by Nicola Jane
“Yes. I’d have you back with the club where you’re safe. I’d let you be around Ziggy.” I take her face in my hands and use my thumbs to wipe away her tears. “You could take him to school and the park. You could have it all back if you just got clean.”
“And you? Could I have you back?” Giving her false hope would be cruel, so I shake my head.
“Get better for Ziggy. He needs his mom around.”
Michelle scoffs. “Your mom would never let me come back here. She’d die before letting me be around for Zigg.”
“It’s not up to my mom. Get clean.” It’s not that simple, we both know that. If it was, she’d never have gotten that bad in the first place. She loved me and Ziggy. She just made some bad choices and ended up on a slippery slope— one I didn’t spot until it was too late. I place a light kiss on her forehead. “Get some sleep. You’ll feel better in the morning.”
“Lay with me?” she asks, taking me by the hand and leading me towards the bed.
As I strip down to my shorts, my heart hurts. Being so close to her and yet so far away brings back too many bad memories. We climb under the sheets and she lays her head on my chest. “I’m sorry,” she whispers. I wrap my arms around her and close my eyes. At least I know she’s safe tonight.
My alarm rings out and I stretch. I reach out and find the space beside me is empty. I sigh heavily. Deep down, I knew Michelle wouldn’t stick around, but it still stings. My wallet lies open on the bedside cabinet and I reach for it knowing that she’s cleaned me out. There was a good amount in there, and it was stupid of me to leave it around. It would have been too tempting for her to resist.
I spot Bonnie coming out of Trucker’s room as I make my way down for breakfast. I do a double-take and she shrugs her shoulders. “What?” she asks. “You think I don’t need attention too?” I ignore her. The rules of the club are that any of the club girls are fair game unless a member claims them.
Downstairs, Ziggy is watching cartoons with his aunty Leia. “Mom is looking for you. She’s screwing about your late-night visitor,” Leia warns me with a smirk only younger siblings can seem to pull off. It instantly puts me in a bad mood.
I find my mom in the kitchen. She glares at me. “Really, Finn? You couldn’t find a decent girl to bring back here?”
“Wasn’t like that, Frankie,” I sigh. She hates me using her real name instead of Mom just as much as I hate her calling me Finn. “She needed to crash somewhere safe.”
“She made her choice!” she hisses. “She left and we picked up the pieces. Now she’s in your bed?”
“Not in that way. How the fuck did you know anyway?”
“I caught her dirty ass sneaking out of here at six a.m. She didn’t expect to see me. I’ve never seen a person so terrified,” she says smugly. “She doesn’t deserve your help, Finn. Stop rescuing her.”
“You don’t get it, Mom. Just leave me to deal with Michelle.”
I join Leia and Ziggy to watch cartoons. Leia’s smug smirk is still firmly in place.
“I find it hilarious that you are in charge around here yet Mom yells at you about the company you keep.” She laughs. “Now you know how I feel when you boss me around.”
“That’s different. You’re my sister. I’m supposed to vet your boyfriends. You’re only nineteen. If Dad were here, he’d be way worse than me.”
“Maybe,” she says quietly. We all miss him.
I spot Bonnie tidying around the other couches. I go over to her with the intention of apologizing about last night. I don’t owe her anything, we’ve only ever kissed and shared my bed, but I feel bad. “You okay?” I ask.
“Of course,” she says flatly. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Last night wasn’t what it looked like. I didn’t have sex with Michelle. She needed a place to crash and—”
“Why are you explaining yourself? You don’t need to. It’s your business. You looked pretty cosy with the green-eyed girl in the bar last night. I expected to see her in your bed.” She swipes her cloth over the coffee table and then sighs. “Is it me?” she asks in a low voice. “I’ve been coming to your bed for weeks, but nothing ever happens. I need to know if it’s me.”
I shake my head. “No. I told you before that I’m not looking for anything right now. Just the company.”
“But we don’t even speak. We fall asleep. It’s a little weird.”
