Boston Blood

Forty eight

"Hey, what's up with you? You look like you haven't slept in weeks." Bridget asked Cillian, plopping down beside him on Aidan's soft sofa. Cillian grunted, absent-mindedly as he fiddled with his untouched mug of coffee. 
"Okay... so why has he changed the meeting time? Has there been any developments?" Bridget pushed, clearly uncomfortable with Cillian's growing brooding silence. This time he didn't reply. He just sat there and stared out the window, completely lost in troubled thought. He vaguely heard Bridget sigh and click her tongue before heaving herself off the couch to go talk to Damien and Dotser. 
Cillian couldn't stop replaying the night before and what Frankie had said and did. He was furious with himself for starting to believe what Frankie had said about his uncle. He knew she was lying and Aidan confirmed that she had, in fact, called him to tell him about the shipment arriving tonight. He couldn't wait for her to turn up today so he could see the look on her face and confront her about lying. He was getting to soft when it came to her and it made him angry. When she arrives at the meeting, his plan was to warn her to cut the shit and to tell her to stay the hell away from him, that he didn't want to look at her unless he absolutely had to. He smirked to himself in satisfaction with his plan but his small smile quickly faded when he saw Aidan stand up to start the meeting. 
Where's Frankie?

He should actually feel happy that she's not here. At least he didn't have to look at her lying, snaky eyes but he suddenly felt a conflicting, overwhelming feeling at her absence. It felt like worry.
"So, there's been a change of plan. I want everyone at the harbour tonight at 11 sharp. It's pay day, lads." Aidan smiled as he clapped his hands and rubbed them together, hungrily. 
"What? You mean the shipment is coming in tonight? Fuck yeah! How did you find out? Did Frankie finally come through? Where is she by the way? What's the game plan?" Bridget was practically giddy as she blurted out the questions. But Cillian couldn't stop or even recognize the feeling that was stabbing him in the gut as he watched Aidan expertly answer all of Bridget's questions apart from the one about Frankie.  
Cillian sat quietly, trying to focus on the plan for tonight and not Frankie's whereabouts. After a few minutes, Cillian was pulled from his thoughts when he heard his name being called and saw everyone's eager eyes on him. "What?"
"Jesus, Cill. Are you wit us or what? Did you hear a word I fuckin' said?" Aidan eyed Cillian with equal measures of anger and suspicion as he poured himself a coffee. Cillian shook his head. There was no point in lying. He hadn't heard what Aidan had said and needed to know the plan for tonight. This was what they've been waiting for for months, all the build up and the reason for Frankie getting dragged into this mess was all down to tonight. They were going to take Antonio Russo down by intercepting his shipment and taking it for themselves. He would be fucked without what was coming tonight and once Aidan had the guns and Heroin, they would be number one again. They would sell and move the payload and Tony would be left with nothing. Aidan explained all of this again and how they were going to use some of Aidan's men down at the docks to help unload the storage boxes after they had taken Tony and his crew out. It was going to be messy and Cillian fully expected a lot of people to die tonight.
There was no way Tony was going to let them take everything without a fight and Cillian was prepared to do whatever he needed to. The endgame was getting on top and running Boston again and finally killing the man that had murdered his father. Tonight, Antonio Russo and Tommy Ryan will be dead and Cillian was the one who was going to do it. 
"Right, so everyone clear? I can't have any mistakes tonight. We don't have much of a window and I know we'll have more bodies than Tony. I've asked all of my crew to be there tonight so we'll have them easily outnumbered. We'll take out Tony and Tommy and then, we're laughing. This is it. This is what we've been working for. After this, we'll be unstoppable."
Aidan's rousing speech had made everyone in the room buzz with anticipation, and despite the gnawing, nagging pain in his stomach, Cillian felt the same. That feeling was short lived when Damien asked a question that hadn't even entered Cillian's mind and the answer made his heart stop. 
"Just so we're clear, we're to shoot and kill any of Tony's crew? Including Michael?" Damien's voice was child-like and full of excitement.
Bridget and Cillian's eyes darted towards Aidan's as they waited for him to answer. "Yes. We do whatever it takes. I don't want any stone left unturned. I want them all eradicated."
Bridget jumped in before Cillian had the chance to but he was on his feet , ready to protest. "But, what about the deal you made with Frankie? You promised her if she helped us, you'd let Michael go. She did what you asked, Aidan, you can't kill her brother." Cillian's hands were balled into fists and he found himself fighting the urge to punch Aidan right in the face. What was he doing? 
Aidan smiled as he poured a generous amount of whiskey into his coffee, his eyes meeting Cillian's furious ones. 
"Look, this is business. Frankie knows that this has to happen. Yes, she's done her job well but I cannot and will not have any of Russo's crew left. This is how it has to be." The lack of remorse and menace in Aidan's voice made Cillian take an automatic step towards him. "You can't do this. I won't let you." The words spilled from Cillian's mouth like lava. 
"What did you just say?" The atmosphere in the room was thick as the two bosses eyed each other. "I won't let you kill Michael. We can't do that to her." 
"Cillian just-," Bridget started but was immediately silenced when Cillian's hand shot up. 
"Don't you dare undermine me, Cillian. I am your fucking boss and what I say goes. Frankie is just part of the job and her family are our enemies. We get rid of them all and that's that."
Cillian was furious but he wasn't really sure why. Frankie had lied to him and had tried to manipulate him into thinking his uncle was a rat. She was dangerous and he shouldn't care that Aidan wanted Michael dead. But he did. As much as he hated Frankie, he couldn't bare for her to lose her brother, again.
"You promised her." He whispered, unable to hide the disgust towards his uncle. 
"Oh for fuck's sake, Cillian. Relax. It'll all work out in the end. I only have one more thing I need from Frankie and then we'll be done with her. I just hope she behaves herself, I'd hate for anything to happen to her."
The blood was starting to drain from Cillian's facer as he registered Aidan's subtle threat. He was trembling with anger and suddenly felt Bridget's hand pull his arm back. "Oh, you like the bitch, right? You can try to hide it all you want but I can see it in your eyes, Cillian. You're a damn fool. She's not what you think she is, you know. She's been hiding something from you, from everyone, something that has the potential to end us if we don't convince her otherwise."
Cillian recoiled for a moment. "What the fuck are you talking about? I don't care about her! You made a deal, that's all." He knew he sounded unconvincing when he saw Aidan smile and Bridget's hand hold him a little tighter. "And what the fuck do you mean; she's hiding something? What do you want from her Aidan?" 
"All in good time, son. All in good time. Now, we've a few hours before I want you all back here to go over the last minute details so go and have some fun. You deserve it, but don't get drunk. I need everyone's minds sharp tonight, got it?" 
Everyone filed out of the room leaving Cillian alone with Aidan. Bridget silently questioned him but Cillian nodded, instructing her to go. Aidan stared at his nephew with a smirk on his face. "Cillian, this is what this has all been about. You can't let anything cloud your head, okay? I need you with me there tonight. You're my only family and I am so proud of you. Forget Frankie and everything else. I know you're just confused, but she's a snake, Cillian and she'll try anything to get in our way. Just keep it together and do your fucking job." 
Cillian couldn't reply. He felt slightly dizzy and his head was pounding. He couldn't understand why he was getting so emotional and angry towards Aidan. He was right. He had to focus and get the job done, whatever it takes. 

