1.

The convent was quiet, as Connor had expected. Bloom had pulled around the far side of the cemetery as he had directed. After scaling the wall and letting them with key he dug out of the lion fountain, the young sister, who later introduced herself as Agnes, ushered them in through the back door and upstairs without question. She had been in the church earlier and seemed to be quite thankful that the McManus brothers had been there. Now Connor, Murphy, Smecker, and Bloom waiting in the living room on the second floor of the convent. It was reserved for visitors of the convent with a sitting area and three rooms branching off of it. Sister Lucille, after dealing with the police next door, had hurried to Maggie's bedside. Along with Sister Josephine, who had been a nurse before taking her vows, Lucille had been inside one of the rooms for almost an hour.

Murphy grunted and leaned back in his armchair, stretching his arms over his head. "What the fuck is taking so long?" Bloom reached out and smacked his leg from where she was resting on the settee. He looked up and saw two sisters moving past them and down the hallway. He blushed and muttered an apology.

Before Bloom could chastise him, the door opened. Lucille closed the door behind her and Josephine. Connor jumped up as the nuns moved to address the group.

"She has definitely been drugged," Josephine said. "I'm not an expert on these things, but I have seen her symptoms before. I would say it could be some sort of heroine. Though I don't believe she was injected with enough to trigger an overdose. Just enough to knock her down for awhile."

Bloom stood and straightened her skirt. "So they weren't trying to kill her."

"Not with the drugs anyway," Smecker said, from where he was sitting by the window. He rubbed his chin. "They were trying to make it look like an accident. Leave her strung out while the bar burned to the ground."

Connor ground his teeth. "Is she going to be okay?"

Josephine nodded. "I believe so. Although what is happening now is only the beginning of her troubles."

"What do you mean?" Murphy asked.

"Well, because she is a former addict, the detox period is liable to be very tough for her," said Josephine. "It could be a day or two before she's back on her feet. She's resting now. I'll keep an eye on her."

Lucille touched Josephine's shoulder. "Thank you, Sister. The others are preparing dinner downstairs. You may go join them now."

"Yes, Sister."

Josephine nodded and took her leave.

The mood was somber. Connor began pacing the floor clenching and unclenching his fist. "O'Rourke did this," he growled. He stopped in front of Smecker. "He's got be dealt with."

Smecker nodded. "Yes, that is apparent."

"So," Connor said, "let's go get him."

"Not yet."

"Not yet?" Connor said, getting down in Smecker's face. "What are we fuck are we waiting for? It won't be long before he realizes that she didn't die in that fire. He will come after her again."

Now Smecker jumped up causing Connor to take a step back. "I said 'not yet'. There is a bigger picture to be dealt with first."

Connor sneered. "Bigger picture, my ass!"

Now he and Smecker stood toe to toe. Bloom was moved to intercept Smecker while Murphy pulled Connor back. "Take it easy, Connor," Murphy said.

"Fuck off, Murphy!" Connor pushed him away. "Don't you see what's going on here? Everyone who gets involved with us gets fucked!"

"Alright!" Sister Lucille raised her voice. "Everyone put their dicks away!" The room stilled, and everyone gave the nun their full attention. "That's better. Now look, it has been a very long day," she put a hand on Connor's shoulder, "a very stressful day. Now, I suggest that everyone take a break, let's get some supper and some rest, and then figure out what to do next."

Bloom nodded. "I think that is a good idea." She turned to Connor. "It will give us a chance to make a plan."

Connor knew they were all right. The day was already beginning to wear on him. "Alright,"

"Good," Sister Lucille said. "Now let's go downstairs. Supper should be ready," She looked at both men, neither were backing down, "Now!" she barked.

Smecker and Bloom, followed by Lucille, began to make their way down the hallway towards the stairs.

"I'm not hungry," Connor said, sinking back into his chair.

Lucille looked at Murphy. "I'll stay with him," he said, taking the chair closest to the window.

She nodded. "I'll bring some food up in a bit."

"Thank you, Sister."

