Kin
by
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Present day. Sean’s apartment. 1910 Hours. Sean flicked his cigarette away into the night and took another sip of his whiskey. He turned and walked back into the warmth and closed the door behind him. He looked around the room and saw how small it was. He would either have to find a bigger place or move out of Chicago for good. He wanted to get away from his problems most of all. He knew better and realized his problems would follow him wherever he went. He set the shot glass down on a table and took off his gun and emptied all his pockets and sat down on the couch. He put his head on a pillow and thought if he could get some sleep he would feel better in the morning. The day’s events filtered through his brain as he dozed off. Sean opened his eyes and could not see anything. Everything in front of him was complete darkness. He didn’t know where he was. He noticed his arms were tied to what looked like stone. Each hand was tied to a wall. His legs were tied to the stone as well. He finally realized he couldn’t see anything because something covered his eyes. Sean turned his head when he heard a voice. It wasn’t really a voice, he thought, it was more like a whimpering sound. The bandana came off and the brightness hurt his eyes for a moment and he finally adjusted to the light. He saw four men, each one holding a machine-gun. They all wore black and each had a mask that covering their heads. Sean looked to his right to see a man with his back to him. "What’s going on?" asked Sean. "Where am I?" The man turned to face Sean. It was Larkin. Sean’s eyes widened. Larkin stood before him with a knife in one hand and a torch in the other. "Michael, is that you?" The figure didn’t answer. He only tilted his head for a moment and stared back at Sean. "Where am I?" The figure again said nothing and only stared at Sean. Sean looked around the room and noticed the room was made of stone, except for the dirt on the ground. He saw torches on each wall except one. "What are you doing?" asked Sean. No answer. "Why don’t you answer me?" Sean’s voice was shaky. "Where are we and what am I doing here?" The figure turned away and held out his hand motioning for Sean to look around a little more. He did, looking at the floor and the walls and the door leading to other hallways. He then noticed the skeletons. He shut his eyes hard and looked up to see a small hole in the ceiling. He looked down again and saw more bodies. Sean looked at Larkin. "No." He closed his eyes hard again. "No, I’m not here. This has to be a dream. I can’t be here again." He opened his eyes and saw he was still in the room. "What do you want?" screamed Sean. Larkin turned and nodded to one of the other men. He left the room and came back a few seconds later with a woman. Her eyes were covered and her arms were tied behind her back. Sean focused harder and then he knew who it was. Caitlin. "No, Michael. Don’t hurt her. She’s yer sister!" "Sean!" screamed Caitlin. "What’s goin’ on?" she cried. "I can’t see anythin’." "Let her go, you son of a bitch!" screamed Sean. The figure said nothing. He looked at Caitlin and took the cloth from her eyes so she could see. She closed them and looked up to see her brother in front of her with a knife in his hands. "Michael," said Caitlin. "Is that you?" Larkin said nothing as Caitlin looked at him and cried. She then turned to Sean. "Sean, I’m scared. What’s goin’ on?" Sean could only shake his head in disbelief. Larkin again motioned at the men with his knife. One of them grabbed Caitlin and shoved her away from Larkin and into another room. "No!" she cried. "No!" She tried to get free and struggled as she was pushed from the room. "Sean, help me!" "Caitlin!" screamed Sean. He could hear her muffled cries now as she got farther away. Sean lowered his head and stared at his brother again. "I don’t know what’s happening, Michael. I just know if you hurt her you will die." Larkin said nothing. "Do ya understand what I said? You die if you hurt my sister!" Larkin’s frown slowly turned into a devilish grin. He opened his mouth. "Every man, before he dies, shall see the devil," said Larkin. He started laughing. Sean awoke suddenly from the dream. He looked around the room to make sure he was back in his apartment. He checked his arms and legs and felt his head swell. A sudden feeling of horror came over him. He looked at the phone on the bar and a second later it rang.
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About the Book
KIN
The brothers also have a sister who is dying from cancer, and her letters to her brother keep him walking a tightrope between the love for his family and his job of pursuing them at the same time.
KIN contains, at times, heart-wrenching drama along with plenty of action and excitement. The one thing it does most of all is try to tell a story that covers both sides of the troubles Ireland has been plagued with for centuries.
There are no happy endings when it comes to an Irish story, only realism and honesty. This is what the book accomplishes.
About the Author
This is the maiden voyage for Kevin McLaughlin. Although he has no previously published works, he has been writing all his life. Kevin was born at Fort Meade Army Hospital in Maryland but grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. He has bachelor's degrees in journalism and communications and in aviation studies, both of which contributed greatly to the novel. He is a lover of history and even took a trip to Ireland just to study the people and the culture so he could capture what life is like. The research he performed on the novel KIN was painstaking, but realism was the driving force behind it. Kevin currently resides in Omaha, Nebraska and is also working on a new book.