Bold Fenian Men
Chapter Thirty-Seven
"They look sore, Padraig." Roisin said, holding both of Padraig's hand in hers and inspecting the burns on them.
"They're nothing. One of Cillian's hands had to be seen to at the hospital and dressed and all. But he'll be all right, won’t you, Cillian?" Cillian rolled his eyes and chuckled into his glass. "He's my hero, Roisin. Pulled me from the burning car heroically and was all heroic and all."
"Could you have said "hero" anymore times?"Cillian asked, laughing at his friend, who was in a noticeably good mood considering the circumstances. In the last week, including the car attack, there had been three attempts on Padraig's life. All three times, the UVF men seemed to know where Padraig would be in advance, causing Padraig to have to become increasingly irrational in his movements, so as to avoid any potential ambushes.
Padraig's carefree mood was about to come to a sudden end, and it came in the form of Cearnaigh running into the pub.
"What's got into you?" Padraig asked, downing his drink. He was slightly tipsy now, and was hoping that Cearnaigh wasn't going to bring bad news.
"Padraig!" Cearnaigh leant against the bar for a couple of seconds, gasping for air. 'We've … we've found something we think you might want to know about.'
"What?"
"We've found the guy."
"What guy?"
"The informer, Padraig. The guy who's been letting them know where you are." Padraig instantly sobered up.
"Where is he?"
"We've got him in a car outside."
"How did you find him?"
"We seen him coming back off the Shankill. He looked suspicious so we stopped him and questioned him. I know we weren't authorised to but we thought we'd better because of the assassination attempts on you lately. I mean, three in a week is a bit worrying… anyway, he just broke down. He told us everything. It was weird." Cearnaigh frowned. "Almost like he wanted to be caught." Padraig sighed.
"You'd best bring him in, then." Cearnaigh nodded, and then disappeared outside.
"What'll you do to him, Padraig?" Roisin asked in a hushed voice. "You'll not kill him, will you?"
"I suppose I'll have to." Padraig said, sighing deeply again. "You know as well as I do that the punishment for touting is death."
Everyone turned and looked at the door as they heard it open. Cearnaigh and another Volunteer, who was named Darragh, came into the room, and in between them they held a young man with a shock of dark hair and brown eyes. Brown eyes which looked very familiar …
Roisin suddenly gasped.
"Lenny!" she yelled, running round from the bar and over to her elder brother, throwing her arms around him protectively. Padraig felt sick.
"Oh, God," he muttered.
"Who?" Cillian asked him.
"It's Roisin's brother," Padraig whispered. "Fuck, it's Roisin's brother and I have to kill him,"
Roisin turned to look at Padraig as he walked over to him. Lenny wasn't struggling; he was just standing there, looking at the ground. Padraig met Roisin's eyes. They were tearful and wide and full of pleading.
"Padraig, please don’t kill him," she whispered. "Please, Padraig, you can't … you can't kill him," Tears spilled out of Roisin's eyes and ran down her cheeks. Padraig looked away from her, pulling his eyes away from hers with great difficulty. Roisin gasped and then let out a scream.
"NO! NO, PADRAIG! NO, YOU CAN'T! I WON'T LET YOU!"
"Let go of him." Padraig said, ignoring Roisin, who was now having to be held back from hitting Padraig by Cillian. She was currently hitting him at the moment. Cearnaigh and Darragh obeyed instantly, never knowing quite what Padraig was capable of in these moods.
Padraig stepped closer to Lenny, who winced and took a step backwards.
"Lenny." Padraig said firmly. "Lenny, look at me." Lenny reluctantly looked up into Padraig's eyes.
"Are you going to kill me?" he croaked.
"Why did you do it, Lenny?" Padraig asked, deliberately avoiding the question.
"They were threatening me, Padraig," Lenny said quickly. "They knew … they knew about Roisin and they said that because she was in the IRA she was a target and if I didn’t lead them to you they'd kill her … I know I shouldn’t have but she's my little sister. I couldn't let them hurt her. I'm sorry, Padraig, please don't shoot me, please,"
"I have to, Lenny." Padraig spoke softly.
"NO!" Roisin screamed from behind him, but Padraig squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to block her out.
"You have to?" Lenny asked, his voice hoarse.
"Yes. I do." was the blunt reply.
"Then not in front of my little sister." Lenny whispered. "Take me outside." Padraig nodded, and he moved Lenny in front of him. He was holding a gun in Lenny's back, but didn’t let on to Roisin, who was sobbing now, still begging with him. But she knew that no one had ever succeeded in begging with Padraig Caraher before, and she didn’t expect to be an exception.
Padraig and Lenny got outside into the cold air, and as soon as they disappeared, Roisin fell to the floor, burying her face in her hands. How could the man she loved do this to her own brother?
There was suddenly a single, loud gunshot from outside. The whole pub was silent. And then, slowly, the silence was broken by Roisin's soft sobbing, which gradually got louder until she became hysterical.