2.

Connor didn't know how long he had been asleep. Glancing out the window, he could see that the sun was beginning to set. His brother was still in his chair reading a book that he had snatched off of a nearby bookcase. Connor wondered idly what kind of books the Sisters of Saint Katherine's read to pass the time. Two bowls sat on the coffee table in front of him. One was near empty, the other sat untouched. Murphy looked up from his book, but said nothing. There was no need. Since they were children they had been able to sit together in a room and not say anything at all. Connor decided that the comfortable silence was what he needed. It felt normal.

The silence was all too brief, however, when the sound of breaking glass snapped them both to attention. By the time Connor registered that it was coming from Maggie's room, Murphy was already on the move. He burst into the room and stopped short just inside the doorway. When Connor was in, he stopped too.

Maggie was standing by the shattered mirror above the bureau. In her hand was a large shard of glass. Blood dripped from her palm, down the white nightgown that she was wearing.

"Maggie," Connor shouted, "What the fuck are you doing?"

She stared at him, but her eyes were glazed, unrecognizing. "Destroy all of that which is evil, so that which is good may flourish. For whoever shall shed man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed."

Oh Shit, Conner thought asshe raised the shard high. Connor never saw Murphy move, but he was there, taking her from behind, holding her arms to her side. She howled and struggled. The white bandages around her forearms bled red as the wounds opened. "Let me go!"

Connor walked slowly to her. "Take it easy, Maggie." He took the glass from her hand. She pulled against Murphy again. "We're here to help you."

"Help me!" she said, seemingly more lucid than she had been a moment earlier. "You can't help me! You made me! Both of you! Let go!"

Connor nodded, and Murphy released her. Her arms fell to her sides, and she appeared to lose whatever fight she had left in her. Her eyes were still unseeing again as she moved in a trance past Connor to the bed. She climbed up on the bed and knelt in front of the crucifix on the wall above the headboard. Murphy glanced at Connor who only shrugged and shook his head. Maggie raised her arms up and then spoke, but not to either of them.

"And so Michael and Uriel with their mighty swords shall come forth to lead my army against the those who would harm the innocent and protect the vessel that will carry on their charge."

Her body went ridged then she went limp and she fell onto the bed. She lay there in a sobbing heap. Before either of the brothers could react, Sister Lucille appeared in the doorway. "What in the Lord's name is going on here?" She hurried to the bed and gathered Maggie into her arms. Rocking back and forth, she spoke in a soothing whisper.

Murphy caught Connor's attention and together they slipped out the door, closing it behind them. Bloom and Smecker were waiting for them on the other said.

"Jesus Christ," Murphy breathed. "What the fuck just happened?"

Bloom put a sympathetic hand on Connor's shoulder. "She is in a very dark place right now."

"Dark place?" Murphy said. "That was some straight up Agnes of God shit going on in there."

Smecker cleared his throat. "Yes, well, while she's been battling her inner demons, I have made a few phone calls and we have an appointment to keep."

Frowning at him, Bloom hit him in the arm. "You have the tact of god damn rattlesnake, Paul."

"Ah come on, Eunice, I don't have time for this teenage angst bullshit. Now if we get everyone back to the grown-ups table, we've got some work to do."

3.

Leaving Bloom at the convent to help the sisters with Maggie, Connor, Murphy, and Smecker had taken the hearse and had gone to meet with Seamus, the Gun Man. Seamus had moved a good fifty miles outside of Boston, so it was nearly midnight when they finally reached him. He had been quite surprised and pleased to see that the McManus brothers were back in business. Even more so when Smecker dropped a duffle bag full of cash in front of him, "You know the drill," Seamus had said. The empty bag that the boys had brought was soon full of their weapons of choice.

Connor found himself more at ease by the minute, the giddiness that he felt as they loaded up for an execution was a familiar feeling, one that he hadn't even realized he had missed.

"Always a pleasure, boys," Seamus said as they were headed out the door.

4.

