Thy Kingdom Come

If I let him live and he is with the Doyles, it’ll be on me. I’ll be seen as the pussy who choked.

“I know ye don’t wa

Coming to a sudden stop, I turn my cheek slowly. “What did ya say?”

Nolen doesn’t wipe away the blood I spilled. He lets me see what I’ve done and what I plan to do. “I knew yer ma,” he reveals, leaving me awful shocked. “Cara was so parful. Ya were the love of her life. She’d do anythin’ to protect ya.”

“Yer aul’ arse,” I snarl, barely holding back the urge to cut out his tongue for spewing forth such lies.

But Nolen doesn’t waver. “Believe whatcha want, but it’s true.”

“And why haven’t ya mentioned this until now?” I ask, watching for any signs of deceit. Nolen did lie to us for years about his religion. What’s stopping him from lying right now to save his arse?

But what he does next catches me by surprise.

He laughs loudly.

“You away in the head?” My question just has him laughing harder.

Blood mixes with tears as he confesses, “For years, I’ve kept this secret, but no more. Yer not an eejit, lad, even though yer da treats ya like one.”

“What secret?” I ask between clenched teeth.

When Nolen just continues to laugh, appearing to have lost the plot, I angrily spring forward and slap his cheek. “Yer a fierce cunt, so ya are. I’m about to slit yer throat and yer laughin’. What’s the matter with ya?”

His laughter is soon replaced with nothing but tears. “Get a move on then!” he shouts, but we’re not done until he explains himself.

“Answer my question!” I demand, yanking him forward so we’re pressed nose to nose.

“I tell ye and then what?” Nolen has realized that he just may have an advantage that could save his life.

Shoving him back into the chair, I stand tall. “That depends on what ya tell me,” I warn because he isn’t in control. I am.

“I’ll tell ye what it is, but yer to promise to let me go.”

“Will I, yea?” I state, because that’s something I can’t do. But a small bothersome voice reasons that this is a compromise I’m willing to make.

If he has information which could prove to be useful to me, then I have to agree. I could just kill him afterward, but I don’t work that way. If I give him my word, then I plan on sticking to it. And I would have saved Orla the heartache of not knowing what happened to her da.

A voice I’ve not heard in so long tackles me from out of nowhere. “I’m so proud of ya, my wee son.”

Ma?

It can’t be. It must be wishful thinking, or my mind playing tricks because if my ma were to speak to me, those aren’t the words she’d say. I’ve hurt more people than I’ve loved, which is nothing to be proud of. But I can’t help it. This is who I am. I don’t know how else to be.

“All right then,” I utter, watching as a wave of relief washes over Nolen. “I give ya my word. But if yer lyin’ to me, I promise ya…ya won’t like the consequences.”

Nolen nods eagerly, understanding the seriousness of my words.

“Thank ye, Puck,” he wheezes, adjusting his position to get comfortable. “I’m sorry I lied to ya. But I had to protect my family.”

“Enough,” I snap, not interested in having a deep and meaningful conversation. “Start talkin’.”

Nolen takes three deep breaths, wiping away the blood from his broken nose. “Yer whole life, he’s been lyin’ to ya.”

“Who has?” I fold my arms across my chest, watching Nolen closely. “And lyin’ about what?”

I don’t know why, but my stomach suddenly sinks. I have this overwhelming feeling that whatever Nolen is about to reveal is going to change everything forever.

He sits tall, meeting my eyes, and I see it. He knows what happened to my ma. “Yer da—”

But his confession will never be heard because in its place is a thunderous bang.

I reach for my gun in the small of my back and spin around frantically, locked and loaded on whoever just shot Nolen dead. Who I see in the dim lighting leaves me shook.

“Uncle Sean?” I exclaim, shocked but also ragin’. He just shot the answers I’ve been searching for, for sixteen years, right between the eyes.

With a flop, Nolen’s neck droops backward, and I hear a drip…drip…drip of blood onto the cold ground.

“Why d’ya do that?” I bellow, furious at him. “Do ya realize what y’ve done?”

“Aye, cub, I’m savin’ yer life,” he counters, lowering his gun.

I, however, can’t do the same. My gun is aimed at him as I attempt to process what’s just happened.

“He was no threat!” I shout, shaking my head. “He had information I needed.”

“And ya believe him?” Uncle Sean reprimands, walking into the room. “I taught ya better than this. A desperate man will say anythin’ to live. Ye know this!”

“How’d ya know?” I yell, waving my gun in em.

Uncle Sean isn’t scared that he currently has a firearm pointed at him. He continues walking toward me.

“Because Nolen Ryan is a liar. That’s the reason he’s here. That’s the reason you were supposed to kill him. But ye were go

“It’s not like that,” I reply, but when looking at the situation in black and white, that’s exactly what it is.

“Naw? Ya weren’t go

Silence.

Uncle Sean stands in front of me and grips my wrist, placing the muzzle against his chest. “Ya wa

My grip on the gun falters and my arm grows slack. “Course not.”

Uncle Sean sighs and lets me go, and I replace the gun at the small of my back. “Ach, I knew ya weren’t ready for this. Yer dad is so fucking stubborn! That’s why I’m here, just in case.”

I shouldn’t be angry with Uncle Sean because he’s right. A desperate man will say anything to save his own arse. But I can’t forget the look in Nolen’s eyes. He was telling the truth.

“Yer not ready.”

“Don’t tell me what I am.” I’m affronted he thinks so little of me. “I had it under control.”

“From where I was standin’, it certainly didn’t look that way. He’d tell ya what ya wanted to hear and ye’d let him go, only for him to see yer clemency as a weakness. The Kellys can’t be weak, cub. If this got out…ya know what it would mean for us?”

Nodding firmly, I accept him reprimanding me because as always, he only has my best interests at heart.

“Good, lad. I’m sorry yer angry with me, but I’d rather ya be mad at me than dead, which is what would happen if yer da found out ya let a traitor go free.”

“He said he knew Ma,” I confess, her voice long gone from the violence which took her life.

Uncle Sean’s face turns nostalgic. “Everyone knew her, Punky,” he shares, which is news to me. “She was an angel.”

“Then why does no one talk about her? It’s like she never existed. But she did, Uncle Sean. She was my ma, yer sister-in-law. I’m sick of the lies and the secrecy. I want to know what happened to her.”

“Ack, lad, let it go,” he says, shaking his head.

“Naw. I will not,” I stubbornly argue. “How can ya ask that of me? Ya know what happened to her. Ya know Dad is a fucking pussy and won’t confront the Doyles once and for all.”

“Y’ll just have to get over it, Punky. There’s no other way.”

“But I’m not like him. I can’t forget her. I won’t. The Doyles can’t get away with this.”

Uncle Sean’s nostalgia fades and is replaced with a