                                                                                ***     

Frankie sat in her small office at the hotel. She had a mountain of paperwork to go through but she couldn't concentrate. All she could think about was Michael. She had imagined and dreamed about their reunion for years and she felt horrible that it finally happened under these circumstances. It shouldn't have been like this, with them working for Tony Russo. Her sweet baby brother was a criminal and it was all her fault. And what did he mean when he said she needed to be careful? Michael's words had acted like daggers stabbing her brain the entire walk to work. Did he mean that she needed to be careful working with Tony? That had to be it, right? He was just worried about her, knowing her history with him and how violent he can be? 
She shook her head an stared at the spreadsheet in front of her but it was no use. She was starting to panic. She wished she could have told Michael the truth about everything, about just how fucked she is and that she was in too deep with no way out. She knew Aidan was working with Tommy and prayed that Cillian would believe her but she knew he wouldn't. Why would he? She contemplated telling Tony but immediately swatted that thought away. She was petrified that he would kill Michael. Maybe if she told him the truth about the night of the fire and what she did? No he would kill her, surely. But what if she told him...
She sat back in the chair and rubbed her temples. Her mind was reeling as she replayed that night in her head. She obviously hadn't told a soul what she did before she set his office alight. How could she? Jesus, she even tried to convince herself that she didn't do it, to trick her brain into forgetting. But maybe she could tell Tony and she could convince him to let her and Michael go? They could run away and get away from this place? 
She laughed at herself, knowing full well that if Tony found out the truth, he would torture her until she begged for death. "Fuck!" She screamed in frustration. She stood up and shoved all the papers onto the floor. She picked up the tiffany's lamp and hurled it across the room, making it hit the wall and shatter into a million pieces. She was just about to bounce her keyboard off the corner of the desk when a terrified scream and pleas for help made her yank open the door and sprint down the hall towards their direction.