Status: Complete

Risk It All

Taken

The next morning had carried on usual except it had been more quiet than usual in the apartment. Mostly due to the three men still exhausted from yesterday's events and part of them afraid to agitate the small girl any further. Nolee had not been in the happiest of moods knowing what the three men would plan later on. As much as she would have preferred they stayed home she knew the stubborn Irishmen would do what they wanted to do regardless.

Connor, Rocco, and Murphy had spent some time with Ruby after breakfast before their day would start yet again watching Terminator. It seemed as if the brothers were determined to make the infant an action movie buff just like themselves. Nolee had only shook her head approaching the couch after cleaning up the kitchen.

"You three realize she has zero idea what's even happening on TV right?" Nolee questioned them with a faint smirk.

"Nonsense, Ruby loves action movies just like her Da and uncle." Connor insisted. "She'll have great taste because of us." he bragged unapologetically.

"Are you really sure about that?"

"Don't listen ta ye Ma Rubes, she doesn't know what she's talkin' about." Murphy whispered into the infant's ear.

"I heard that Murphy."

"Whoops." Murphy whispered once again making the small girl crack a slight smile before sitting down to join them. Nolee had half watched the movie with the men as her mind had started to drift elsewhere. It was only when Murphy's hand had touched hers it snapped her out of her reverie, Nolee turned her head toward the dark haired Irishman.

"Thank ye again for savin' us with Smecker." Murphy noted.

"Seriously lass, ye covered our asses. We can't thank ye enough." Connor added in agreement.

"You're a natural criminal like us Nolee-cannoli."

"Not sure if that's a good thing Rocco." Nolee replied uneasily.

"I'm just messing with you sweetheart, but it's true. You definitely got us out of another potential shit storm."

"Hopefully this means Smecker can get ta feds off of us for a while." Murphy added optimistically.

"Well as much as you all three of you piss me off...of course I'd cover for you. I have to admit I'm still a little surprised I was able to convince him." Nolee replied fumbling her hands.

"Maybe Rocco has a point...maybe you are a natural and didn't realize it." Murphy teased squeezing her hand playfully, but it did little to comfort her. In fact, the notion had made her feel quite queasy.

"Yeah...maybe." she whispered shifting her focus back to the television. The men had enjoyed several more minutes before Connor had looked down at the clock with a sigh. Having a tight schedule to keep Nolee watched all three men look each other briefly before standing up simultaneously.

"We need ta get goin' lass. We'll see you tonight." Murphy explained softly. Nolee had frowned in response but gave a nod before standing up.

"I want all three of you back here." she insisted giving each of them a bear hug ignoring the lump in her throat as she lingered around the Italian. The mafia had proved to be distrusting to him despite Rocco busting his ass proving his worth. Nolee bit her lip afraid of what this could mean for him now that he was deciding to against his own, however Rocco seemed completely confident in his decision.

"Take care of each other...my three musketeers."

________

"That's all you can give me?" A slightly frustrated Agent Smecker questioned from the public payphone downtown. It had surprised him to hear from the brothers so soon, but nevertheless he had been ready to help where he could. He was pleased the brothers had complied with keeping him in the loop as requested, Miss Wade obviously having had informed them of their prior conversation.

"Yeah well the light hit the side of his face. Looked like he had a gray beard. Maybe late 50's, early 60's." Connor explained notifying the agent about the older man that had ambushed them at the house.

"So you're telling me it was one guy with six guns, and he's a freakin' senior citizen?" Agent Smecker asked in astonishment.

"Yeah well it's better if we find this man before he finds us again." Connor reasoned uneasily.

"I'll see what I can do." Agent Smecker offered in response. "How can I get in touch with you?"

"We'll hit Pappa Joe tonight, right in the comfort of his own home. We'll be layin low afterwards...it's just...it's gettin' a bit hot for us here." Connor admitted while Agent Smecker exhaled a deep breath.

"Be careful."

"We'll call you tonight afterwards." Connor assured before hanging up the phone.

"It feels like it's still there." Rocco laughed referring to his missing finger as Connor gave a slight smirk.

"Yeah, but it's not."

________

"I don't know who he is. Nobody does." Augustus insisted while throwing small blue blocks in each of the urinals. "The Duke's a fuckin' Houdini, he does a disappearin' act."