The sun was on the horizon by the time they made it back at St. Katherine's. Both Connor and Murphy immediately crashed out on the couches in the sitting area upstairs, while Smecker took one of the vacant rooms. Given that they had been without a decent rest in two days, good sleep was hard to get. By mid morning, they had given up and were now playing the waiting game while Bloom finished preparations for their outing.

Connor fidgeted in his seat by the window while Murphy paced back and forth between the settee and the coffee table.

"Sit down," Smecker said from his place on the sofa. His face was covered from view by the newspaper he was reading.

Murphy scowled at him. "I'm fucking ready to get this over with."

"Yeah?" asked Smecker as he folded his paper and slapped it down on the table, "Because you are driving me fucking insane."

The conversation halted with the door to Maggie's room opened and Bloom appeared. "I hope we didn't keep ya'll waitin'," she said, turning her sweet, southern drawl up a notch.

"Cut the crap, Scarlet," Smecker said, "is everything ready?"

Bloom nodded and stepped aside to allow Maggie room to step through the doorway. The white nightgown was replaced by a black t-shirt and black pants with black boots that laced up to just under her knees. Her red hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail. A black blazer was draped over her arm. Both Connor's and Murphy's eyes went to the white contrast of the bandages. Now she not only had her right forearm bandaged from wrist to elbow, but her left hand sported a new wrap as well. She looked like she was keeping it together, but the dark circles under her eyes and her flushed skin said that she wasn't entirely recovered from her ordeal.

Murphy stopped pacing. "What the hell is this then?"

Maggie looked from Connor to Murphy, but it was Smecker who spoke. "The bigger picture, Murphy," he said. "O'Rourke is going down. But first, we need him to get to take us to Doyle. Maggie, here, has graciously agreed to help."

"What's to help with?" Murphy said.

Connor, true to the brother's style was right behind him. "Yeah, it's just a matter and going in and blowing O'Rourke's head off. Then we find Doyle."

"I won't be that easy," Maggie said. "You'll never find Doyle on your own."

Smecker nodded. "She's right. Doyle is not like those Yakavetta slobs who sat up there in their ivory towers just waiting to get picked off. The man never shows his face in public."

"Not even the FBI knows what he looks like," Bloom added. "That's how well he has maintained his anonymity."

Maggie agreed. "Mikey knows where he is. And I can get him to talk."

Connor grunted. "Mikey just pumped you full of heroine and left you to die in a burning building. What the fuck makes you think he'll tell you where Doyle is?"

"Because I have something that he wants."

The sound of footsteps on the stairs quieted them. It was Sister Lucille. She moved with purpose, carrying a thick manila envelope. Her stride was calm, but the expression on her face told them that she was nervous. She handed the package to Maggie, who took it with a trembling hand. "Are you sure about this, Maggie?"

Maggie offered her a sympathetic smile. "While I was detoxing, I had a vision," she paused and glanced at Connor and Murphy, "And trust me this wasn't your average fucking hallucination. The vision told me that I am suppose to do this." She stopped again and waited for someone to tell her she was bat-shit crazy. No one did. In fact, the only reaction came from the McManus brothers who only nodded with understanding. "This is the only way to keep us all safe, Sister. Thank you for keeping it for me."

"What is that?" Murphy asked.

"Evidence against Doyle. The time I spent with Mikey, while revolting to say the least, has kept me alive up until now." She handed it to Bloom and shrugged into her blazer. "I'll use it now to pressure Mikey into taking me to Doyle."

The group fell silent as they contemplated the plan. Smecker cleared his throat. "Alright, now that we're all caught up, shall we go put an end to some bad guys?"

"Fuck yeah!" Murphy said, "This is my favorite fucking part!"

Sister Lucille coughed lightly to remind him that she was still there. He dropped his head. "Sorry, Sister."

As her face broke into a smile, she placed a hand on Murphy's cheek. "You're a good man, Murphy, but do you have to curse so fucking much?"

Murphy gave her sly grin before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek and heading down the stairs. Smecker and Bloom followed. Connor lingered at the top of the stairs with Maggie.

