Gavin slipped around so he was kneeling behind the priest, helping to prop him up. He also conveniently position the priest in between Gavin and the entrance. 

"I forgive you. But I'll forgive you more if you call your friends in and explain that your asshole buddy just tried to kill me. We can end this peacefully, Priest. Get me a chance to talk to them, back me up, and hopefully we'll all live through this."

Patrick nodded.  "I'll try."  He said softly.  "They need you... and the guns and money your sister promised.  Lives of people they love depend on it."

Gavin could hear them coming. 

"PATRICK!?!"  Brian called out.

"FERGUS!?!"  Quinn called out.

"Don't let Quinn bait you."  He said in a shaky voice. Gavin could almost feel the pain the man was in as he took a deep breath to speak loudly.   "IN HERE!"  

They ran down the hallway and came carefully around the corner with guns, Quinn first.  "Fuck me..."  His eyes fell on the body first then looked over to the wall where Gavin and the priest were sitting.  He leveled his gun in Gavin's direction despite him having the priest in front of him.

Brian followed behind and with wide eyes demanded, "What the hell happened here!?!"

"Fergus... tried to kill me... and Byrne."  

Quinn shook his head, as if denying what his eyes were showing him and what the Priest was saying.

Brian looked from the priest to Gavin and said, "The priest needs a doctor."

Patrick shook his head no.  "Gavin calls his sister... and his woman first.  He's not going back in shackles.  He's done nothing wrong."

"HE SHOT MY BROTHER AND FERGUS!"  Quinn shouted in anger.

"Fergus turned traitor."  Brian offered, never taking his eyes off Gavin.

"My brother's life is still worth something!  Damn it Brian!"

Patrick steadied himself.  "He saved my life.  He killed George Byrne."

Quinn demanded, "You just want to let him go!?!  What about the guns?  The cash?!?"

Patrick shook his head.  "Call his Sister.  Make the trade.  Call it off.  No one else comes for George.  No one troubles ... them again.  We go back.  Tell everyone he's dead.  It's over."

Brian looked at the priest and then Gavin.  "Your sister, if I get you on a phone with her, she'll move the deal forward tonight and let us go if we make sure no one comes for you ever again - just like the Priest says?  She won't double-cross us?"

Gavin voice was steady; these guys were professionals and, with the one exception, not idiots.

"Look. Your fucking brother decided to sprint at me in the middle of a fucking sidewalk and then start throwing punches with a whole gang. You're telling me that if a bunch of guys jumped you who are hitting first and asking questions later that you'd just take it without fighting back? I killed your brother in self defense, same as you would do. If you wanted it to go differently, then you didn't do your homework... and this fucker..."

He gestured to Fergus, slightly, with the gun.

"... just came at me when I was in chains. He attacked the priest first and almost took him down for good. Your whole operation seems pretty shitty from where I'm standing. You came here to kill a man who died twenty years ago, two of you are dead, and another one is hurt. Now I might be able to use the priest as a shield here and kill the two of you before you kill me... but I would prefer not to. I have a thing about killing priests. And Quinn, you're an idiot, but Brian... we might be able to do business."

"So here's my negotiation, Brian. Keep your friend in line here. Make the call to my sister now. She'll make a fair deal with you. She can also bring a doctor with her, so you don't have to worry about Patrick here. And we'll have a talk... because now that Fergus is gone, I think you're a little more likely to acknowledge the truth. Which is that even if you make this trade for guns and cash, you still lose. The Luciano crime family is in just about every major city in America- and Race Street has a presence all over the Eastern seaboard. You really think your bosses will be pleased, knowing that you personally just switched the entire fucking United States from a source of fundraising to a hostile territory?"

He glared.

"Make the fucking call."

"Help Patrick up."  Brian said to Quinn after only a moment.  "Get him to a cot."  