“Maybe we should call it a day. I have a lot going on right now and I don’t have the time to dedicate getting to know you properly right now. I’m sorry.”
She shrugs and straightens the couch up. “Whatever.”
Cree stands in my office doorway and signals for me to come over. I’m grateful for the interruption. He closes the door before he begins to speak. “I just got a call from the mayor. There was an incident in the early hours. A kid got shot. They’re saying it’s gang-related, but he wanted me to ask around. Seems this kid wasn’t a gang member, just an innocent teenager on his way home from a party. Happened on our streets, Pres.”
I rub my beard. “So, you find out who did it yet?”
“I’m working on it. We have to consider that it might have something to do with Reggie. I think we should pay Marshall a visit.”
Marshall runs his empire from a storage unit on a back street just behind the railways. The front of the unit is piled high with antique furnishings that he supplies locally, and it’s a good way to clean his money up. Once you get to the back of the unit, there are plastic sheets hanging, and behind those sheets sits Marshall’s goldmine. Vans are in and out all day collecting furniture stuffed with bags of cocaine and heroin.
When we arrive, it’s unexpected, and by the time I push the plastic sheeting to one side, Marshall is rushing forward to greet us. “Gentlemen.” He smiles. “I thought I might get a visit from you today.”
“Why’d ya think that?” asks Cree coldly.
“I heard about the kid. Naturally, I’d like to know what happened just like you do, but so far, I’m drawing a blank.”
“Come on, Marshall. Don’t talk shit. You know everything about these streets. I didn’t order it, and if you didn’t either, someone is stepping on our toes,” I say.
“Like?” asks Marshall. “No one would dare.”
“Someone fucking did. That’s why there’s a kid dead,” growls Cree, shoving Marshall back a few steps.
“What did Reggie have to say when you turned down his offer?” I ask.
“If you turned him down,” adds Cree.
“He wasn’t happy. Said I could make so much more on his side of the tracks. He took it well though. Actually, he asked me if I knew where his wife was staying. Did you know his wife was on this side of the tracks?”
I turn and leave with Cree following. It’s clear we won’t get anything useful from him.
Once outside, Cree turns to me. “It’s him, isn’t it? He knows you’ve been sniffing around Anna.”
“He don’t know shit,” I bite out. “How the hell would he? I’ve hardly seen her. It’s not like we went out on a date.”
Cree shakes his head. “I don’t know, man, but I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Maybe we should send her back to her side?”
“Are you fucking crazy? He’ll kill her. You want that on your conscience? She’s nice and so is her kid. She’s on this side, which means she’s under our protection. Put a brother on her, but I don’t want her to know, so make sure he’s discrete.”
“You want to take this deeper by protecting her? It’ll end badly, Pres.” I glare at him until he holds up his hands. “Fine, I’ll get on it.”
Chapter Seven
Anna
Monday morning comes around fast. I feel like my weekend flew by, but I’m also excited to go back to the garage. I spent my first day on Friday learning the system, so today I feel like it’s my real first day of work.
I drop Malia at school and thankfully don’t see Riggs. Although our kiss is playing on a loop in my head, my decision t
o stay away from him is the right one. He’ll consume me and his life is just as complicated as my own. He said so himself.
When I arrive at work, Gears is under a car. I shout my hello and head straight for the office. My plan today is to sit and input all the invoices into the computer system. There’s a good six months’ worth, but I’m ready for the challenge.
I get so lost in work that when Eva arrives with a sandwich so we can have lunch together, I’m shocked at the time. “Guess what,” she says, leaning closer. “So, you remember Jamie from Friday night?”
“The guy who tried to lick my face off?” I shudder.
“His nephew was killed over the weekend. Shot in cold blood!”
I stop chewing my sandwich and stare at her wide-eyed. “No fucking way. He didn’t stop talking about his nieces and nephews. He must be devastated!”
“Chris told me today. It’s so sad, isn’t it? He was only a kid. Makes you want to stay home when things like this happen in your hometown.”
I nod in agreement. “I feel awful for him. Ask Chris to pass on my condolences.”