"Are you sure you're up for this?" he asked.

She nodded, shoving her hands into the blazer to hide the shaking. "I have to be." Then she went to Sister Lucille and embraced her. "Thank you for everything, Sister."

"Be careful, Maggie, dear," Lucille said as Maggie joined Connor. "And may God be with you."

Connor paused at the top of the stairs and gave her a lop-sided smile. "He always is, Sister."

5.

Forty-five minutes later, the hearse pulled up the curb of Remington Road, two blocks over from the Gloucester Harbor. The main warehouse that Doyle used for his coffee import company (an obvious cover for his drug trade) was right on the water. Leaving the hearse behind, Connor, Murphy, Smecker, Bloom, and Maggie moved down the back allies until they could get a good view of the warehouse. There were no guards at the main entrance, but a security camera would let anyone inside know if they were receiving visitors.

"They'll be a couple of guards posted just inside the door." Maggie said. "That camera shows the entire street. They'll know if anyone else is coming. If Doyle is in there, he'll be on the third floor."

"What about the back?" Smecker asked.

"The dock is just off the back. There's a slip where the shipments come in underneath the warehouse."

Connor furrowed his brow. "I don't like you going in there by yourself," he said. "Especially without a weapon."

"They'll pat me down as soon as I walk in anyway," she said. "Don't worry, I can handle Mikey."

Smecker nodded. "You think you can keep him talking until we get there?"

"Yes."

He turned to Bloom who was tucking her hair up into a bobbed, blond, wig. "What do you think?" she asked, smoothing down the sides.

He pursed his lips. "Darling, you were never meant to be a blond." She stuck her tongue out at him and shrugged into her trench coat. "Let's do this."

Smecker and Murphy started down the street. Connor stayed back. He took Maggie by the elbow. "You be careful in there."

She raised an eyebrow, "I didn't know you cared."

"Just be careful," he said.

Then he was gone. The last glimpse she saw of him was just as he caught up with Smecker and Murphy, and they disappeared into an alleyway. Taking a deep breathe in a vain attempt to slow her hammering heart, Maggie nodded at Bloom who stayed back as she left Bloom behind as she crossed the street to the warehouse.

6.

Mikey O'Rourke cursed as he stepped out into the corridor, closing the door to Doyle's office behind him. Doyle had given him quite the tongue lashing when they had learned that not only had McGinty's not burned to the ground, but that Maggie was still alive. On top of all that, they had been unable to find the fucking evidence that the bitch had stashed. Doyle had let Mikey know that he should feel very fortunate that he hadn't gotten a bullet between the eyes. As he walked down the two flights of stairs to the front of the warehouse, he struggled to come up with a plan to fix his fuck up. He knew that under no uncertain terms that if he did not come through this time, Doyle would end him.

He was met at the front desk by one of his own men, Drake. "Mikey," he said, shouldering his assault rifle. "We have a guest."

Mikey followed him to the desk where a series of monitors showed various camera angles throughout the warehouse. Drake pointed to the monitor of the front entrance. Mikey almost laughed out loud when he saw Maggie standing in front of the door. Could this really be happening? Could he really be that lucky? Or could it all be a set up? Setting his jaw, he pushed a button to rotate the camera to get a better view of the street. There was no one else around. Still, he pulled his Taurus out of the back of his waist band and checked the clip – more than enough to waste the skank.

"Let her in," he told Drake, re-holstering his gun.

Drake nodded to Gilliam who was still by the door. He reached out and opened it. Maggie stood stock still on the stoop. This time, Mikey let a smile crease his lips. "Maggie, dear, please, come in."

Maggie stepped inside only to be stopped suddenly by Gilliam. "We have to check you, Maggie."

She nodded and held out her arms for him to check. Mikey interrupted. "I've got this one," he purred. He watched her swallow visibly, and he could see her trying to control the shakes. She was still detoxing. Good, he thought, she's still scared of me. I will have a little fun before the bitch gets it between the eyes. Gilliam stepped back as Mikey moved into her space.