"He's bluffing, he's jus..."  Brian turned on Quinn with a look that said he was so done with this shit he wouldn't tolerate another word.  "We know who they are, you brought me the intel yourself.  Now... fucking do what I said or I'll put you on the floor with Fergus myself."

Quinn went down to Patrick and carefully picked the priest up off of Gavin.

"You," Brian said to Gavin.  "You'll wait in this room while I make the call.  We'll take him," indicating to Fergus, "out with us.  If you try to run... I want you to know that I got nothing to lose.  I go home with two dead men, a wounded priest, and nothing to show for all this trouble then I might as well eat my own gun."

He shook his head, "So, if you run, I'm not going to give two shits about putting a slug in your back no matter who you & your sister are with or who your woman popped out of."

Brian grabbed Fergus by the collar and dragged him out the door, shutting it behind him leaving Gavin alone to inspect his wounds.

12:03am

The phone in Tara's office rings.

"Ms. Tara Byrne?"  A thick Irish accent asks.  "I'd like to discuss the option of having your brother return to you and your family ahead of schedule... within the hour if we can come to terms on how to make that happen?"

"Of course.  Dock 22, as discussed before?"

"That works.  Can you be there in thirty minutes?"

"It's a stretch, but I'll make that work."

"There are some injuries... any chance you can bring a doc with you?"

A slight pause before she agrees, "Yes.  Of course.  I'll bring along someone.  I'll see you in thirty minutes."

With that Tara hung up the phone and got to work.  Her first call was to William Bowden, her sharpshooters, and then to Isabella.  They would move forward as planned only sooner than expected.

12:15am

Isabella pounded on Joe Adonis' loft door.  "Adonis!  Adonis it's Bella!  I need Doc Santoro, it's an emergency!"  She pounded on the door harder waiting for someone to come answer the door.  She stood outside with dressed in slacks, a sensible button-down shirt and he hair in a braid to keep it out of her face.  Accompanying her was a small army of men with guns... and they looked ready for some sort of military-style an operation.  

The sound of a fist pounding against the door woke Ilaria from a dead sleep immediately. As she sat up and started to pull on the light  cotton house coat, she recognized Isabella Luciano's voice over the pounding. 

"Coming!" 

Quickly she made her way through the apartment and unlocked the door. Simultaneously she opened it and moved aside so Isabella could pass through. 

"Come in. Joe is in Chicago tonight. Tell me what's going on while I throw some clothes on."

Bella looked at her guys, namely one big corn-fed-looking midwestern man who was as large as almost any two of the other guys, "Head down to the cars.  Get ready, we'll leave for Race Street just as soon as the Doc is ready."  

The big man nodded and waved his hand, the only order given to the other men.

Bella shut the door behind her.  "I should have come to you sooner, but I figured there would be time to loop you in tomorrow.  We weren't expecting to do this until nine pm, but something's happened, and someone's hurt."

She steadied herself and tried to give her the short version of events.  "Two days ago Gavin was kidnapped by members of the Irish Republican Army.  They sent Tara a list of demands and we were supposed to do an exchange tomorrow but... something has happened to push forward that exchange.  They've asked that we bring a doctor with us. I have no idea if it's one of theirs or Gavin who is hurt or both... I have no idea what kind of injuries or their extent..."  Bella was trying not to let her fear and unknowns overwhelm her.

"So, I hate to say it, but please try to prepare for just about anything.  It could be anything from stabs to gunshots... I... we're just a week away from the wedding so Tara felt like I should stay back with you.  She'll send someone for us when she needs us to come lend a hand or if things go wrong her messengers will let us know she needs an extraction ... or avenging."

She swallowed.  It occurred to her for how nervous she was, maybe the doctor had never been under enemy fire before.  Who knew how experienced she was in these sorts of situations.  Some hands were administrative, leaving dirty field work to hitmen and such.  She'd just dropped all of this on the woman without any warning or lead up in the middle of the damn night.  Bella felt a little guilty for that even though she knew the clock was ticking.