Once Eva leaves, I make the guys a coffee. I take the tray down to the garage floor and almost stumble when I come face to face with Riggs and Cree.
Riggs’ eyes fix on me and his expression fills with annoyance. “What the fuck she doing here?” I feel my face flush crimson with embarrassment. I know men don’t always take rejection well, but he looks positively pissed.
“Pres, this is Anna,” says Gears. “She’s working in the office.”
“I know who the fuck she is,” snaps Riggs. He moves towards me and lifts my chin to inspect my neck bruises again. It feels like an alpha male thing to do— he doesn’t even ask or make it less than obvious. They look worse today because I’m not covered in makeup and they’ve gone yellow now that they’re a few days old. “You didn’t tell me you had a new job,” he mutters.
“I didn’t know I needed to,” I say, pulling my chin free from his gentle hold. I move around him and go back into the office.
Riggs follows me. “You didn’t think it was important to tell me that you were working in my garage?”
“I didn’t know it was your garage. I thought Gears was the boss.”
“Everyone treating you good here? Being respectful?” he asks, and I nod. “Good. Have you told Reggie you’re working here?”
“Why would I tell him? What’s with all the questions?” I shuffle some paperwork. I’m irritated by his presence since he looked so pissed to see me again.
“Don’t tell him. He won’t like it. Things are getting messy on the streets. When you’re out alone, you need to be on high alert.”
“You’re starting to sound just like him,” I mutter. “Whatever happens out there on the streets involving all of your little gangs has nothing to do with me. I’m only Reggie’s wife on paper. I’m a normal person, a single mom just trying to move on and earn an honest living.”
“A kid was shot last night. It happened just a few streets away from where you live. I don’t know why it happened or if it’s gang-related, but either way, you’re a target whether you like it or not.”
“Jamie’s nephew?” I ask. “The guy I went on a date with, it was his nephew.”
Riggs looks troubled. “How’d ya know that?”
“Eva told me just now at lunch. Her date told her and he’s friends with Jamie.”
Riggs mutters something about having to go and rushes out the office, slamming the door behind him. I stand at the window overlooking the garage and see Riggs talking quietly in Cree’s ear, and then they both look up at me. I step away from the window. I don’t like the look of worry on Riggs’ face, and if it’s anything to do with Reggie, then I don’t want to know.
When I collect Malia from school, she’s excited and bouncy. “Mommy, can I go to Ziggy’s house? Pleeeese,” she begs. We’re already almost home, so I shake my head, thankful that she waited until now to ask me and not in front of Ziggy’s grandma.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Are you playing with other kids like I told you to?” I ask. She shakes her head and her little natural curls bounce. “Malia, you promised to try and make some new friends,” I sigh.
“The other kids don’t like me,” she says. “Ellis said that my daddy is a bad guy. He isn’t allowed to play with me. Is daddy bad?”
“What?” I almost screech. “Why didn’t you tell me he said that?”
“I’m telling you now,” she says, rolling her eyes, and I laugh at her sassiness. “Is my daddy bad?”
I push the key into the lock and open the front door. “Just ignore what people say about your daddy. He loves you and you love him. I think . . . ” My words die on my lips as I survey the living room. The place is a mess— things are all over the floor and the mirror is smashed. I swoop down, wrap Malia in my arms, and go back outside. My hand is shaking as I press Eva’s name on my cell. “Hey girlfriend,” she answers in a high-pitched voice.
“Eva, are you at home?”
“Yeah, what’s up?” she asks.
“I’ve been burgled,” I explain. I hear her rustling about, and she tells me she’s on her way. Luckily, she lives just at the end of my road, and Esther, her mom, lives a few doors away from Eva. Minutes later, they both come running towards me. “I didn’t know what to do,” I say feebly. Esther rubs my arm to offer reassurance as she passes me and goes into the house.
The rumble of motorbikes fills the street, and Malia covers her ears. “Have you called the cops?” asks Eva, but I shake my head. “Did you call him?” she adds as Riggs’ bike comes to a stop outside my house. I shake my head again.
