A/N: Again thank you Becki. Your reviews are what's keeping me going here…I do apologize for the lack of updates recently. I had a bit of writers block here and started feeling that I was writing myself into a corner. What actually saved this story was me having to go to jury duty for two weeks…lol…I do apologize if this chapter is a little confusing. It was written in between cases so my train of thought was momentarily diverted sometimes. Reviews and constructive criticism is always welcome.
It has been a week since surveillance has been started on the Valetti family. Each night they switched their positions trying to see every angle of the building. Connor and Murphy have been getting a bit antsy.
"Shay, how much more surveillance are ye gonna do on these guys?"
"Conn, A Stór, we're doin tha hit tamorrow night. Tanight is tha last night 'o surveillance. I needed ta make sure that Detective Daley is fully prepared fer this and he's supposed ta be gettin me tha floor plans fer this place. I also needed ta make sure that all tha other people we've been seein there are not innocents." Shayla looked to Patricia to back her up on what she said.
"Shay's right boyos. Would ye prefer ta walk in there blind or possibly even kill an innocent? I'm sorry boys but seven years of doin this shite, we've neva shed innocent blood. And I don't want ta be startin now. I'd rather be safe than sorry."
Connor and Murphy nodded in understanding. Not just cause this was the girls show now but, because they made a good argument. Also, they felt they could learn from Patricia and Shayla cause of how long they have been doing this.
It was getting late. They all packed their gear and headed to the cars. The trip to the slaughter house seemed quicker and quicker each time. They did their usual routine of circling the place and finding good spots to park and watch the place.
Connor and Shayla have been sitting in the car watching the building for a couple of hours now. Both cars have been in complete silence the whole time. Suddenly Shayla's cell phone started to go off making both her and Connor jump. She quickly dug in her pocket and retrieved the phone.
"Ello."
"Hey Shay, its Tom. Can you meet me back at your place?"
"Sure. See ya in a little bit."
Shayla closed the phone and returned it to her pocket. Connor turned to her. "What was that all about?"
Shayla picked up the walkie-talkie and started to talk into it as she looked at Connor and smiled. "I'm only gonna say this once so everyone listen up. We need ta get back to tha apartment. Thomas just called me and wants ta meet up." Patricia's voice was heard over the radio next giving a big 10-4.
Both cars sped down the highway and streets making it back to the apartment in record time. They parked the cars a couple of blocks away and walked to the apartment. They had gotten a few buildings away from their building when Shayla spotted Thomas leaning on his car smoking a cigarette.
"When tha hell did ya go back ta smokin?" Shayla had a mocking tone in her voice.
"Around the time you two left and my job became even more stressful…" He stopped and looked at Connor and Murphy who were standing next to the girls. "…This them?"
Shayla smiled. "Aye this be them. Tom I'd like ye ta meet Connor and Murphy…" She turned to the brothers. "…Guys this is Detective Thomas Daley." They all shook hands.
Tom leaned into his car and pulled out tubes with floor plans in them. "Shall we go and take a look at this?" Everyone nodded and they all headed up to the apartment. Once inside they got comfortable at the table. Murphy had pulled several beers from the fridge and handed them all around.
After what seemed like hours they had looked over the entire floor plan. They had gotten their plan set and figured out the best way in and out of the building. The only thing left was to now do it.
Shayla looked up from the plans at Tom. "We're doin this tamorrow night."
"I figured you were gonna say that. I'll make sure to put Anthony on it. But, please do one thing for me."
Both girls looked up at him now. "Anything." They spoke in unison.
Tom shook his head. "I hate when you both do that. Anyway, please be very careful and make sure you come back." The sisters nodded and gave a smile to Tom.
"Well I'm going home before my wife decides to chop my head off."
This caused everyone to start laughing. Shayla smiled at Tom. "Tell Mag we said hi."
"Aye. Let her know that Shay and I are gonna stop by one day soon."
