by Nicola Jane
“No way,” she hisses, looking around the dark car park. “It’s creepy.”
We’re at a disused warehouse and there’s nobody about. I sigh. “Fine but stay quiet. If anyone speaks to you, don’t answer.”
I push on the large wooden door, it creaks open, and I spot a dim light inside. I whistle once and a man steps from the shadows. “Kings Reaper,” I say to identify myself.
“Riggs?” he asks.
“No, but he sent me.”
“And who’s with you?” he asks.
“We gonna do this or not?” I growl. I’m impatient and I wanna get out of here. Something feels off.
“She stays out there,” he demands, and I feel Tillie grip my hand tightly.
“Forget this bullshit,” I snap, turning away. I hear a click and my knife sails through the air before I’ve even processed that the click of the trigger is his gun. It’s an instinct that I’ve had since I was a teenager—no one could ever sneak up on me.
The man falls to the ground with a heavy thud, and Tillie squeaks. She’s gripping my hand so tight, I think she’s cut off my blood supply. “It’s okay,” I whisper. “Keep calm.”
“Keep calm,” she hisses. “You just killed a guy and you’re telling me to keep calm.”
I move towards him with her clinging on to me. “Sunshine, I probably didn’t kill him,” I say with a shrug. “Maybe just . . .” I shrug again, peering at his lifeless body. “Okay, maybe killed, but it was him or us.”
“Him or us?” she snaps. “He was at the other side of the damn warehouse. What was he gonna do, run at us from all the way over there?”
“He was about to pull a gun. I heard the click.”
“What!” she hisses. I reach into the guy’s pocket and pull out his gun, raising my eyebrows at Tillie in an ‘I told you so’ manner
I take out my phone and put the call in to Riggs. “Pres, another problem,” I say when he answers.
“I send you to do a simple job and you call with another problem,” sighs Riggs.
“This time, it wasn’t my fault. I need a clean-up team ASAP.” The line falls silent for a second and I imagine Riggs pinching the bridge of his nose like he always does when he’s trying to stay calm. “I had a bad feeling the second the guy spoke to me. He was shifty, Pres. Then he pulled a gun when I tried to walk away.”
“Did you get the package at least?”
“I’ll go look,” I say, stepping over the lifeless body. “There’s nothing on the desk, Pres. How big’s this package?”
“Twenty grand big,” he says dryly. “Should be in a bag.” I look around, but there’s nothing here and I relay that.
“He was expecting you. He wasn’t happy when I said you’d sent me instead. You think it could be a setup?”
“Get your arse back here,” he snaps, disconnecting the call.
Tillie is frozen, her eyes fixed on the dead body. A knife sticks out of his chest, exactly where his heart once beat. I pull it out and she winces, then I wipe it on the guy’s jumper and stick it back in my kutte. “Just so you know, this has been the worst date ever,” she announces, folding her arms over her chest. She’s shivering, and I don’t know if that’s from shock or the weather, but I shrug out of my jacket and pass it to her.
“I’m really sorry. This isn’t what I had planned,” I say.
“How can you be so normal?” she asks. “He’s lying right there and you haven’t even checked to see if he’s breathing.”
“He isn’t. His pupils are fixed and dilated,” I say, peering closer at the guy’s eyes. I pull out my phone and snap a photo for Riggs.
“Oh my god, now you’re taking trophy shots?” she wails. She spins on her heel and marches to the exit. I rush after her, wrapping my arms around her waist and stilling her.
“Sunshine, relax,” I whisper into her ear. “I’m in an MC. Sometimes shit gets messy. Technically, I saved your life tonight. If you look at it like that, it’ll make you feel better.”
She spins to face me and her expression is full of rage. “If you hadn’t brought me here in the first place, I wouldn’t have been in danger.”
“That’s true,” I admit. “Bad call on my part, but I thought leaving you in the bar was bad date etiquette.”
She prods a finger into my chest. “No, Blade. I’ll tell you what bad date etiquette is . . . you bringing me on a date to your trashy local bar with a bunch of your violent friends. Then dumping me on a group of women I don’t even know, before dragging me off to an abandoned warehouse and killing a man in front of me.” Her eyes suddenly widen, then she takes a few steps back from me and gasps. “Oh my god. Are you going to kill me?”
