There were not many things that gave Aven that ironic sense of peace she got from shooting a gun. Everything else in the world could be coming down around her, but this she could control. Her aim, her concentration on the target, her kill.
And she was good at it.
The forty-caliber glock almost looked too big for her hands when she picked it up. Murphy, Connor, and Rocco exchanged a curious glance – almost skeptical – but Torrin just stood back with her arms crossed over her chest and a smirk on her face.
The quiet of the firing range disappeared as she shot off round after round. Her face was peaceful; the recoil did nothing to hinder her.
"Damn. That was sexy," Murphy commented when she set the gun down.
"Thank ya, Murph. C'mon, Torrin. You're up."
"I thought the shit was over," Torrin replied. "Why am I practicing?"
"Because it never hurts to brush up," Connor gently encouraged.
Aven loaded the gun for Torrin, reviewed some basic gun safety with her, then passed it over. While Torrin went through her shots with Connor coaching, she stood back and watched.
"Where'd you learn to shoot like that?" Rocco asked.
"My father taught me and my brothers when we were younger. Had a knack for it. When I snagged this job with the organization, I got better. It's all in training."
"Or sometimes it comes naturally," he replied smugly.
The twins erupted into laughter. "Wyatt fuckin' Earp," Connor teased.
Rocco rolled his eyes. "That was one time! And I was tryin' to make up for the tit thing. It was my first time!"
"Oh really?" Aven smiled, loading her gun again. "Do you yell that at every first time?"
Rocco just laughed and shook his fist at her. "You think you're funny, Aven, but one day, that mouth'll get you in trouble with me."
She went on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. "You love me, Roc. You'd never hurt me."
"That's true," he said, putting an arm around her neck. "Except for maybe this."
Aven squealed as Rocco noogied her head. She shoved him away before jumping on his back, threatening to do him in if he ever caught her by surprise again.
"Incoming," Murphy announced, glancing at the black town car riding up to the outdoor range.
Aven climbed down from Rocco's back, slipping her hand over her gun. Always cautious, always on alert.
Gavan McConnelly stepped out dutifully from the driver's seat; every muscle in Aven's body tense. Murphy moved her hand away from the gun. Aven barely noticed. It took everything in her to control her breathing and her tongue. The charges that had been held against Gavan should have kept him away long enough for someone to take his place. Someone was inching in on her orders.
Gavan just smirked as he opened the rear door, waiting while Peter Hannigan stepped out of the backseat. Making sure the four of them knew he was here as protection, Gavan patted the gun on his hip.
Aven rolled her eyes. "Like he's fast enough to draw on me."
"Let's not find out, shall we?" Gavan returned. He tipped his head toward Peter, indicating he already knew that Aven was in hot water with Peter – and, therefore, the rest of the mafia.
"This arrogant mother –"
Murphy held Aven back in the form of a caring, from-behind embrace. He kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear. They couldn't make a scene here.
"I've come to tell you goodbye," Peter announced, looking pointedly at Torrin. "Our little mess has been cleaned up, and I do believe you will be safe now. Gavan will check in on you in my absence."
Torrin narrowed her eyes. "I want him nowhere near me."
"You've got to be protected, Torrin."
She joined hands with Connor. "I'm protected."
Connor stood a little straighter. "It's my honor, sir, to look after your daughter."
Peter shrugged. "Suit yourselves, then. I'll take no responsibility for any mishaps then. You may see Gavan should anything happen. As for the recent disowning I've handed down …"
"You've come to your senses?" Torrin asked, brow raised.
"No, dear daughter," Peter replied with a disdainful chuckle. "However, I am sending your sister to visit you – at her request, not mine. Your mother convinced me to let it happen, so be it. I'll be holding to my decision but should my daughters choose not to go along with it, I'll not hold it against them."
Torrin heart was a split house; she was very excited to see her younger sister and still heartbroken that her father would not change his mind concerning Aven. Allowing his daughters to still associate with Aven, that was a step in the right direction.
