Boston Blood

Nineteen

Boston, 2000.

He was standing over her, the gun barrel so still smoking and the kitchen was dark and full of smoke. Tommy Ryan was laughing, sadistically as Margaret lay on the floor. Her hand was stretched out and she was reaching for her daughter. Frankie was screaming but there was no sound coming out. No matter how hard she tried to cross the kitchen and get to her mother, she couldn't. Her feet were glued in place. The sound of her mother's cries and then very laboured breathing made her body tremble with fear. The sound of Michael's heart-breaking screams filling the kitchen made her sick to her stomach. She couldn't reach him, either.

He was only a baby, maybe two or three and he was screaming for his mammy and his big sister. She tried. She tried as hard as she could to get to him, but it was too late. The roar of the gun sounded again and Frankie held her breath as she looked down at her stomach. Her hand was covered in blood and she fell to her knees. Someone was lying beside her. Sinead. Lifeless and cold. "NO!" Frankie silently screamed but the smoke in the kitchen and blood seeping from her stomach was just too much.

"No!"

"Her eyes were getting heavy and the pain radiating through her body was making her succumb to the darkness.

"You bastard! You fucking bastard! Michael!"

A strong, death-like grip was digging into Frankie's shoulder. Her eyes flickered and the blinding morning light stung like hell. Her head was throbbing and she felt like she was going to get sick.

"Stop the car." His smooth, quiet voice instructed the driver and the car skidded to a halt. His hand was shaking her slightly, causing her to come back to the present. His blue eyes were wide and his jaw was tense. Frankie was shivering as she tried to let her eyes focus. She was dizzy and weak. She wriggled against her hand cuffs, trying desperately to break free. "Let me out! I need to get out!" Her voice was high and shrill. They weren't in the city, anymore. They were surrounded by trees and a dirt road. "Where are you taking me? Open the fucking door!" She couldn't help the panic that was rippling through her voice. Between the wound on her head and the fact that she knew there was no way out of this, her years of locking her emotions up and being a master at shutting herself down had gone out the window. It was all just too much. Her dream.. Michael, Sinead, her mother. "Unlock the door." Cillian's voice was calm. The fact that her distress and dire situation seemed to not bother him one bit. He looked inconvenienced and very irritated.

Frankie's breathing was fast and unsteady as she watched Cillian take his time in walking around the car to open her door. He reached in and grabbed her by the elbow, pulling her, fiercely, out. She stumbled and fell to her knees, scraping them on the gravel at the side of the road. It was freezing cold but it felt good. After a few minutes, she felt like she could breathe again. Her wrists were numb from the tightness of the cuffs and from the nagging pain she knew the must be cut and bruised. She let herself fall onto her ass and tried as best she could to put her head between her knees. Cillian stood over her, checking his watch and sighing. Frankie could feel his irritation growing and as terrible as she felt right now, she was glad she was pissing him off. She composed herself and took a deep breath. "Boss? We have to go." The driver rolled down his window and cautiously addressed Cillian who was now furious. "Don't you think I fucking know that? You want her to puke all over the Mercedes? We'll leave in a few minutes." He snapped at the driver who recoiled and began fiddling with the radio. "Get your shit together. You have two minutes." Cillian barked at Frankie as he whipped out his phone and began dialling. Frankie's momentary break down was under control and her blinding anger had returned. She bit the inside of her cheek and looked around while Cillian began to pace and scream at the person on the other end of the line. "Tell him to relax. Everything is under control! I needed to take a piss for fuck's sake. We'll be back on the road now."