by S L Davies
Prologue
“Who the fuck are you?” the skinny pock marked heroin junkie said with wide eyes as he looked between Iden and Dyfed.
Dyfed, who was the more sadistic out of the two Murphy brothers, smiled a sardonic grin at the petrified man. Most bosses sent their henchmen to do their dirty work, like torturing some junked up piece of scum that thought they could get away with stealing what they were supposed to hand over, but Dyfed and Iden enjoyed this part of the job as well as making money.
“Well now, I believe you have something that belongs to, my brother and I,” Dyfed growled, as he stretched himself out to his full height of just over six and a half feet.
The junkie, whose name Iden couldn’t remember, shook his head erratically and started to stammer. His eyes were bulging from his gaunt skeletal face. His dirty, stinking hair flopped around his head. He held up his hands, that were crusted in dirt, the skin torn and bleeding.
“No, no I don’t have anything of yours,” he stammered.
Dyfed twisted his neck, making it pop as he folded his beefy arms over his chest. Dyfed was not only the more sadistic, but he was also the more intimidating. While Iden was terrifying in his own right, he wasn’t as big as Dyfed, and he was prepared to watch quietly. Dyfed liked to get his hands dirty, he liked to make their victims scream. The things that Iden had witnessed his brother do, would make a grown man weep. But they weren’t normal men, they had grown up in the business. Their father being the original Murphy boss, he had raised his sons to take over one day. Dyfed jumped at the chance, loving the violence, Iden was slightly more withdrawn.
“Well now, you see, that’s where you are lying. I believe you have over a hundred grand that you owe us, and my brother and I would like to know where that money is,” Dyfed growled.
Recognition filled the face of the junkie as his mouth opened and shut like a fish out of water and panic settled in his gut. Dyfed recognized the look and gave the junkie a wide smile, “ah, I see you remember now,” he growled.
“I, I’ve got the money, it’s just that my wife, she, she has it with her, she’s keeping it safe,” the junkie stammered looking between the two of them.
Dyfed turned to glance over his shoulder at Iden, who hadn’t taken his eyes off the junkie. He had learned a long time ago - you never turned your back on a desperate man. Dyfed knew that Iden had his back and would protect him with his life.
“Did you hear that Iden? He says his wife has our money,” Dyfed sneered, before turning his attention back to the guy. “Where is your wife?”
“She is staying with her sister,” the junkie answered with a rapid nod of his head.
“Right, her sister,” Dyfed said with a wicked grin.
“Yes, yes, she won’t be back till next week,” the junkie said again, his eyes were still wide.
“Oh, well if she’s going to come back next week, I guess we should wait until then and come back for our money, what do you think Iden?” Dyfed said, once again looking over his shoulder.
The junkie grinned, his rotten and blackened teeth providing a broken smile as he nodded, believing he was going to get a reprieve. “Yeah, she will be back, I’ll tell her to bring your money with her when she comes back.”
“That would be wonderful, thank you so much, how about you give her a ring now?” Dyfed said, his voice higher than normal as he attempted some form of sweet, that under normal circumstances would cause Iden to laugh.
The junkie nodded his head and started to pick at his skin, opening a wound on his arm. Iden wrinkled his nose in disgust while he watched him pick at the festering wound. “Ah yeah, yeah, I’ll um, yeah, I’ll ring her now,” the junkie said as he made to stand from the couch he was sat on.
Dyfed growled, and shoved the junkie back down into the couch, “don’t fucking move, your fuckin’ wife don’t have our fuckin’ money, so where the fuck is it?”
The junkie started to visibly shake, and his eyes began to bulge again, “she, she does, I promise man, I wouldn’t lie to you.”
“Just kill him Dyfed and let’s get out of here, I swear I’ve got fucking flea’s biting me from standing too long in this place,” Iden said.
“Kill me? No, shit, please,” the junkie pleaded.
“What did you think was going to happen? That we would let you off with a warning?” Dyfed scoffed.
“I can get you your money, please,” the junkie begged.
