smile that only frustrated Kevin more than the actual comment.
"Smart ass," Kevin said walking a little ahead of her. Makenzie just shook her head at him, she could get him riled up so easily. When the two headed back to the Firecracker Kevin was down two hundred dollars and Makenzie was up four hundred.
"You know Kevin maybe you should go with your gut instinct, because look what your gut won me," Makenzie said with a smile. She pulled the four hundred dollars out and waved it around. When Kevin rolled his eyes in frustration Makenzie stuffed the money back into the front pocket of her jeans.
When Makenzie opened the door she was surprised to see a hand full of customers inside. Sean was behind the bar serving drinks and Tommy was nowhere to be found. She followed Kevin over to the end of the bar and took a seat on the empty barstool beside him. Kevin had a pout on his face when he looked over at Makenzie.
"What's wrong with you?" She asked as she waved Sean over.
"I should have listened to my gut," He said quietly.
"Is that what your pouting about? Here," Makenzie said reaching into her pocket. She pulled out her winnings and threw two hundred dollars on the counter next to Kevin, "it was your gut that won me that money in the first place."
"I cant take..."
"Take it Kevin, half of it is rightfully yours and I'm sure you could use it to pay off some debt you have with someone besides me." His hand slid out and her took the money reluctantly. He felt bad, but it only lasted for a minute. If Makenzie was offering him money, who was he to refuse. Makenzie looked at Sean as he stopped in front of her, some of his blonde hair falling in his face. He gave her a warm smile and she smiled back.
You see Sean is like the little brother that I never had. I love the kid to death and I would do anything for him (I think I said that before). He was so different from his brothers and that was one of the reasons I liked him so much. Sean was the baby of the group and it radiated off of him, he always had a innocence to him, until last year, and I loved that about him. He wasn't a druggie or a gambler. He didn't have the helping sickness like Tommy, the only vice that the poor boy had was women and I think that helped him more than it ever hurt him. To be honest, at times his luck with the women helped all of us.
"What will it be Mac," Sean asked. He eyed her for a minute, his eyes shining. She was looking at the bottles of booze behind him and he already knew what she was going to pick and it only meant trouble for her later.
"Tequila please, and keep it coming," Makenzie said pushing the money she won across the bar's counter at Sean. He grabbed the money and quickly put it into the tip jar behind the counter before he went and grabbed her a half full bottle and a shot glass.
"Well someone's feeling dangerous tonight," Kevin said with a laugh, looking at her. She just shrugged her shoulders as she slammed her first shot. The alcohol burned as it went down her throat and she made a grimace. The bad taste never went away until after the forth shot, then she was set to keep going without the terrible face.
"Do you feel like being dangerous with me?" Makenzie asked Kevin as she waved the bottle at him and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
"Tequila makes me sick Mac, you know that."
"Alright then keep drinking your beer then, but you better hurry if your going to keep up with me."
"Okay," Kevin simply stated as he downed the rest of the beer and waited for his next one.
Tommy walked into the bar with Jimmy close on his heels. They had met up a little earlier to try and clear up a small mess that Jimmy had gotten himself into. Tommy knew that Jimmy could handle himself, but when Jimmy handled it, it always got dirty. The first thing Tommy noticed when he walked in was Makenzie over at the pool table trying to play a game with Kevin. Her red hair had come loose from its regular ponytail and was hanging down her back, just past her shoulders. She was wearing a black tank top with a pair of jeans she had rolled up to her knees because of the heat. Makenzie was trying to make a shot, but her body kept swaying with invisible waves. Tommy watched as she steadied herself and took the shot. It didn't go how she planned it, he was pretty sure of that. When she moved away from the table Tommy saw the 3/4 full bottle of Tequila sitting on the side of the pool table with a shot glass next to it. She had already started and it was only 10:30.
"So is Mac just getting started?" Tommy asked as he approached the bar. He leaned his arms on it for support. Sean shook his head and looked at his brother. Jimmy had just walked up to join the conversation, but his eyes were fixed on Makenzie as she took another quick shot.
"No that's the second bottle," Sean said.
"No shit," Jimmy asked, his eyebrows raising in alarm and surprise. She was going to regret that later.
"Yeah... well the first bottle was half empty, but by now it's like she's had a whole bottle to herself." Sean said.
"She drank it all by herself?" Tommy asked, panic clearly in his words.
"Yeah mostly, Joey had about two shots with her and that was it. I don't even know how she's still standing upright. She's been rocking for about an half hour now. Kevin tried to take it away, but we all know how far he got," Sean said pointing over at the two playing pool. Kevin had a nice red mark on his arm where she had punched him.
"At least it wasn't in the face this time," Tommy mumbled. Last time Kevin had tried to take her booze away, Makenzie got angry and clocked him a good one to the side of the face. Kevin had a bruise for almost two weeks.
"We should stop her," Jimmy said, scratching his stubble. He already knew that what they were about to do was going to be difficult because she would fight all the way upstairs.
"Okay you grab her and I'll get the bottle," Tommy said, pushing himself off of the counter.
"I grabbed her last time and she almost got me in the balls, plus she clawed the shit out of my arms. And I think I still have a mark from where she bit me," Jimmy wined. He really hated this part of looking out for her. When she got like that she always put up a fight and left a mark on one of the brothers. Jimmy heard Tommy let out an exasperated sigh before he finally said, "Fine."
Tommy and Jimmy slowly made their way to the pool table, hoping not to alarm Makenzie. Kevin caught Tommy's eyes and quickly started to walk away.
"Were you going?" Makenzie asked, eyeing him... well trying to.
"Just going to grab another beer. It's your turn anyway," Kevin said before he walked away quickly. Makenzie set up for the shot, but felt a pair of arms slip around her midsection. She turned to look over her shoulder and saw Tommy there and she smiled. She didn't even notice Jimmy swipe away the bottle of Tequila.
"I knew someone was going to get frisky with me tonight," She said, trying to sound suggestive. Tommy didn't say anything he started to pull her away from the table.
"Hold on a..." Makenzie started, but stopped when she saw that her bottle was missing. She could feel the heat of anger rising and she quickly tried to get free. She knew what was going to happen next. She was going to get her ass dragged up into the bedroom upstairs, like she had on may different occasions; none of them having the outcome she was always lusting for.
"Let go of me Tommy," Makenzie said as calmly as she could. She spotted Jimmy walking up the stairs to open and close the door when Tommy finally dragged her up there.
"Come on Mac let's just go upstairs," Tommy said softly into her ear, which only poured fuel on her fire. She tried to pull away but he only held tighter so she started to kick her legs out, but that didn't work either.
"Dammit Tommy let go!" Makenzie screamed as he started to drag her up the stairs. She started to throw her arms around and her elbow connected with his eye right as he got her into the bedroom. Jimmy shut the door behind the two and quickly locked it. Tommy threw her down on the bed and let out a huff. His face was red from the struggle and his eye was watering.
"You guys really know how to ruin a girls night," She said cooly. Jimmy just laughed at her.
"Mac in about fifteen minutes you will be singing a different tune when your sick over that toilet in the bathroom and it's one of us who is taking care of your drunk ass," Jimmy stated. She just stared him down as she sat on the edge of the bed. Tommy pulled a chair in front of the door and sat down in it. Tommy wasn't even going to give her that chance to get down to the bar and get her bottle again.
"Whatever," Makenzie finally huffed.
Those incidents always sound worse than they really are. I mean, yeah okay I have a drinking problem, but doesn't everyone?