Chapter 12 - Little by Little

"You can't be serious!" Caelan started pacing around their hotel room, "All it would have taken was one shot and I'd be dead right now, and you mean to tell me that you intend to keep at this goddamn crusade of yours!? What's it gonna take to make you quit?"

"Calm down, Cae." Connor reached out to her.

"No. I'm leaving." She started frantically searching around for something. "God damn it! My purse is still in my office." She sighed deeply, sharply turning to face her brothers, her hand out to them. "Give me some money."

Murphy scoffed, "For what? You're not goin' anywhere."

"Don't even start with me, Murph. Don't pull that older brother shit."

"Cae you don't have an ID or anythin'...You said so yourself it's all back in New York. You're not gonna be able to board the train without help from Smecker." Connor tried to reason with her.

She glared at him. "Fine. Give me some money anyway, there's a bar in the lobby and I want to get drunk."

"We'll come with ye." Murphy offered.

"No thanks. I want to be alone for five minutes. Just give me the money."

The twins finally relented, each of them pulling a twenty from their pockets to place in her hand. Caelan gripped the money tightly as she bolted to the door, grabbing a key off the dresser on her way out.

"Caelan, wait!" Connor called to her just before she was clear of the door. She turned back to face him, an annoyed look on her face. "I really don't think you should go alone. What if something happens to you while you're down there?"

"Well I guess you'll have my blood on your hands, won't you?" She turned sharply and slammed the door behind her.

The bar in the lobby was relatively empty, save a few men in suits sparsely scattered about the place. She took a seat at the end of the bar and the bartender hurried over.

"What'll it be-Wow! What happened to your eye?" He asked.

Caelan took a deep breath, "A shot of Jameson and a pack of smokes. Light ones."

The bartender moved to get her order, but he didn't take the hint. "Did you get in a fight? I mean that looks really painful. I'd hate to see what the other guy looks like...Or girl. Shouldn't you have a steak on it or something? I mean that's what they always do in the movies."

Caelan rolled her eyes before glaring at the overly curious bartender, "Do I look like I want to talk about it? Just serve me my drink, alright?"

He smiled at her, "I'm sorry." He placed her order in front of her. "This shots on me...Me and my thick head. My name's Lucas...Give me a shout if you need something else...I'll leave you alone now...."

Caelan regarded him, "Thanks...Luke."

An hour went by and Caelan had five shots in her already. The alcohol was definitely having an effect on her. Lucas came over to check on her as she lit a cigarette. "Are you drunk enough to want to talk about your eye now?" Caelan scoffed. "What's with you and my eye? Have you never seen a girl with a black eye before?"

"Actually, no. It's interesting to me. Makes me think you're tough." She scoffed again, louder this time. "Not tough enough. It was a man that did this to my eye." Lucas' expression changed immediately. "Oh. I see." "But it's not what you think."

"Really? Well, that's good. I think any guy that raises his hand to a woman as beautiful as you, or any woman for that matter, deserves a good beating." Caelan laughed out loud, "Oh Luke, you have no idea."

"Why's that funny?"

"I'm sorry...It isn't funny, and you're right. It's just my brothers..." She trailed off, realizing she was two words away from saying too much. "Well, they took care of him."

"Your brothers sound like good people to me."

"Yeah. You would think that." She replied as Luke poured her another shot. She took it quickly, not even cringing. "But they annoy the shit out of me to be completely honest." "Is that why you're down here getting hammered?"

"Bingo." She pointed at him sharply, "We had a bit of a...disagreement." "About the guy?" Luke stretched his arms across the bar next to her, listening intently. "Something like that." Caelan propped her head up with her fist, she studied him carefully. Luke was definitely cute. He had short, messy dark hair, bright blue-gray eyes, five o'clock shadow. If only she had her own hotel room....She shook her head and willed herself back to reality. "I'm sorry, what were we talking about?"

He laughed. "No more shots for you, I think."

Caelan gawked at him. "You can't cut me off! I've got enough for one more!" She held her hands out to him, all that she had left was a dollar and some change.

Her action provoked more laughter from Luke. "Sorry, you've barely got enough money for a glass of water."

Connor and Murphy strode from the elevator towards the bar. They shouldn't have left Caelan alone, not after everything they had been through. The hour she was gone was already too much. Besides, it was late and the bar would be closing anyway. The twins entered the bar and immediately noticed the conversation taking place between their sister and the bartender. Both of their defenses were up as they split and each took a stool on either side of her. Caelan didn't even have to look to know who had sat down beside her.