Dyfed rolled his eyes as he pulled his gun from the holster he had on under his jacket, the junkies eyes widened and he shook his head, before starting to make incoherent noises, that Iden assumed was begging for his life. Dyfed ignored the man’s pleas and continued to screw the suppressor onto the end of his gun. Before the junkie had time to beg again, Dyfed pointed the gun at his head and pulled the trigger.
The junkies head snapped back on his neck as the back of his skull blew out over the couch and wall. Iden wrinkled his nose and sighed. “What do you reckon the chances are that he kept some of the money and it didn’t just end up in his arm?” Iden asked, as Dyfed put his gun back in its holster.
“Slim to fuckin’ none,” Dyfed growled, kicking at the lifeless foot of the junkie, “let’s check the place anyway, no point leaving money behind for the garda to find.”
Iden and Dyfed went their separate ways to begin searching the house for any money that the junkie had swindled away, money that was from the sales of the drugs that they supplied him to sell. It was obvious that all their drugs had gone up the cunts arm, rather than being sold. Iden didn’t expect to find a cent, he imagined that none of the drugs had even made it outside the disaster that was called a home.
Iden walked into a room that was a bedroom and noticed instantly the pale body of a woman strewn across the bed. Her arm was still in a tourniquet, and the needle was hanging out the vein. The woman’s skin was grey, and her dirty blonde hair was matted with vomit and whatever else. It was obvious that she was dead.
“I guess we found the wife,” Dyfed said quietly from the door as he came into the room and looked down at the woman.
Iden sighed and nodded his head, they were not going to get any of their money and had lost all the drugs that they had given this piece of fuck to sell. Suddenly a gurgle beside the bed caught their attention. Dyfed was fast with his gun, as he whipped it from its holster and pointed it at the side of the bed. Iden leaned forward so that he could see what caused the noise. He felt his eyes widen as he took in the naked body of a little girl sitting with wide brown eyes looking up at him.
“Fuck Dyfed, it’s a kid,” he swore.
“What?” Dyfed said, as he rebolstered his gun and leaned over the bed to see the little girl.
The girl looked to be about two years old. Her big chocolate eyes were filled with tears. Her hair was black and matted, like she hadn’t been bathed since the day she was born. She was caked in dirt, her body was underweight, her ribs stuck out and her face was gaunt. Iden shook his head and slowly stepped towards her. Dyfed placed his hand on Iden’s arm to stop him. Iden rolled his eyes and stepped forward again, he reached out his hands, and the little girl obediently stood on unsteady legs and came to him.
“Fuck,” Dyfed swore, as he ran his hand up over his face.
Iden looked at the child in his arms to see what Dyfed was swearing at and quickly realized that the reason she had been naked. She wasn’t just the unfortunate child of a pair of junkies, she was an extra income to them. Iden’s heart clenched in his chest, as he clutched the little girl closer.
“Do you think she knows her name? Anything about herself?” Dyfed asked.
Iden frowned and looked down into her face. She continued to stare up at him with big dark eyes that were welled with tears. Her bottom lip was trembling, but she was refusing to let th
e tears flow. Iden felt rage rise in his heart. If those pieces of filth weren’t already dead, he would slowly torture them.
“What’s your name sweetheart?” Iden asked gently.
The little girls’ eyes widened further, and she bit down hard on her lip as the tears threatened to spill down over her cheeks.
“She’s fucking terrified, Iden,” Dyfed spat, the anger and disgust evident in his voice, “we can’t leave her here.”
“We can’t, we will take her back home. Brigid will help look after her, otherwise she is going to be thrown in the system,” Iden said.
They might have been the Murphy brothers who were feared all over Northern Ireland, but he wouldn’t send this precious little jewel off to the system where she would continue to be abused by people who were supposed to be caring for her. At least if he brought her home to his wife Brigid and their two sons Finnbarr and Karney, he would be able to assure that she was safe. Brigid had desperately wanted more children - she would have loved a daughter, but her body gave out on her before she had the chance, to try again. This should make her happy, Iden thought to himself, with a small smile.