"You ever been in a situation like this before, Doc?"

Re-emerging from the bedroom, now dressed in a pair of olive green tactical trousers and a black, slightly loose fitting blouse, Ilaria couldn't help but let a small chuckle escape. 

"Don't worry about me. I've seen more trouble since moving to Philly than I did in twelve years in the Italian Army. I'm always ready for anything."

She shoved her feet into her boots and awkwardly tried to bend down to tie them. "Dammit" she thought to herself. This was going to be different - but Ilaria was determined. Kicking off the boots and socks, she slipped into some flats. Her flight med bag was by the door, stocked and ready. 

​​​​​​

Bella seemed to relax upon seeing the other woman in her olive green tactical trousers and even more so after she mentioned the army.  She wasn't dealing with someone who was untested, in truth the woman probably had more experience in these matters than she did.

She nodded.  "Alright, you're with me then.  We're headed to a place just off the Pier, we'll be just a hop skip and jump from our snipers who have their guns on the dock where we think they are holding Gavin and the exchange will be taking place.  Once Tara and William Bowden arrive and being negotiations, we'll probably be called forward to help with the wounded... maybe get them out of harm's way so Tara can finish up making sure these assholes get out of the city for good."

With that Bella lead Ilaria down to the waiting cars to make the drive to the agreed upon location just off Race Street Pier.

12:35am - Dock 22  Race Street Pier, Philly

Tara and William arrived at Dock 22 at the appointed time.  All was as quiet as it usually was at this late hour.  The last bars open were playing 'How Deep Is the Ocean' one final time, a haunting distant echo on the night air that mixed with the hum the distant sounds of the city of brotherly love by night.

On the ship in the dock were several workers milling about and as the two reached the gangplank the workers called down to them, "State your name!"

There were no guns visible but there was certainly enough places to hide them, as Tara and Will both knew well.  After all, they themselves had several snipers hanging about ready to take a shot if it became necessary to do so.

"Tara Byrne!"  Tara called up.

One lone man, large, and well into his fifties came down the gangplank.  He wore a flannel shirt, sturdy trousers, and a peaky cap.  Stepping onto the dock he doft his cap respectfully and then returned it to his head.  "Brian MacLaughlin."  He said in the way of an introduction.  "Thanks for coming on short notice."

He glanced at William and then said to Tara, "This the doctor?"

Tara was as cold as ice.

"No. He's not. And we can skip the pleasantries. Show me my brother. Now. If he's not alive, we have nothing to discuss."

William was tired, anxious, and concerned. A sped up schedule usually indicated that things were going to hell or about to. They needed to play this close to the vest until they could figure out which. That and they needed to make sure the Irishmen didn't sense any weakness.

"It's my hope that you can comply with Miss Byrne. If you have nothing to discuss with her, then your next discussion will be with me Mr. MacLaughlin. My talks tend to be more enthusiastic."

The older man was a big fucker. He'd be experienced too. Hopefully it wouldn't come to a fight, but if it did they'd be in for one to remember.

On board the ship, things had been going slightly better for Gavin.  At first, the men had given him a choice: he could remain armed for the walk up to show his sister he was well... but return to shackles or they'd let him remain out of the shackles but he'd be deprived of his blades and guns until his sister made good on the ransom money.

Of course, Gavin was having none of that noise and invited them to take his weapons, if they thought they could. 

So, for a time, this led to a bit of a stand-off.  The Irish kept Gavin in the room he'd been a prisoner, where he remained well armed and not shackled.  But both men knew Tara would be arriving soon and she'd demand proof Gavin was alive and if they didn't give it, surely the exchange would be off. 

Gavin, when he strained to listen, could hear the 'discussion' about what was to be done drifting down the hallways.  Brian and Quinn argued fiercely about it.  They could bring Tara on the boat to see him in the cell... but what fool would board a boat with small hallways and out of the sight of her bodyguards who were (no doubt) watching the exchange area.  After all, they had learned the Byrne twins controlled the pier now... so there was no sense in thinking they weren't being watched after two days of lead up.