Riggs steps off his bike followed by Cree and two other bikers. “You okay?” he asks.
“Not really. I’ve been burgled,” I mutter. “What are you doing here?”
“I was passing,” he says and then heads inside.
Esther comes back out. “The place is a mess. You can’t stay here tonight,” she says. “Every room’s been ransacked.”
Riggs comes out with his cell pressed to his ear. He pushes a bag into my hands. “Pack some shit together. Just stuff for a few days.”
Eva and Esther help me get some things together while Malia clings to me. “Who would do something like this?” sighs Eva, looking around my bedroom at the heaps of clothes and other belongings strewn all over the place. “It doesn’t even look like they’ve taken anything.”
My jewellery box lays untouched on the dresser. It’s full of expensive pieces that Reggie bought me.
Back outside, Riggs is waiting beside his bike. He flicks his cigarette to the ground and crushes it with his boot. “All packed?” he asks, and I nod in response. “The police are on their way. They won’t get any fingerprints and the chances of them finding whoever did this are low. I’m gonna do some digging. Until I know for sure that this isn’t targeted, I’m gonna have someone follow you.”
“No,” I say firmly as I hand Malia to Esther. “Take her for me. I’ll be over shortly.” I wait until they’re gone before fixing Riggs with a hard stare. “I spent years being followed around by Reggie’s men. I won’t have that again. This wasn’t targeted. I was unlucky that some chancer broke into my house—”
“What did they take?” he cuts in. When I don’t reply, he smirks. “Exactly. My guy’s been watching you. You haven’t spotted him once, so he’s not gonna be all up in your face.” He points over to where a man stands by the wall at the end of my street.
“That’s how you knew something was wrong,” I gasp. “Why would you have someone follow me?” I ask. I’m outraged that he’s taken it upon himself to arrange for me to have protection without my knowledge or consent.
“Because I can.” He brushes his thumb over my lower lip. “I’ve been dreaming about your mouth ever since that kiss,” he mutters. His voice is low and raspy. I’m suddenly mesmerized by his lips. “Stop looking at me like that,” he whispers. “It makes me do stupid things.”
/> I snap out of the spell when I hear the word stupid. He’s right. I step back. “Who’s your guy?” I ask, nodding to the shadow at the end of the street.
“Blade. He got the name because he can throw any sized blade accurately. He’s been known to hit his target right between the eyes.”
“Nice,” I mutter. “I don’t think that’ll be needed, but if it makes you happier.” I shrug and then walk away.
The week drags. The police came, and as Riggs suggested, there were no prints. I gave my statement, and as nice as it was to stay with Eva, I was glad to get back home a few days later. I pop my head out of the front door and Blade glances up from his cell phone. “You want coffee?” I ask. He smiles gratefully and takes the steps two at a time.
I got sick of seeing him sitting on my wall all the time and told him that if he was going to keep following me around, then he could at least allow me to get to know him.
“Have you heard from Riggs?” I ask casually, because since my place got burgled, I’ve not heard a thing.
“Yeah, I saw him last night at the club. You hot for the Pres?” he grins.
“No,” I say, feeling my cheeks heat up. “He irritates me. He’s with that girl, anyway, erm . . . Bonnie?”
Blade grins wider. “You trying to dig for info?”
“No. I already know he’s with her. I saw them together when we were out a week or so ago.” I hand him his coffee.
“Well, she’s in his bed every night, but that doesn’t mean shit unless he lays claim to her,” he says.
“Lay claim?” I repeat.
“Yeah. A biker usually lays claim to the girl he loves. Then she becomes his ol’ lady. Once he’s done that, they’re official. It’s like having a wife. No other brother can take her.”
“Sounds very old fashioned. Maybe even a little caveman.”
He laughs. “Just the way it is.”
“So do you have an ol’ lady?”
“No way. I love pussy too much. Who wants to have the same one every day for the rest of their life?” He visibly shudders and I laugh.