"I had a feeling you two would show up eventually...Well, Lucas, you're in luck. These are my brothers."

"Jesus, Cae, you've only been gone an hour...How much have you had?" Murphy asked studying an empty shot glass.

Caelan peered up at the ceiling while she tried to think. "Five bucks for smokes, five bucks a shot...Well six with tip...first one was on Lukey..."

Connor and Murphy both glared at him.

"I think I've had six shots...Is that right, Luke?"

Luke nervously looked at the two men that had joined them, "Uh...Yeah. Six. Something like that. In my defense, I did just cut her off."

"Pssssssht. Only cause' I'm ba-ROKE." Caelan shouted.

"Alright. Come on, girl. Lets get ya ta bed." Connor said taking her arm. He helped her down from her stool and started leading her towards the exit when she stopped suddenly, spinning around to head back to the bar.

"I forgot these!" She grabbed her cigarettes and stumbled back to Connor, taking his arm when she reached him. "Bye Lucas!" She tossed over her shoulder.

Luke smiled as they walked away. He turned and jumped when he realized that Murphy was still standing there, glaring at him. "Um...Can I get you something?"

"Stay the fuck away from my sister."

Luke held up his hands in defense, "I just talked to her...I don't even know her name. I just thought she was interesting."

Murphy scoffed, "Whatever." He turned and strode away from the bar.

"Wait a sec!" Lucas called to him. Murphy stopped but didn't turn. "You called her Cae? Is that her name?"

"It's Caelan, and I meant what I said. Stay away from her." Murphy replied, glaring at him over his shoulder. Lucas held his hands up again in defense as he stalked away.

"I am never drinking again...." Caelan moaned from the bathroom, her head over the toilet.

Connor kneeled behind her, holding her hair back. "Deirfur, what did you expect? You had six shots in less than an hour and barely any food." He reached for a glass on the sink and filled it with water, all the while still holding her hair back. "Here, drink this."

"I was fucking fine until you made me get off my fucking stool..." Caelan mumbled as she sat up and tried to sip the water, but it was no use. She leaned forward and retched again.

Murphy chose this moment to return to the room. Connor glared up at him from the bathroom floor. "What the fuck were you doin' down there? I thought you were right behind me."

Murphy cringed when he realized his sister was throwing up, "I just had a quick word with that asshole bartender."

Caelan jerked her head up out of the toilet, "Oh Murph, you didn't yell at him, did you?"

"Well, uh...no...I didn't yell at him...exactly...."

"Jesus fucking Christ Murphy! You always do this...The both a ya'. Ever since we were kids all the boys were always scared to talk to me because of you two." Caelan leaned back against Connor. She tried sipping her water again.

"Well, ya can't blame us for bein' a bit over-protective considerin' the last few days." Murphy said, he sat beside his brother and sister on the cold tiled floor of the bathroom.

Caelan gawked at him, "Um, yes I can. I can totally, one hundred percent blame you. It was your fault Marco nabbed me in the first place."

"Are ye done hurlin'?" Connor asked, successfully changing the subject.

Caelan nodded. "God I hope so. I just want to lay down now."

Connor and Murphy both helped peel their sister off the bathroom floor. She dragged herself to one of the beds and fell on top of it, crawling to the middle. Murphy sat down beside her and flipped on the TV while Connor sat on the edge of the other bed to untie his boots. Caelan just stared up at the ceiling, the only object in the room that didn't seem like it was spinning. She was drunk and exhausted but she couldn't seem to fall asleep. Her mind was suddenly running in so many directions. She sighed deeply. Murphy turned and looked down at her.

"Ya ok, Cae?"

"Aye. I still can't believe the police...The FBI...How did you do it?"

"Smecker was torn between just doing his job and doing what was right. Our actions helped him make up his mind," Said Connor from the other bed. He got up and strode to the other side of the room and flopped down on the bed on the other side of his sister.

"I guess I just had no idea how deep you guys were in this."

The three stayed up for awhile longer talking like the previous few days had never even happened. They told her about the stunt Rocco had pulled in the church to help sway Smecker to their side, about his eventual death and how the three of them were in her same position in Yakavetta's basement. Caelan cringed as Murphy described how he forced Connor to break his thumb so he could slide out of the handcuffs. Connor spoke of their father and the first time they met. "Poor Rocco." Caelan said. "I can see why the decision to stop has been so hard for ya."

One by one they surrendered to sleep right where they had started, fully clothed, the three of them together. Murphy even had his boots on still, and it didn't even matter. They were all too tired to care.