But since Quinn was being listened to, Gavin could easily guess that Brian really didn't want to let Gavin be armed and free.  Even if there were guns and men on him, the older man was probably unwilling to believe that Gavin would be so easily controlled even if they kept guns trained on him the whole time.

In his cell, Gavin could at least take some small amount of pleasure in the fact that he'd gained a measure of control over his captors and short of them deciding to shoot him (which it seemed the big guy was very unwilling to do) he was probably going home.  It was more a matter of waiting them out.

Eventually, the debate ended and everything was silent again.  Gavin could hear the fading music from the bars, one last round of 'How deep is the ocean' and then... silence followed by an echoing whistle.

━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━

Brian didn't look away from William as he spoke.  The man clearly spent a moment sizing Will up before putting his fingers between his lips and letting out a shrill whistle.  The sound echoed across the water temporarily drowning out the fading sound of the last notes of 'How deep is the ocean' at the last bar playing it.  When the whistle's sound died, the music was also gone leaving the sound of lapping waves against the docks as some of the only ambiance.

It seemed like forever before commotion could be heard on deck and armed men appeared, guns pointed a very injured Gavin with a shit-eating grin on his face that his captors did NOT share. 

Even from their place on the dock Tara and Will could guess that his body was a mess of cuts and bruises by how he moved.  His clothes were filthy and had enough blood on them to be worrisome - was it all his?  As he came into sight a bit more both could make out a wound on his thigh which had bleed through his trousers and down his leg.  His right hand was also stained with blood that appeared to have come from a circular-shaped wound that wrapped all the way around his wrist.  This they could only see from where they stood down on the dock because the cocky-bastard waved as if he was on board a cruise ship coming into port, rather than in the hands of murderous kidnappers.

A quick inhalation was the only response that Tara made when she saw her brother emerge. He was alive. Hurt, seemingly, but alive. There was a cold rage in her eyes as she looked back at the leader. As she studied him, she calculated her options.

"Send him over. Now. We've got a doctor for you... and everything you asked."

Her voice was practically a growl.

"... for the record, I'm ninety percent certain I could remove all of your men with a wave of my hand before you could shoot me, my brother, or anyone else here. And I'm tempted. Really tempted."

She paused. Her hand flexed, but she didn't move it in the prearranged signal. 

"... but I'm going to resist that impulse. For now. Give me my brother. Take your guns and your money. That's one part of the deal. The other part of the deal... the other thing that I'm buying... is your silence. If you get back to Ireland and start bragging about this job- mentioning it to anyone at all- then our deal is off and you can expect a visit from one of my associates. I don't want people thinking this is something they can repeat. I give you the guns and the money, you give me my brother, your silence, and your word that you'll not operate in the US anymore. Stay quiet and stay away, and you come out ahead. Do we have a deal?"

Brian looked around, first up at their captive then back to Will, and then finally to Tara.  The pier, the docks, and any boat that hoped to get out of the harbor had to go through her, assuming he'd heard right; and by how she was acting Fergus had gotten them deep into something that no one walked away from feeling like a winner.  To leave with his life and something to show for their losses was the very best he could hope for. He'd still have to contend with the version of the story Quinn might try to tell... could he really trust that fucker not to break the deal with the Byrne twins?  

He glanced up to the boat where Quinn stood with two other men watching Gavin and instantly he knew the answer to that question.  Father Patrick would honor whatever deal he cut... but Quinn wouldn't suffer the loss of his brother in silence.  Whatever deal he made with this woman would be in jeopardy so long as that shit drew breath.  Oh sure, he'd stay quiet in Belfast, but he would travel... and when he did, if he did, then Brian couldn't be sure what he'd do.  And rest assured she probably would remember him and find him... but not Quinn.  That slimy bastard would go on the run and leave him answering for his wagging tongue.  Quinn would need to be dealt with, maybe once they were out in the middle of the ocean.  Accidents happened sometimes...

