Bold Fenian Men
Chapter Thirty-Six
When Padraig came too, he was lying on his side on the dusty Belfast road, wrapped up in Cillian's coat. He blinked and sat up. The first thing he saw was the burnt-out shell of the car they'd been travelling in. A shiver went up his spine as he saw the blackened metal of the car, the inside completely burnt out, bullet holes across the bonnet. He could still feel the heat of the flames as he looked at the car, and he shuddered.
"Padraig?" Padraig heard a familiar voice and looked up to see Cillian watching him anxiously. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine." Padraig said, nodding. "I'll be all right."
"You gave us a bit of a scare, there, so you did."
"Not half as much as I gave myself a scare. I hate fire." Padraig shuddered again. "I've always hated fire. I bet they knew that and all. It completely freaks me out."
"You were certainly freaking out." Cillian chuckled. "Are you sure you're all right?"
"I think my back's a bit burned. I'll be fine, though. They don't feel like bad burns."
"Did you hear what they were saying?" Cillian asked, in a hushed voice.
"Which bit?"
"He's not after you personally anymore. You're going to have to be even more careful. Usually they'd give you a few smacks and bundle you off to McAllister. You'd have time to think of a way to get out of it. But now they'll just come up behind you and blow your head off."
"I know that. I'm not worried about that at the moment."
"What? How the Hell can you not be worried about it? You almost got burnt to death!"
"I know that as well, Cillian, thanks for pointing that out." Padraig gestured wildly at the burnt-out car.
"Well, what are you worried about, then?"
"I'm worried about how they knew that I wasn't using my car today. I'm wondering how they know what registration, colour and model I was driving. And I'm also wondering how the fuck they knew where I was going."
"Perhaps they just recognised you in the car, Padraig?"
"No, they can’t have. They just appeared. No one could have seen me who's on McAllister's side. We were on the Falls Road, none of them would have been up there. They wouldn't risk it. They've got someone onto me." Padraig felt slightly sick at the thought.
"You don't think –"Cillian couldn’t finish of the sentence. It was too horrible to even think about. But Padraig was looking at him, watching him with those green eyes of his. They were cold once more, and Cillian got the familiar feeling that Padraig was reading his mind. It certainly felt like it. No matter how hard Cillian tried, he just couldn’t break eye contact with Padraig. Padraig suddenly gave a thin smile.
"I do think that." he said in a hushed voice. "You're right. I think the person who's letting on to good old Billy might just be someone we know."
"No one would do that to you, Padraig." Cillian said, also in a hushed voice. "You know they practically worship you. No one would do that to you."
"I'm not sure. There's bound to be someone out there jealous. Someone who might want to be where I am. Or who knows? Perhaps they're being blackmailed? But all I know is we've got an informer among us, and he needs sniffed out and dealt with."
"Padraig?" Padraig heard a familiar voice and looked up to see Cillian watching him anxiously. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine." Padraig said, nodding. "I'll be all right."
"You gave us a bit of a scare, there, so you did."
"Not half as much as I gave myself a scare. I hate fire." Padraig shuddered again. "I've always hated fire. I bet they knew that and all. It completely freaks me out."
"You were certainly freaking out." Cillian chuckled. "Are you sure you're all right?"
"I think my back's a bit burned. I'll be fine, though. They don't feel like bad burns."
"Did you hear what they were saying?" Cillian asked, in a hushed voice.
"Which bit?"
"He's not after you personally anymore. You're going to have to be even more careful. Usually they'd give you a few smacks and bundle you off to McAllister. You'd have time to think of a way to get out of it. But now they'll just come up behind you and blow your head off."
"I know that. I'm not worried about that at the moment."
"What? How the Hell can you not be worried about it? You almost got burnt to death!"
"I know that as well, Cillian, thanks for pointing that out." Padraig gestured wildly at the burnt-out car.
"Well, what are you worried about, then?"
"I'm worried about how they knew that I wasn't using my car today. I'm wondering how they know what registration, colour and model I was driving. And I'm also wondering how the fuck they knew where I was going."
"Perhaps they just recognised you in the car, Padraig?"
"No, they can’t have. They just appeared. No one could have seen me who's on McAllister's side. We were on the Falls Road, none of them would have been up there. They wouldn't risk it. They've got someone onto me." Padraig felt slightly sick at the thought.
"You don't think –"Cillian couldn’t finish of the sentence. It was too horrible to even think about. But Padraig was looking at him, watching him with those green eyes of his. They were cold once more, and Cillian got the familiar feeling that Padraig was reading his mind. It certainly felt like it. No matter how hard Cillian tried, he just couldn’t break eye contact with Padraig. Padraig suddenly gave a thin smile.
"I do think that." he said in a hushed voice. "You're right. I think the person who's letting on to good old Billy might just be someone we know."
"No one would do that to you, Padraig." Cillian said, also in a hushed voice. "You know they practically worship you. No one would do that to you."
"I'm not sure. There's bound to be someone out there jealous. Someone who might want to be where I am. Or who knows? Perhaps they're being blackmailed? But all I know is we've got an informer among us, and he needs sniffed out and dealt with."