"I will girls…" Tom turned to Connor and Murphy. "You guys take care of these two. All of you better be careful tomorrow." Everyone nodded and Tom left.
They were all still sitting at the table drinking beer after Tom left. Connor and Murphy shared a look then turned to the girls. Connor spoke first.
"We were thinkin. Tamarrow mornin we should go ta church. Before we go and do anything."
Shayla and Patricia now shared a look. Patricia turned back to the guys. "Aye yer right. We'll go in tha mornin and then go fer breakfast. Now let's head ta bed so we can get an early start in tha mornin." They all finished their beers and turned in for the night.
The next morning Shayla was the first one up. She found herself in a familiar position. Connor held on to her tightly not giving her any chance of getting up without waking him. She gently started moving his arm from around her waist. In doing so Connor started to stir.
"Is it mornin already?"
"Aye Conn. It is mornin. Time ta get up if we're gonna go ta church."
Connor mumbled something incoherent and started to move to get up. Shayla was up and heading to the kitchen to make coffee. The aroma of the coffee managed to wake Patricia and Murphy up. They came walking into the kitchen like a couple of zombies, heading straight for the coffee pot.
"Mornin sleepyheads. Sleep well?" Shayla didn't even look up from her coffee cup as she spoke to Murphy and Patricia. Murphy grunted in response.
"Aye deirfiuir we did." Patricia started pouring herself and Murphy a cup of coffee.
They took their coffee cups and joined Connor and Shayla at the table.
Shayla finally looked up from her coffee. "If we're gonna make it ta church on time we should get our arses movin."
"Aye Shay's right. We still have a lot to take care of before tanight." Connor looked to his brother first then to Patricia to add emphasis on his words.
They all sat in silence contemplating on the plans for the hit while they finished their coffees. After they finished they all headed for the bedrooms to get ready for church. After some time everyone converged in the kitchen to head out.
They walked the few blocks in silence to their destination. They reached the church and the girls headed up the front steps first with the brothers close behind. Shayla and Patricia pushed open the heavy doors and walked in. They went straight for one of the pews in the back. They did the sign of the cross then moved down with enough room for Connor and Murphy to sit with them. They all knelt pulling out their rosaries and began to pray.
They all finished praying at the same time and got up. They headed out of the church and down the stairs. Once outside they all lit up cigarettes eerily at the same time.
They started walking away from the church. "I say we get some breakfast and bring it back to the apartment." Shayla kept looking straight ahead as she spoke.
"Aye, yer right Shay. We ave a lot ta get ready." Connor placed his hand on her lower back and smiled at her.
They walked the couple of blocks to the deli. They reached their destination and Murphy opened the door and held it for the girls. As Connor passed he had a grin on his face.
"Aw Murph, ye really are a gentleman."
"Ah shut it Conn. Yer hangin around Shayla too much. Yer startin ta sound like er."
Connor rolled his eyes at Murphy and headed into the deli to see Shayla and Patricia being greeted by all of the workers.
They all ordered, got their food and said their goodbyes as they left. The walk back to the apartment was silent. Everyone stayed in their own thoughts. The mood between the four was solemn and quickly turning tense. To anyone outside of the group would think everything was fine.
They entered the apartment, sat down, and began eating. After they finished eating and cleaned up, they were once again sitting at the table and going over the plans once more so that everyone understood.
"Murph, ye and Pat are gonna go in through the side and quietly clear out anyone lurking there. Connor and me are gonna go through tha back entrance in tha alley."
"Hey shay. Why do ye get ta plan out everything?" Murphy was looking at Shayla curiously as he spoke.
"Shayla has tha most experience out of all 'o us Murph. She worked with Narcotics on different busts before becoming a crime scene detective." Patricia placed her hand on Murphy's shoulder as she spoke. Then looked at Shayla and continued. "Sounds like a good plan deirfiúir. At least we have help now and we don't have ta go it alone and split up."
"Aye Pat yer right. Thank ye guys fer doin this with us. It means a lot ta us." Shayla looked from Connor to Murphy.