Brian nodded, "You have my word.  Your brother, our silence, and we leave never to return in exchange for the guns - you keep the cash.  I'm not proud of how this ended, none of this is how I run things normally.  If I didn't need something to show for our losses I wouldn't be taking even your guns."

He gave a wave to the men on the ship, "I'll tell folks back home that George is dead.  There won't be no one coming to question you about that again."

The guards began walking Gavin towards the gangplank and two others appeared carrying the Priest into view on a liter.  Brian continued, "Your brother's leg will need attention, but otherwise I think he'll be alright, in time.  The Priest that I'm having them carry down is bleeding out.  He'll die without help."  He knew Tara wouldn't care too much, why should she, so he added; "The lad saved your brother's life.  He got the wounds fighting the fucker who turned traitor on us."

Before Tara could ask, "He's dead."  He threw it out there, but it wasn't enough.  He could see the glint in her eye. 

While his captive these past two days was every bit as wily and tough as George had been - he didn't have George's killer spirit.  George would have done much of what his son had done but he would have left Patrick to die or used him as a body shield and walked off the ship.  The lad only ever wanted one thing so far as he could see... to live.  Not to kill.

The woman in front of him, however, he half wondered if she didn't have her father's wicked spirit.  Maybe it was her fear for her brother or the gall at having been through this whole ordeal considering her rank in the Italian Mafia... but, if he'd seen her before they'd begun this mission, he definitely would have handled matters differently.  The brother was every bit the wolf that Fergus said they called him on the streets... but he believed that she was a Lioness.  And he strongly suspected she wanted her pound of flesh for what was done to her family. 

Was she really going to let them walk away?  Brian considered his options very carefully, once Gavin was in her hands, she might throw out the whole damn deal - the lad was his only real security in all this.  Of course, the lad would speak for the Priest, Patrick had risked his life to try and save Gavin.  But what about him?  Quinn, of course, was fucked if the Lioness threw out the deal and looked to her brother for input and didn't just start shooting.  

They were nearly down the plank.  He sure as fuck didn't want to die here like this, he wanted to be back in Erin and for this to be over.  He prayed silently that this would conclude quietly and he could be done with the story of George Byrne once and for all.

Tara nodded almost imperceptibly at the return of the cash. She wasn't going to demand it, precisely, but it was nice to see she wasn't dealing with an idiot.

She stared as Gavin made his way down the plank and towards her, winking at Tara as he took his place at his sister's side. Tara looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded once at Brian.

"Go. Now."

William very narrowly overcame the urge to slap a palm to his face at the sight of Gavin on the deck. The man had obviously been roughly used and when he walked down the plank from the ship his leg wound was obviously a painful and hobbling one. Yet even in this disheveled and damaged state he carried every last drop of bravado and cockiness that he always did. It was absolutely infuriating, and yet proof that he was going to come out of this as intact as ever.

Thankfully, the IRA had chosen to handle this in what seemed like a reasonable manner. Tara had made her push and used her considerable leverage and they'd seen the wisdom in following her lead. Now all that was left was seeing to the transfer of materials and getting the wounded back to the doctor before they bled out on the dock. He turned his attention to the Byrnes and gave a quick nod.

"I can make sure the goods get transferred smoothly and the ship gets off on its way. Would that be acceptable Tara?"

He hoped she'd understand his attempt to let her turn her concern to what really mattered in this moment without sacrificing her control of the situation. He suspected that the men would be no further issue based on Brian's behavior so far, but if they were he'd be more than willing to handle it to allow her to be with her brother.

Tara nodded at Will, relieved that he was present.

"Please do... thank you, Will."

She smiled softly at him before whispering something in Gavin's ear; he smirked immediately, then began limping toward the car.