"What did he bring him in for?" Agent Smecker questioned wanting answers of what was about to potentially take place. It was obvious now to him Joe Yakavetta had brought in an unknown source to help with his biddings. The unknown source being the man that ambushed Connor, Rocco, and Murphy.

"Well he needs an insider, this Rocco kid is smart. He knows everyone, he could spot out hitters from a mile away."

"Just for him?" Agent Smecker challenged. "The package boy?"

"He's the one shootin' up all his guys, right? He's scared of the kid." Augustus countered back. "Said he's good, real good. Joe's got every gun in the city up in there." he added.

"Up where?" Agent Smecker inquired nervously.

"At his house. I don't know what's goin' on, but I know it's gotta have somethin' to do with that kid."

"Oh, fuck." Agent Smecker whispered as an unsettling feeling began in his stomach, his sense immediately going on as he quickly dashed out of the men's bathroom.

Something very bad was about to happen, he could feel it.

_________

The plan of sneaking into Pappa Joe's house through the basement had not been successful. Connor, Rocco, and Murphy had underestimated the surveillance of the premises, Yakavetta's soldiers had quickly captured the three men bringing them into a small room, Yakavetta immediately being notified of the intruders.

"Where you goin' huh? Where the fuck you goin?!" A soldier shouted as the three men were strapped to a chair simultaneously being beating on by the soldiers. A mix of their groans of pain had wafted through the air while struggling to break free as blood had painted their faces from the assaults.

"Shut up!" Pappa Joe interrupted the commotion making the soldiers seized their movements.

"You have some answers for me, no?" Pappa Joe questioned with a smirk to Rocco who continued to struggle against the soliders' tight grasp.

"Fuck you." Rocco only whispered as the soldiers' grabbed each of his hands. Seeing what was about to occur Connor squirmed in his chair.

"Roc! Roc, look at me!" he demanded when the soldiers aimed their gun at Rocco's hand before pulling a trigger causing a bullet to penetrate one of Rocco's other fingers. Rocco began to flail in his chair from the sudden pain erupting through him laced with the adrenaline already in his system making him more erratic while the soldiers walked out the room alongside Pappa Joe.

"Roc stop it, you'll be fine!" Connor insisted attempting to make the Italian shut up before the soldiers had come back. Outside the door Pappa Joe had looked at his men curiously.

"Okay. What do you boys think?"

"These guys are tough." one soldier acknowledged.

"Fuckin A-right." another soldier agreed. "Ain't no fuckin' way they're gonna talk."

"I know Rocco, he ain't smart enough for this shit. Those other guys are the brains, he's just a player."

"He's a punk." the soldiers had all agreed as Pappa Joe thought it over briefly before holding his hands up.

"There's only one thing to do." he simply replied cocking the gun in his hand before he had turned on his heels to re-enter the room. As he walked forward gun in hand everything seemed to be in slow motion as Connor's eyes went wide.

"God! No!" he screamed knowing what was about to happen. In the blink of an eye Pappa Joe had aimed his gun towards the Italian and pulled the trigger. A pained gasped had escaped Rocco's mouth feeling the bullet penetrate his chest before we could comprehend what had happened.

"ROC! ROC! NO!" Connor cried out seeing the Italian fall over still attached tied to the chair. Murphy gasped as he trashed against his own chair until it collapsed to its side so he could crawl his way over to where Rocco laid despite being handcuffed.

"Roc, no..." Murphy whimpered watching the Italian slowly start lose consciousness from being shot. Unable to help him from being bound Murphy could only beg his friend to hold on as Connor felt tears run down his face completely helpless.

"Y-you can't stop...you get out of here...don't ever stop." Rocco gasped between dying breaths.

"No!" Connor screamed watching his eyes slowly close. "You motherfucker!" he cried out in anguish while Rocco took his last breath, Murphy began to sob and thrash again in his chair once again.

"I'm gonna fuckin' kill them!" he seethed madly desperately trying to break free from the chair but to no avail. Murphy could do nothing but cry into his neck of his deceased best friend. Just like that the most loyal person they had ever known was taken from them.

*In Yakavetta's other room*

"Hey boss."

"What Chappy?"