"We're not just checking for guns, sweetheart," he leaned close, "take it off."

She glanced at Gilliam and Drake standing on either side of her, and then the two others posted at the other end of the warehouse by a steel door. Finally, she leveled her gaze Mikey. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"You know I have to see if your wired for sound," he purred. "Take it off."

Letting out slow breath, Maggie shrugged out of her blazer and handed it to Gilliam. Next came her shirt. She stopped as Mikey raked his gaze over her. "You still look good, Maggie, girl. But I think I really need to make sure."

He crouched down and felt around her boots. His hands moved up her legs to her thighs and rear end. They slid around to the front and lingered longer than necessary. Then they moved up her exposed rib cage to her covered breasts where he took the time to grab and yank on each one through her bra. Maggie stared at the ceiling for the duration.

"Satisfied?" she asked.

He let go and took a step back. "Oh, now you know that it takes more than that to get me going."

"Can I get dressed now?"

He looked her over one more time before nodding to Gilliam who handed over her t-shirt and blazer. "I have to hand it to you, Mags, you gotta a lot of balls coming here. What do you want?"

"I want to talk to Doyle. I have something he wants."

7.

The dock that ran along the backsides of the warehouses was empty, to the delight of the McManus brothers. They had gone down three buildings and come around the backside. If they were going to make an entrance without raising alarms, it was better if there were no people present.

"That's the one," Connor pointed to the warehouse that they knew to be Doyle's. The wooden dock stopped just in front of the building, creating an inlet leading underneath to the building.

"How are we going to get in?"

Connor glanced around and fixed his gaze on a floating tube attached to the side of the railing. A long blue rope was attached to it. "How's your swimming these days?"

Murphy looked from Connor to the flotation device and then to the cold, dark water below. He sighed. "Fuck."

Minutes later, Connor and Murphy were in the freezing water, moving along the side of the dock. Connor kept a tight grip on the rope that had the tube at the other end, floating underneath the dock planks with their bag of guns on top of it.

"Fuck, Connor," Murphy said through chattering teeth, "you've come up with some stupid plans, but this one..."

"Shut your fucking trap," Connor snapped, slowing as they neared the slip entrance. "I didn't hear you offering an alternative, ass-hat."

Murphy was going to argue, but Connor stopped him with a hand. They pulled themselves up so they could see over the dock and inside the slip. The slip was just big enough to fit a mid-sized boat. It opened up into what appeared to be a large storage room with boxes stacked amid various types of machinery. At the back of the windowless room was a steel door with two armed men sitting at a table to the right of it. They were drinking coffee and seemed unconcerned that they might have visitors.

Connor slipped back into the water. He tied the rope to a nearby pylon and slowly pulled the floating tube toward him. Reaching into the bag, he produced two Berettas, each fitted with a silencer. He handed one to Murphy. "Now," he whispered, "they're not too worried about visitors. We can swim into the slip. It goes nearly to the other side of the room. We can get close enough to take them out before they even know we're there."

"We need to fucking go now," said Murphy, "I've got fish trying to take my toes off." He kicked his leg causing a small splash.

Connor glared at him. "Would you fucking stop that!"

"Fuck you," Murphy responded, shoving Connor with elbow. Connor launched himself at him, grabbing him by the collar.

A struggle ensued that ended with them both knocking over the floating tube, sending the gun bag into the water. They both stopped and stared as it disappeared beneath the surface.

"Well, what have we got here?"

Connor and Murphy looked up to see two AR-15s aimed at their heads. Before they could even contemplate what to do next, silent thud could be heard as the hole appeared in the bigger man's forehead. The next one was just as quick. The McManus brothers watched as the two men dropped their guns and fell to the ground dead. They both jerked around to find the source of the saving bullets. Just outside the slip, a small fishing boat floated toward them with a very dry Smecker at the helm. He pulled up next to them and leaned over to get a look, shaking his head. "You couldn't find a drier way in?"