The last notes of "How Deep Is the Ocean" faded some time ago.  Bella knew Tara and Will should be at the docks and already engaged in negotiations.  It was only a mild relief not to hear the distant sounds of gunfire or police sirens.  Mild because it meant she still had no idea what the fuck was happening.

Twenty armed men accompanied her and took positions watching the street through windows.  Many of them worked for her or Gavin, they were people she trusted, loyal soldiers who knew would die for her or Gavin without it being asked... lead by a man who had not said a word to any of them.  The silent, strong, and familiar presence of Neil had helped to calm her - but also remind her of a different time when someone she loved dearly was separated from her and at the 'tender mercy' of murderers.  

Bella paced.  She wasn't good with lack of control, she knew this, and pacing felt like she was doing SOMETHING when there was NOTHING more that could be done other than pray and wait.  Something had happened to push things forward, was Gavin hurt?  Was he alive?  Her mind drifted back to the box on her couch, still unopened.

She looked to a small clock hanging on the wall of the empty diner which Tara had told them to hide/wait inside.  The back door had been left open by the owner for them which could only mean that he was a friend of the Race Street Company.  Two minutes had passed since she last looked.  

I'm going to go mad if I don't do something to distract myself...

She looked to the Doctor who, by comparison, was as cool as a cucumber ... at least on the outside.  The woman seemed unflappable, preparing for whatever might come through the door.  Bella wet her lips, hoping conversation would take her mind off the worry.

"So... how did you and Adonis meet?"  It was a mundane and maybe inappropriate question for the moment, but Bella could think of nothing else save for wanting to talk about Gavin and her worry for him.  None of which would do her any good right now.  It was better to focus on someone else's story for a bit... if she could.

Without appearing to be staring, Ilaria had taken a seat at a small table near a window. Isabella paced like a lioness, the worry in her mind and heart evident with every uneasy footstep. To Ilaria, it seemed that the woman was not used to being on the waiting side of the action. Ilaria knew that feeling all too well, especially when waiting for word on the other piece of one's heart. 

Finally, Isabella broke the nervous silence. With a gentle smile, Ilaria recognized the need for a distraction. 

"We met while we were both in Don Bowden's family. He was William's right hand when I came from Las Vegas."

Ilaria chuckled softly, recalling their first meeting. 

"He was my first patient, before the clinic officially opened. Poor man came bursting through the door, drunk as a skunk and bleeding from a gunshot wound in the shoulder. Not what one might consider romantic, but, his charm was evident even then."

She shrugged softly and continued.

"They say the way to a man's heart is his stomach, so it must have been the left over mushroom ravioli I fed him to help sober him up. Whatever it was, it worked."

​​​​​

"Well, a better story than how I met Adonis for sure... poor guy was suffering a mild concussion from one for my boxers at Purgatory."  She chuckled and she looked out the window again towards the docks her laughter faded.

"I met Gavin at an ice cream shop here in Philly.  I ordered a vanilla cone and was eating it alone, trying to collect my thoughts..."  she stopped herself from saying 'about William' or 'about my dead fiancee who wasn't really dead.'  Neither of which was a happy topic nor one she wanted to get into right now.

She closed her eyes and remembered Gavin's smile that day in the shop.  "He asked me if I knew that you could tell a lot about a person why what ice cream they ate... and he proceeded to tell me about my life, rather correctly actually.  Of course," She said opening her eyes smiling.  "I knew he was shamelessly trying to pick me up... but, I didn't care.  Actually, it was a nice change of pace from all the men who pissed themselves in fear of my father.  And, perhaps as his reward for being too bold or too ignorant, I totally gave in to his charms."

She sighed.  She was thinking about him again. 

Of course, talking about relationships wasn't going to make her stop thinking about her future husband.

"You said you were in the military?  I didn't imagine that, did I?  I'm sorry I've been a bundle of ... nerves, I guess, since Tara called me.  I've barely slept a wink in two days."