"I don't mean no disrespect but I think we're forgettin' something here. This Il Duce's a fuckin' animal. He's not gonna stop until someone dies. I guarantee you he thinks this thing is on." a solider noted making Pappa Joe curse in Italian exhibiting annoyance.

"If this guy still thinks the job is on, the motherfucker is in the bushes right now!" he replied. "I am going. You four stay here and deal with it." a calm Pappa Joe had swiftly made an exit out of the house and into his vehicle with another word. Meanwhile a still bound Connor and Murphy had managed to rearrange themselves to where Connor sat behind his twin. Connor had managed to undo the cuffs that were attached to his feet.

"Do it!" Murphy demanded to his brother knowing if Connor had dislocated his finger Murphy could escape his cuffs. "Do it!" he yelled one more time before Connor had no choice but to lift his leg up and kick as hard as he could at Murphy's hand while the dark haired male had cried out in pain but gritted his teeth to bare it. Connor had succeeded at dislocating the finger and painfully Murphy was able to free himself from his cuffs. But before Murphy could help Connor, they could hear footsteps begin at the end of the hallway increasingly getting louder the closer they approached. Dashing into a corner of the room both brothers had crouched down when the door opened.

"What the fuck?" A soldier whispered in shock to find the chairs empty unaware of Murphy reaching into his pocket to pull out his knife. Before the solider could take another breath Murphy had lunged towards the man shoving the blade into the soldier's back while Connor kicked at the man's head.

*Meanwhile...*

An Agent Smecker dressed in drag knocked on the door of Yakavetta's house before taking a puff of his cigarette. It didn't take long before a soldier had answered the door, looking anxious.

"Hey..." Agent Smecker cooed darmatically softening his voice to imitate a female. "Joey Brevo sent me here...as entertainment." he added sweetly.

"Sorry babe, but tonight's bad. The shit's really hittin' the fan in there you know what I'm saying?" the solider objected.

"Aww come on baby..." Agent Smecker insisted moving close to the solider an in attempt to seduce the clueless soldier to get into the house. The solider increasingly unable to resist the 'lady' and her charming ways, especially when the 'lady' had put 'her' lips on his.

"All right...let's go." he whispered allowing Agent Smecker to enter the house.

"Geno, what the fuck are you doing?" another soldier questioned when he noticed the overweight curly haired next to a woman.

"I haven't been laid in a week! It'll take me 5 minutes." Geno insisted as the other solider huffed.

"Fine, hurry up!" he replied before walking away. Geno had smiled in return before escorting Agent Smecker to a bathroom. Putting the charm all the way up to eleven, he laid on the tile floor smiling coyly at Geno suggestively.

"Come to mama." Agent Smecker cooed as Geno excitedly approached closer beginning to undo his belt.

"Oh you're a dirty girl..." Geno whispered in anticipation but his excitement had quickly died seeing the chestnut wig start to slip away from Agent Smecker's head.

"What the fuck?!" he said out loud as Agent Smecker only shouted before his leg had extended upwards delivering several harsh kicks to Geno's crotch. As Geno fell to the ground in immense pain Agent Smecker had quickly reached for the gun in the purse he carried retrieving it. Before Geno could make another move the gun had been aimed at him and trigger pulled. Inspecting the body to make sure he was deceased a small moment of 'oops' had gone through Agent Smecker.

"Too far." he whispered picking the wig off the floor and using the mirror of the bathroom as guide to adjust it back on his head. When he had straightened out the wig his light eyes had widened in sudden realization.

"It's on now..."

Carefully exiting the bathroom Agent Smecker looked around the empty hallway on alert.

"Hey babe, two for one?" the solider from before had suddenly appeared his smirk disappearing at seeing the gun in front of him unable to react when Agent Smecker fired at him. Making sure the coast clear Agent Smecker had focused on the body sitting in the chair near him already deceased him. Confusion going through his body he hadn't noticed the dark figure approach from behind him until he felt a heavy object hit the the back of his head.

*Back in the room*

Connor and Murphy had put their deceased best friend back upright in the chair while Connor solemnly placed a penny on one eye, Murphy placed one on the other. Murphy had stroked the Italian's face lovingly before the both of them had lowered to their knees, ready to send their friend off to his maker. The both of them had been seemingly unaware of the figure looming by the door.