She walked towards her father. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "This business is killing our family, Da. Don't let it kill you." She kissed his cheek and stepped away.
"Come with us, Tor," Gavan offered. "I'll give ya a lift back to your apartment."
Torrin shook her head as she stepped back, taking Connor's hand again. "I'm fine, thanks."
Gavan tipped his head to her, and then to Aven. "I'll be in touch."
"The hell you will," Aven muttered under her breath.
.&.
A week later, Aven opted to stay at the bar with the boys while Torrin made a late-night trip to pick up her sister from the airport.
It was a rainy, windy night, but that didn't stop traffic from being heavier than Torrin would have liked. She hadn't planned on it taking so long to get to the airport, so Rori was waiting on the curb when Torrin pulled up.
"Nice car," Rori commented, throwing her suitcase in the backseat.
"It's Aven's," Torrin replied. "How was your flight?"
"Too long, but I'm here now."
"And how long are you staying?" Torrin asked as they moved back out into traffic.
Rori let out a deep sigh. "Indefinitely."
Torrin frowned. "What's wrong? Oh Lord, you haven't started a baby, have ya?"
Rori snorted. "Hell no, I haven't. I'm here to visit – but also to talk to Aven."
"What would you – oh, no. No, Rori. You're not going into that business."
"Why the hell not? I'm twenty-two, Torrin. It's time I decided for myself what I want to do, and, I'm sorry but working Da's office isn't it."
"Well, I'm glad you've decided to talk to Aven first. Fuck – you haven't talked to Dermot, have you?"
Rori laughed and shook her head. "I did but that boy's full of all sorts of exaggeration. Makes it sound much more glamorous than I know it is."
"At least your head's in the right place about it."
"And I'm not committed to the idea, I'm just considering it. You wanted out of the life, and so do I. I just want something a little different."
"Fair enough," Torrin nodded. "What else is new?"
Rori went on for the rest of the way back to the pub about Peter's moaning and groaning over the state of his daughter and ex-niece's affairs, and how disinclined their father was to talk about what exactly had happened.
"Aven called him on his bullshit, and he disowned her," Torrin informed as she parked the car and walked Rori up to the apartment. "This is my room. You can drop your stuff in here."
As Rori followed her sister, she scanned over every detail of the apartment. It didn't escape Torrin's notice; in fact, it caused her to smile. Her sister would be good at the job Aven had. Still, it was enough to worry about Aven without worrying about Rori, too.
"We'll go downstairs in a bit, if you want to freshen up, first," Torrin offered.
"Are ya saying I look like shit?" Rori teased. "Let me just fix my hair and we can be on our way. I want to hear about this new boyfriend of yours!"
Torrin smiled, taking a seat on the commode while Rori ran a brush through her long red locks. They were not unlike her sisters, although Rori had opted to dye her red hair a brilliant red as opposed to leaving it in its natural state.
"His name's Connor. Honestly, I made him work for it, but he says I was worth it. His line of work is – well, there's time to tell you about that later. He and his brother and our now-mutual friend help us out at the pub quite a bit."
"Is he worth it?"
Torrin nodded earnestly. "He really is. Just wait till you meet him, then you'll get it. And Aven is dating his brother."
Rori looked at her sister suspiciously. "No."
"Yes," Torrin laughed. "Thought you'd get a kick out of that one."
After touching up her make-up, Rori announced that she was ready to go downstairs. Torrin locked up the apartment and instructed her sister to go through the kitchen. The sisters took their time, thankful for the brief reprieve of the rain.
Murphy, Rocco, and Connor were busy about the pub, making and delivering drinks, clearing tables, and in general entertaining the crowd. Rori took a seat at the bar; Torrin went behind the counter and poured her sister a Jameson on the rocks.
Rori nodded a thank-you and took a sip. There was no better burn than the smooth burn of whiskey slipping down your throat.
"Rori!"