The brothers both looked at the girls and smiled. Connor put his arm around Shayla and kissed her forehead. "Don't mention it m'aingeal."
Murphy grabbed Patricia into an embrace then kissed her deeply. After a moment he pulled away. "Conn's right. Any time ye need us. We'll be there. No matter what."
After their moment of affection Shayla and Patricia went and got their bags of weapons and brought it to the table. They all sat there cleaning and preparing the guns. It was getting close to the time to leave. They had checked and rechecked everything more times than anyone can count. They had spent the hours preparing in complete silence. They were all tense and the job at hand weighed on all of them heavily.
They had finished the hit and were on their way out of Manhattan. They were only driving for a few minutes. Shayla spoke into the walkie-talkie, addressing everyone.
"Nice job guys. I say we go out and celebrate a job well done."
Patricia's voice was heard next after the typical static. "Aye, but, let's stay close ta home tanight."
Shayla continued after her sister. "Alright. Let's drop the cars off first."
They drove back to the apartment and parked the cars. Patricia looked to Shayla. "Let's go an change so we're more comfortable at tha bar." Shayla nodded her agreement and they all headed to the apartment.
About an hour later everyone felt more refreshed after taking showers and changing clothes. The girls were in Shayla's room as they were finishing getting ready. They were deciding on which bar to take the guys to. Shayla shot her head up with an idea after a few moments of thinking. "Pat, how about we go ta Ceol? They might like that place."
Patricia thought for a moment. "Ye know what? I think yer right. That would be a great place ta take 'em."
After finally agreeing and finishing up with their hair and makeup, they left the bedroom and headed to the living room where the guys were sitting. The moment they walked into the room Murphy looked up from his hands and decided to be a smart mouth. "Damn, it took ye two long enough. Where are we goin?"
Shayla and Patricia rolled their eyes, turned and walked right out of the room and to the front door without saying a word. Murphy stared at the spot where the girls last stood. "What did I say?" Connor just shook his head and followed the girls out. Murphy was not far behind.
Once outside they hailed a cab and headed to the bar. Within a short while they reached their destination. They paid for the cab, climbed out and headed into the bar. It was a more modern style place. There was a live D.J., new pool tables, nice comfortable booths in the back and tables and chairs in the front.
Shayla and Patricia lead the way through the crowd to the bar and waited for the bartender. He was a large guy, more of a muscular build with fiery red curly hair, freckles and blue eyes. He was at the other end of the bar making his way towards them. Once he reached their end he looked up. He was quite surprised looking up and seeing Shayla and Patricia. He smiled brightly as he spoke. "When did ye two get back?"
Shayla was the first to respond. "Hey Jerry, we got back about a week ago. Couldn't stand Boston anymore."
Jerry, Shayla and Patricia all started laughing at the comment. After the laughing subsided, Jerry, turned to the girls again. "So what'll it be lasses?"
Patricia ordered for everyone. "Four Guinness's, a bottle of Hennessey and keep 'em coming."
Jerry looked from the girls to Connor and Murphy standing behind them. He just realized they were standing there. Then he looked back to the girls. "So tha usual." Shayla and Patricia smiled and nodded as Jerry poured the beers and pulled a fresh bottle and shot glasses for them. They grabbed the drinks and headed to the back booths.
They got comfortable in their seats. Connor put his arm around Shayla and raised his glass. "Wollen wir einen Toast für einen gut getanen Job tun." They all raised their glasses and spoke in unison. "Go mbeire muid beo ar an am seo aris!" With that they all clinked glasses and drank.
They had spent some time now drinking. Connor and Murphy had their arms lazily draped over the girls shoulders. They were all well on their way to shitfaced. Murphy quickly glanced behind himself at the pool tables. "Hey Conn! Ye wanna play me in pool?" Murphy's words were coming out slurred. Connor thought for a moment and looked over to Shayla with a devilish grin on his face then turned back to Murphy. "Why don't we play doubles?" Murphy looked from Patricia to Shayla to see if they agreed. They both nodded.