“Do you think she has clothes?” Dyfed asked, with a small frown on his face.
“We can just wrap her in the blanket for now, then we will get her clothes once we have her home,” Iden said.
Dyfed nodded and pulled the blanket out from under the dead woman, causing her to flip off the side of the bed, with a hard thud. The little girl winced in Iden’s arms, but she didn’t make a sound. Dyfed took the blanket and wrapped it around the girl and Iden, before leading the way out of the rotting house and to the car.
“We are ready for the cleanup,” Dyfed said into the radio in the car, as he slid into the driver’s side.
Iden slid into the passenger side of the car with the little girl on his lap. Dyfed looked over at them, taking the seat belt and helping to wrap it across Iden and the little girl. “We are going to have to give her a name,” Dyfed said, looking down at the girl, whose eyes were still wide as she looked around her. Iden wondered if she had ever been outside that hell.
“I think Branwen, little raven,” Iden said with a small smile down at the little girl.
Dyfed chuckled and nodded his head, “I think that suits her, Branwen, the pretty little raven.”
Iden smiled down at the little girl and she blinked up at him. One look at her told Iden she was petrified. God only knew what she had been through in her tiny life. He didn’t even know how old she was. But he wasn’t going to let her feel that kind of pain ever again.
Chapter One
5 years later
“That’s not true, you take it back Karney,” Branwen screeched, as she sat on top of her older brother, flailing her fists down into his chest and arms.
“It is true, bug, I heard Da telling Uncle Rauri about it.
Tears flooded down over her cheeks as Karney told her what he had heard. Her mam and da weren’t hers. They found her in a house with other people. They stole her. She couldn’t believe what Karney was saying, but he had never lied to her before, she didn’t see why he would now.
“What in Jesus name is going on here?” Mam roared as she marched down the yard toward where Branwen had Karney pinned beneath her.
Mam stopped beside the wrestling pair and plucked Branwen into her arms, “you come with me, Karney, you get in there with your da, he wants a word wit ye boy,” she growled.
Karney stood and dusted his jeans off, his head lowered, with his blonde hair flopping about his face, he slowly scuffed his feet towards the house, where their da stood at the back door, his meaty arms folded across his chest.
“Come now, dry those tears off, we are going to have a little chat,” Mam said as she started to walk hand in hand with Branwen down the yard toward the little vegetable garden she kept.
It was her mam’s favorite part of the garden, she spent hours there tending to her vegetables. It was here that she had taught Branwen all about the fairies and little people that could be found in nature. Mam sat down on the small bench that their da had built and patted the seat beside her. Branwen climbed up and snuggled in close looking up at her mam. She wasn’t a tall woman, but beautiful, she had green eyes that shone with delight, and flaming red hair. Karney looked more like their da, he had the same blonde hair and blue eyes, and wore the same scowl that their da did. Finnbarr though, he looked just like their mam, with his green eyes and red hair with streaks of blonde. Branwen had never given it a lot of thought as to why she looked so different to her parents. Underneath it all, she knew that what Karney was saying was the truth, but she didn’t want to believe that the parents she loved more than life, would steal her from people.
“Now, I know what Karney told you, and I’m sorry that he said anything at all,” Mam began.
Branwen looked up at her mam with dark eyes, tears still sitting on her lashes, “is it true Mam? Did Da and Uncle Dyfed steal me from people?”
Mam sighed and shook her head, “no child, they didn’t steal you. It’s true that you didn’t come from my body, or your da’s, but stolen you weren’t.”
“Then where are my real mam and da?” Branwen asked.
Mam’s face paled, “child, we are your real mam and da. After Finnbarr was born, my body no longer worked, I couldn’t have any more barn. Then one day, your da and Uncle Dyfed were on a job. They were at some very bad people’s home. That is where they found ye. You were unhealthy, wouldn’t speak a word, would just look up at us with those big dark eyes of yours. We didn’t even know your name. But it was your da that called ye Branwen, because it means little raven.”