"And shepherds we shall be, for Thee my Lord, for Thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy ha-" their words interrupted by the sound of a gun clicking, both brothers had instantly drawn their own guns towards the culprit cocking their guns at the familiar older man in sunglasses standing before them.

"That our feet may swiftly carry out Thy command. We will flow a river forth unto Thee..." the man had continued on gently while Connor and Murphy slowly raised their guns down. A mix of shock and disbelief going through as the man came closer to Rocco's body.

"And teeming with souls it shall ever be. E nomini patri, et Fili e spiritus sancti." he had completed the family prayer. Connor and Murphy had only looked up at the man, a small smile had spread onto their both their faces when the man had cupped each of their faces...

_________

Nightfall had seemed to come quickly as Nolee anxiously waited for the boys return. The feeling of something not being quite right had began to flare but she ignored it, not wanting to stress out just yet. Her normal routine of nurturing Ruby and making dinner for the men had passed by unusually quickly. The dark haired infant was fast asleep in her arms as Nolee instinctively checked the news for any information regarding the brothers and the Italian. Nolee bit her lip nervously when there was no reports of suspicious activity involving the mafia either.

Sighing impatiently Nolee had stood up to make her way into the bedroom and lay Ruby down in her crib. Giving the infant a gentle kiss on the forehead, the sensation inside her was increasing. Nolee furrowed her eyebrows as she walked out the room to where the phone was. Dialing in Rocco's number just in case, another disappointed sigh left her lips at hearing nothing but ringing on the other end. Just as Nolee had hung up the phone the sound of the door being unlocked made her head snap up in relief.

"Oh thank god." she spoke aloud staying in her spot as Connor and Murphy soon emerged from the doorway. "There you are." she added with a smile but it had quickly faded when she noticed the various bruises on both the Irishmens' body as well as the blood stains on their blue jeans.

"What happened?" she questioned fearfully noticing the blank stares on their faces. "W-where's Rocco?" she added also noticing the Italian had been absent. Connor and Murphy had visibly winced at the mentioning of his name putting the small girl on high alert. "Connor...Murphy...what's going on, tell me." she pleaded at the brothers who remained silent unable to speak.

"Tell me goddamn it!" the small girl demanded once more.

"Nolee..." Murphy had whispered so quietly she barely heard him. "Rocco is gone love...we lost him."

"What...?" she gasped in shock. "No...that can't be true...you're lying." she responded in denial waiting for Murphy to say he was just joking, that Rocco had in fact gone back to his own place tonight. But as the Irishman remained painfully still, Nolee's body began to shake while turning her head to the other brother.

"Connor? Tell me it isn't true, please tell me it's not true!" she begged in desperation while Connor's lip had only trembled.

"I'm sorry Nolee..."

"No! I don't believe you!" she screamed at the both of them feeling tears sting her eyes and a lump in her throat. Nolee had felt a strong urge to vomit unable to believe Rocco was really dead, her knees had felt weak and before they had buckled Murphy caught her. It was only then she could not stop her breakdown.

"I'm sorry baby." Murphy whispered once more holding onto her tightly.

"Rocco..." she sobbed praying that somehow it was all just a nightmare. But as both Connor and Murphy held onto her equally distraught she knew it hadn't been. Clutching their coats for dear life a million thoughts rushed through mind, Nolee could only cry into both their chests as all three adults had grieved together.

A long period of silence had filled the air as the cruel reality loomed. The apartment already felt emptier without their beloved Italian and Nolee could not stop the hole in heart that formed. There was no coming to terms with the fact she would never see or hear from him again, this couldn't be real. Murphy had consoled the crying girl as best as he could while dealing with Connor's and his own grief. Connor had eventually fell asleep from the emotional and physical exhaustion on the other side of the couch while Murphy and Nolee remained awake, unable to sleep. Nolee's eyes had remained fixated on the beige carpet as Murphy's hand caressed her hair both of them not saying a word, the shock still coursing through them. After a long period of silence Murphy had been the first to make a move as he lowered his hand down to gently place it on top of hers.

"Nolee...there's something else we need ta tell ye...we...we found our Da."
♠ ♠ ♠
I put off this chapter for so long </3