The four of them walked to the tables. Shayla stopped and at everyone. "Do ye wanna bet on this little game?"
Patricia started laughing and looked to her sister. "I think we're gonna bet, it should be tha lasses versus tha lads instead." She turned her attention back to the guys. "What do ye say lads?"
Connor and Murphy had their trademark silent conversation then turned back to the girls. "We agree. Right Conn?" Connor nodded as Murphy continued. "What's tha bet lasses?"
"How about when we win, you lads have to down three shots consecutively then run around the bar with yer shirts off singing Drunken Lullabies." Shayla had a triumphant smile on her face as she spoke. Patricia started laughing hysterically.
Murphy and Connor laughed thinking they can beat the girls. Murphy spoke for the both of them. "Agreed. Now when we beat ye lasses, ye have ta do tha three shots then get up on a table and dance like strippers." The girls nodded and they all shook hands.
They had been playing a few games already. It was a best of five match. They were tied at two wins a piece. It came down to the deciding game. It was Shayla's turn. All she had to do was sink the 8 Ball. It was a tricky shot. She bent over the table lining up. Connor was sitting behind her getting a very good view. Shayla was confident she was going to make it. She had the shot lined up and looked behind at Connor and smiled as she made the shot. As the ball went into the pocket Patricia started laughing. The girls won the game and the bet.
They all went back to their table. The girls poured the shots for the guys. Connor and Murphy looked at each other then one by one quickly drank the shots. Shayla and Patricia smiled at each other and moved closer to the guys. Shayla tugged the bottom of Connor's shirt. "Now off with tha shirt love."
The guys glared at the girls. Connor was the first to take his shirt off and handed it to Shayla. Murphy did the same. Patricia was trying to hide her laughter. "Okay lads. Now its time fer ya ta finish tha rest 'o tha bet. Start runnin around 'ere singin yer hearts out." Connor and Murphy looked to each other than started running around singing at the top of their lungs. Everyone in the bar was hysterically laughing, including Shayla and Patricia.
After the little show the guys came back to the table and sat down with the girls. They had gotten their shirts back. They were finally settling down. The bar was relatively empty by this point, so they all decided to sit at the bar instead of the booth. They had continued with their drinking again.
Jerry had the T.V. on and the news was on. The reporter was talking about a known rapist that was finally caught after he raped eight girls. After a few minutes of the reported talking about him going to trial, she sent it back to the news anchors in the studio. They started doing the sports and then weather segments. No one in the bar was really paying any mind to the news.
Connor, Murphy, Patricia and Shayla were laughing and joking as the anchor woman in the studio sent the next story, a breaking report over to a young field reporter.
"I stand here in front of a slaughter house in the infamous meat packing district of Manhattan, where a real slaughter took place earlier this evening. The cops a speculating that the murders of fourteen suspected mob bosses and under bosses, are due to the Avenging Angel's."
At hearing their notorious name mentioned, Shayla and Patricia snapped their heads up to look at the T.V. They spoke in unison. "Jerry turn tha T.V. up." Jerry did as requested and went back to his business. Connor and Murphy joined the girls as they all listened intently to the news report.
"The Avenging Angel's have been doing vigilante justice here in New York for several years. It was speculated that they had died in a warehouse fire some months ago. According to police sources it appears that the fire might have been a set up and the murders tonight are in fact done by the Angel's. This comes on the heels of Boston's own vigilantes known as the Saint's It seems that New York's Angel's want to send a message to Boston's Saint's, or can this actually be a copycat? In this reporter's opinion, we'll just have to wait and see. Back to you guys in the studio."
Translations:
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Wollen wir einen Toast für einen gut getanen Job tun. (German)
"Let's do a toast for a job well done."
Go mbeire muid beo ar an am seo aris! (Gaelic)
"May we be alive at this time next year."