She set her drink down and raised her brow. Not too far from her, a man with brown hair and blue eyes was running towards her. He embraced her tightly; Torrin just laughed from behind the bar as Aven appeared and peeled Murphy off of her baby cousin.
"Punch him if you'd like," Aven offered, hugging Rori. "Wouldn't be the first time he's been decked in this bar."
"Not very nice, love," Murphy chided. He held his hand out to Rori. "Murphy MacManus at your service."
"Ah, so you're the one who's tamed Aven," Rori joked with a smile. "Nice to meet you."
"Tamed? I think they run wild together. Connor," he introduced himself from behind the bar, also shaking her hand. "And this here's Rocco."
"Wonderful to meet all of you," Rori smiled. "So this is the pub."
"It is," Aven confirmed, loading shots onto a tray.
"Are ya hiring?"
Aven frowned and glanced at Torrin. "Well, extra help is always nice …"
"But you've just got in and we can discuss that later," Torrin added quickly. "Here, have another drink."
Rori rolled her eyes but accepted the drink just the same. Aven noticed too that the girl was watching her surroundings carefully. While Rori made best friends with Rocco, Aven caught Torrin.
"She's going to want in, isn't she?" Aven asked.
Torrin nodded. "Aye. She said it's one of the reasons she came here, but I think it is probably what's motivated her to come."
"What do you want me to tell her?"
"To forget it," Torrin answered honestly. "But I suppose you should just tell her the truth. That it's no picnic, and that she risks being disowned."
"Your father would have a heart attack."
"He'd have to get over it."
Aven threw her dishrag on the bar and checked the time. "Listen, I've got to run an errand. The boys'll stay here with you and Rori."
Torrin frowned. "What errand? I know it ain't nothin' for the pub because I haven't handed down any orders."
"You're not the only one I take orders from," Aven reminded. "Got a tip from Dermot this afternoon. I'm going to check it out, and then I'll tell you when I get back."
"Don't you think if it's going to be dangerous, someone ought to know where you're going?"
Aven nodded. "Aye, that's why Murphy knows – only where I'm going, not what I'm looking for. I'll be fine, just checking a few things out. Not confronting anyone."
Torrin gave her cousin a knowing look. "We both know how quickly that can change."
"I haven't had anything to drink," Aven assured. "This is strictly recon."
"Check in when you're headed back, please."
"I will. I'll be fine," Aven promised. She waved to her cousin before going to hunt down Murphy to kiss him goodbye.
"She's not going into anything too dangerous, is she?" Rori asked.
"She'll be fine," Rocco assured. "I'm guessing you already know what a spitfire your cousin is. Nothing could hold her down."
"And you're not going, no matter how dangerous it is or isn't," Torrin added, knowing her sister well.
Rori groaned and tossed back what was left of her drink. "Well, then you better assign a babysitter because I'm going to be drinking heavily this evening."
Torrin just shook her head; Rocco bought Rori another shot. Connor served it up and put an arm around Torrin.
"Not surprised those two are getting along so well," he chuckled. "He's probably got about the mentality of an eighteen-year-old."
"Be nice," Torrin smiled, stealing a rare, public kiss. She had never been fond of public displays of affection, but Connor was changing her viewpoint on a lot of things.
Connor stood by as Rocco and Rori started a new friendship. He looked to the side to see his brother, laughing with some customers. To his other side was the beautiful redhead he'd fallen head over heels for. As long as Aven came back safely, life would be just about perfect.
.&.
Aven carefully and covertly peered around the corner of the small airport building. The runway was reserved for private landings; athletes, movie stars, and, she had learned this afternoon, the occasional group of mafia men.
Sure enough, waiting by the black sedan in the rain, was Gavan McConnelly. Two older men that Aven recognized from her childhood came down the steps first and got in the car; they were followed by two men she knew all too well.
Peter Hannigan and Eddie Donaghue waited for Gavan to open the door again before sliding into the black sedan.
What were her father and uncle doing in The States without telling their daughters they had come?