Heavenly Virtues

Part 54

As the boys settled in for the night, Ashley was getting ready to hop in the shower. "I'll be back." She smiled as she left the room. She wandered down the hall to the bathroom that was beside the room Rocco was staying in and heard the TV going. She stopped outside of the bathroom, hand on the door, and decided to pop in to see Rocco for a quick second before her shower.

"Roc?" She asked as she lightly knocked twice on the already cracked door. "Mhmm?" She heard from inside, signaling her to enter. When she pushed the door open, she saw him laid back on the bed, still in his clothes from the day, flipping through reruns. "What's up, hun?" He asked as he looked away from the TV.

She leaned against the door as she gave him a small smile. "Just wanted to check on you, you know, with the whole Mary thing." He pulled his butt up so his back was pressed up against rhe head board and sighed. "I don't know. I just want to talk to her, sort it out. I don't think she wants to see me, though, and I don't want her involved in this shit either." Ashley nodded.

"What was going on when we got there, Roc? I mean with Donna and the gun. You looked kinda crazy." He shrugged and shook his head. "I know." He ran his hand through his hair as he sighed. "Donna, she crashes at my place some times after big benders. Nothing happens, and she always stays on the couch, but she doesn't have anywhere else to go, ya know?"

Ashley nodded. She got it. They had been together since high school. She couldn't imagine how hard it would be to just let that bond go even if they hadn't felt that way about each other anymore. "And the gun?" Ashley asked through her lashes. He shook his head again. "I had just done the thing at the deli, and Ravie wouldn't shut up. It wasn't loaded, I just wanted to scare her, ya know?" Ashley nodded. It made it a little better that it wasn't loaded.

"You should call her. Try to explain." Rocco nodded and slumped in his seated position. "You think she'll forgive me?" Ashley paused for a second before she shrugged. "I don't know, but if you don't call her, you can never say you tried." He nodded. "I'm gonna hop in the shower, I'll see you tomorrow?" She smiled. "Night hun."

She made her way to the washroom, gathered a towel from the back of the door, and hopped in the shower, trying to wash away some of the nerves of tomorrow. When she was done, she wrapped the towel around her and, with her clothes in hand, made her way back to the bedroom.

Ashley threw on her shirt and climbed in between the two, ready for sleep when she felt Connor's arm slip around her. She felt him pull her to him as Murphy lightly snored beside them. He nuzzled his face into her hair and breathed in that all familiar strawberry scent that clung to her. "Ye don't have ta come tomorrow sweetheart. Ye can stay here, stay safe."

Ashley shifted, maneuvering to look at him. "I'm coming. I'll just be in the car, ready to drive away when you're ready. I won't even be doing any of the dangerous stuff." She said to him in a comforting tone. He sighed, knowing he wouldn't get anywhere with his stubborn fiancée. "Will ye at least carry a gun wit ye?" He asked with pleading eyes. She smiled and kissed him lightly on the nose. "If it would make you feel better." Connor nodded, seemingly content with her decision.

She laid on his chest, snuggling up and getting comfortable before she felt connors breath even out under her, signaling he had drifted to sleep. Ashley, however, stayed there paralyzed with fear that she might lose the most important people in her life tomorrow.

*****

When the alarm went off, Ashley rubbed her eyes, cursing the tiny clock for going off after she had just been able to get to sleep. "Come on guys, time to go." She said as she shuffled out of bed. She wasn't nauseous this morning, just hungry. After brushing her teeth, she made her way to the kitchen and ate a few pieces of toast with peanut butter on them and headed back to the room to find the boys dressed in all black, if nothing else, they definitely looked like assassins.

It took three more times to reassure the twins that she was fine, and she would be coming with, she would not be staying home before they let her in the van. Ashley would be the driver. That's how she was able to come along. She would drive there, keep look out while they were inside, and then make the getaway when they were done.

Rocco knew the routine to a T. The benefits of having an inside man, she assumed. They sat outside waiting a little longer than they thought they would, waiting for the targets son to leave. The wife was part of the plan, but the three had assured Ashley she wouldn't be harmed. The boy wouldn't be left an orphan.

As the garage door opened, the four became alert, ready for the assault against the group of mobsters inside. Ashley heard the cocking of guns as she watched the boy ride off down the street. She ignored the knots in her stomach that formed as she wondered if the boy had said bye to his father, if he had told him one last time that he had loved him this morning.

The van's door slid open as the boys piled out, she watched as the three disappeared behind the bush beside the house. Ashley cocked her own gun, ready to defend the three if it came to that.

Even though Rocco had told her the poker room was sound proof, Ashley had thought she would hear some sort of gunfire. Instead, all she heard was the wind russeling the leaves in the well manicured trees that lined the street and the faint sing-song of the birds in the distance. The peacefulness of it all almost made her forget the brutal acts that they were here to carry out.

They were quick, only ten minutes had passed when she saw movement at the front door. As Rocco stepped out onto the front porch Ashley was startled by a man that passed the side of the van and stopped infront of the house. She felt her stomach twist and turn and what happened next felt like it happened in slow motion.

The man with shoulder length grey hair and a fat cigar hanging from his lips ripped open his trench coat to reveal a vest filled with guns. A barely audible gasp left her lips as he pulled the first two from his vest. Ashley found her voice just before the first shot was fired. "NO!" She yelled, silenced by the metal vehicle surrounding her.

Bullets flew and in no time the three at the door were returning them. She felt frozen as Rocco got hit, sending him to his knees and then off to the side to escape the oncoming rain if bullets. As her senses came back to her she scrambled for her gun that had slipped off her lap onto the floor. When she felt the grip in her palm she opened her door with force feeling ice run down her spine as she heard Connor's plea's to his brother.

"MURPH! MURPH! YOU OKAY?! MURPH!" In Connor's panic his attention was pulled from the obvious hit man in front of him and she watched as a bullet pierced his leg. "CONNOR!" She screamed as rage boiled inside her. Who was this asshole to take out her family. She brought the gun up firing it in the direction of the man.

1.2.3.4 shots all bouncing off the car behind him. She lost all breath as his attention was drawn to her, guns raised but he never pulled the trigger. It's like he was contemplating what to do. She steadied her aim ready to fire again, take him out, when a shot came from the house, clipping the man's arm and throwing him off his game enough that he ran off dropping the last sets of guns that had moments ago lined his vest.

"Connor! Murphy?!" She gasped in a panic as she heard the boys screams to eachother. "The blood, Roc! Get tha blood!" By the time she reached the door Connor was turning her around, sending her to the van with pushes and shouting. As they all piled in the van they found rags, pieces of clothing to cover the bullet holes.

"The hospital. We‐ we should go to the hospital." "Nah, love. Ugh we can't." Murphy groaned in pain. "Murph. Look at you guys, we need to stop the bleeding!" Ashley said with tear filled eyes. "Aye lass. Back ta tha house." Ashley turned around to the back to look at him "Connor–" "Ashley. Fuckin drive!" Connor yelled at her.

With a hazy brain and only running on pure adrenaline she put the van into drive and peeled out on to the street, headed for Rocco's family home. Wondering if her family would remain intact by the end of this hellish week.