Branwen smiled, her uncle Dyfed never called her Branwen, he always called her Little Raven, now she understood why. “So, who were the people that had me Mam?”
“They were bad people who did bad things, drugs, robbing and hurting people, your Uncle Dyfed took care of them, you don’t have to worry about them no more,” she said as she pulled Branwen to her side.
Branwen rested her head on her mam’s chest as she thought about where she had come from, and who the people were. She was glad that Uncle Dyfed had dealt with them, she hated them. She couldn’t remember them, but she was glad, she didn’t want to live with bad people. She had been taught in school that drugs were bad, and she didn’t want to be around them.
“Thank you, Mam,” Branwen said looking up into the beautiful face of her mam.
Mam leaned forward and kissed the top of Branwen’s head, “you may not have come from my body, but you have always been in my heart. I love ye as much as I love your knuckleheaded brothers,” she chuckled.
Branwen giggled, “I love them too.”
Movement behind them had her turning to look to see Karney walking towards them with their da. Karney’s face was tear streaked and he had his hands shoved deep in his pockets. Da wore a scowl on his face that was deeper than normal. Branwen stood and ran towards Karney, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her head into his chest. He towered over her, Karney, was three years older than Branwen, but he was tall and wide just like their da.
“I’m sorry Little Raven, I shoulda never told you that stuff,” he said into her hair.
Branwen looked up at him and gave him a smile, “it’s okay Karney, Mam explained everything, I’m glad that Da and Uncle Dyfed brought me back here to live. I love you.”
Karney’s eyes welled up with tears again as he kissed her forehead and squeezed her to him, “I love you too,” he said as his voice hitched.
Branwen released Karney and stepped toward their da who was watching everything that went on. When she got to him, he lifted her into his arms, Branwen automatically wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
“You alright little one?” Da asked looking at her with a frown etched into his brow.
Branwen reached out and smoothed his brow with her thumb, before taking her fingers and pushing at his cheeks to force him to smile. Whe
n he held the smile, she nodded her head. “I’m good Da,” she said with a firm nod.
“Good,” he said with a wink.
Branwen giggled and wriggled in his arms, to be released. Once her da put her back down on firm ground, she turned to see Karney, standing beside their mam, who had her arm around his shoulders. Branwen reached out and took Karney’s hand and started to walk away. “Let’s go play rugby Karney,” she said with a smile.
Karney raised a brow at her, “you want to play rugby?” he asked cynically.
Branwen laughed and nodded her head before running forward, with Karney’s hand still clasped in hers. It had shocked her to know that she hadn’t come from her mam’s body and she was curious about the people that had her, but she was glad that her da and Uncle Dyfed found her and brought her home. She was happy, loved and healthy here.
Chapter Two
6 years later
Tears streamed down Branwen’s face as she ran through the school yard and out the gate. “Branwen,” Finnbarr called from behind her.
She looked over her shoulder but didn’t slow down, her legs pumped fast beneath her as she continued to run. Her lungs were burning, and her heart was pounding. She could hear Finnbarr’s feet pounding on the concrete behind her, suddenly arms surrounded her waist and lifted her, pulling her tight against Finnbarr’s chest.
“Let me go Finnbarr, I can’t stand them bitches, I don’t want to be around them anymore,” she cried.
“Stop fighting little Raven girl,” Finnbarr growled.
She went still in his arms and let him set her on the ground, turning her to face him. She looked up into his face. He had grown so tall over the last year, he was now easily six feet. His curly red hair was long and hung down over his shoulders. He looked down at her with concern etched in his handsome face. Finnbarr had not long turned fifteen, every girl in their school wanted him or Karney, it twisted Branwen’s gut with jealousy when she heard the girls talking about what they had done with her brothers. She didn’t know anything much about sex, she didn’t have a boyfriend. Karney and Finnbarr chased off any boy that even looked at her. It irritated Branwen. She wanted a chance to feel like the girls that swooned after her brothers did.