"They're nothing. One of Cillian's hands had to be seen to at the hospital and dressed and all. But he'll be all right, won’t you, Cillian?" Cillian rolled his eyes and chuckled into his glass. "He's my hero, Roisin. Pulled me from the burning car heroically and was all heroic and all."
"Could you have said "hero" anymore times?"Cillian asked, laughing at his friend, who was in a noticeably good mood considering the circumstances. In the last week, including the car attack, there had been three attempts on Padraig's life. All three times, the UVF men seemed to know where Padraig would be in advance, causing Padraig to have to become increasingly irrational in his movements, so as to avoid any potential ambushes.
Padraig's carefree mood was about to come to a sudden end, and it came in the form of Cearnaigh running into the pub.
"What's got into you?" Padraig asked, downing his drink. He was slightly tipsy now, and was hoping that Cearnaigh wasn't going to bring bad news.
"Padraig!" Cearnaigh leant against the bar for a couple of seconds, gasping for air. 'We've … we've found something we think you might want to know about.'
"What?"
"We've found the guy."
"What guy?"
"The informer, Padraig. The guy who's been letting them know where you are." Padraig instantly sobered up.
"Where is he?"
"We've got him in a car outside."
"How did you find him?"
"We seen him coming back off the Shankill. He looked suspicious so we stopped him and questioned him. I know we weren't authorised to but we thought we'd better because of the assassination attempts on you lately. I mean, three in a week is a bit worrying… anyway, he just broke down. He told us everything. It was weird." Cearnaigh frowned. "Almost like he wanted to be caught." Padraig sighed.
"You'd best bring him in, then." Cearnaigh nodded, and then disappeared outside.
"What'll you do to him, Padraig?" Roisin asked in a hushed voice. "You'll not kill him, will you?"
"I suppose I'll have to." Padraig said, sighing deeply again. "You know as well as I do that the punishment for touting is death."
Everyone turned and looked at the door as they heard it open. Cearnaigh and another Volunteer, who was named Darragh, came into the room, and in between them they held a young man with a shock of dark hair and brown eyes. Brown eyes which looked very familiar …
Roisin suddenly gasped.
"Lenny!" she yelled, running round from the bar and over to her elder brother, throwing her arms around him protectively. Padraig felt sick.
"Oh, God," he muttered.
"Who?" Cillian asked him.
"It's Roisin's brother," Padraig whispered. "Fuck, it's Roisin's brother and I have to kill him,"
Roisin turned to look at Padraig as he walked over to him. Lenny wasn't struggling; he was just standing there, looking at the ground. Padraig met Roisin's eyes. They were tearful and wide and full of pleading.
"Padraig, please don’t kill him," she whispered. "Please, Padraig, you can't … you can't kill him," Tears spilled out of Roisin's eyes and ran down her cheeks. Padraig looked away from her, pulling his eyes away from hers with great difficulty. Roisin gasped and then let out a scream.
"NO! NO, PADRAIG! NO, YOU CAN'T! I WON'T LET YOU!"
"Let go of him." Padraig said, ignoring Roisin, who was now having to be held back from hitting Padraig by Cillian. She was currently hitting him at the moment. Cearnaigh and Darragh obeyed instantly, never knowing quite what Padraig was capable of in these moods.
Padraig stepped closer to Lenny, who winced and took a step backwards.
"Lenny." Padraig said firmly. "Lenny, look at me." Lenny reluctantly looked up into Padraig's eyes.
"Are you going to kill me?" he croaked.
"Why did you do it, Lenny?" Padraig asked, deliberately avoiding the question.
"They were threatening me, Padraig," Lenny said quickly. "They knew … they knew about Roisin and they said that because she was in the IRA she was a target and if I didn’t lead them to you they'd kill her … I know I shouldn’t have but she's my little sister. I couldn't let them hurt her. I'm sorry, Padraig, please don't shoot me, please,"
"I have to, Lenny." Padraig spoke softly.
"NO!" Roisin screamed from behind him, but Padraig squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to block her out.
"You have to?" Lenny asked, his voice hoarse.
"Yes. I do." was the blunt reply.
"Then not in front of my little sister." Lenny whispered. "Take me outside." Padraig nodded, and he moved Lenny in front of him. He was holding a gun in Lenny's back, but didn’t let on to Roisin, who was sobbing now, still begging with him. But she knew that no one had ever succeeded in begging with Padraig Caraher before, and she didn’t expect to be an exception.
Padraig and Lenny got outside into the cold air, and as soon as they disappeared, Roisin fell to the floor, burying her face in her hands. How could the man she loved do this to her own brother?
There was suddenly a single, loud gunshot from outside. The whole pub was silent. And then, slowly, the silence was broken by Roisin's soft sobbing, which gradually got louder until she became hysterical.