I grin at her cuteness. “No, Sunshine, why would I do that?”
“This is not funny. You can’t joke your way out of this!” she snaps.
I straighten my face, realising she really is pissed. “Okay, I’m sorry. Look, a clean-up team should be here any minute. I’ll take you home as soon as they come.”
I watch her stomp towards Riggs’ bike and lean against a wall. She clearly doesn’t wanna be around me right now, so I give her some space.
Almost an hour later, I stop the bike at the clubhouse. Tillie steps off and glares at me, shoving the helmet against my chest. She’s still raging, I can feel it pulsating from her like a red mist. “What are we doing here?” she hisses.
“I can’t let you go home after witnessing what just happened, sweetness. I gotta check you’re okay.”
“You’re gonna keep me here as a prisoner?” she screeches.
“No,” I mutter, stepping off the bike too. “You really have a low opinion of us bikers.”
“Do you blame me?” she snaps.
“You’re in shock. Come inside, I’ll get Frankie to take care of you, then I’ll drop you home tomorrow once you’ve calmed down and are less agitated.” Maybe by then she’ll be less likely to tell someone.
Inside, I take Tillie to Anna and Frankie and explain in a rushed whisper what happened, out of ear shot of Tillie. I leave her in their capable hands and go to see Riggs. I show him the picture, but he doesn’t recognise the dead man.
“If it was a setup, it means Mercy hasn’t got my money,” Riggs seethes.
“We gave him two days to pay up,” says Cree. “I think we should bring Vinn in on this. The streets are getting out of control.”
After I met Tillie’s ex, we did some digging, and I was right, he shouldn’t have been dealing on our patch. It means Mercy has to cut us in on his profits or move on. So far, it’s not working out.
“Another thing,” I say. “My date was with me, and she saw everything.”
“Shit, brother, what were you thinking?” groans Cree.
“That I was doing a simple pickup!” I snap. “How was I supposed to know it’d go wrong?”
“Is she likely to tell anyone?” asks Riggs. “How well do you know her?”
“Not too well, but I think I can win her around.”
“You either gotta marry her or threaten her,” says Cree bluntly.
“I can’t marry her,” I scoff.
“Threaten her it is then,” says Riggs. “Use her family or anything else she loves, and you tell her we’ll come for them if she even thinks about going to the cops.”
“Man, I don’t think I need to go that far. She’s nice. Wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
“And you think she’s okay with you killing a man if she wouldn’t hurt a fly?” asks Cree, raising a brow.
I head for the door but stop when Riggs says, “This date, wouldn’t happen to be with Cobra’s daughter would it?” I wince, hoping we wouldn’t get in to that part. “Fuck, Blade. It’s almost like you wanna surround yourself with drama. Go fucking sort it out or I will!”
Chapter Seven
TILLIE
I sit quietly amongst the women I met earlier in The Windsor. There’re a few more in the group now, but I didn’t take in their names, even though Anna introduced us. My mind is
completely fixed on tonight’s events. I’ve never seen a dead body before, and I’m not sure how to even process what happened. I shudder and wrap my arms around myself. At first, I was angry. How dare Blade put me in that situation! Now, I just feel numb. I could have died tonight. That man could have shot us and left us to die. All I wanted was a date with the mysterious man who’s been coming to buy red liquorice from my shop for the last few months.
“It can be a shock to the system,” says Anna gently. “When you’re not used to being in danger or witnessing . . . things, it’s normal to feel sick and upset.”
“I just want to go home. Sara will wonder where I am.”
“Call her,” comes Blade’s voice, only this time it’s cold and firm. I glance up into his steely eyes and wonder why he’s suddenly changed. “Tell her you’re staying the night.”
“But I don’t want to,” I protest, standing and squaring my shoulders. “If you don’t take me home, I’ll call the cops and tell them you’re keeping me here.” Blade glances over his shoulder and I spot Riggs and Cree staring at us. “I’ll tell them what you did tonight,” I add. Blade’s hand shoots out and he tangles it in my hair, tugging me close to him and glaring down into my eyes. He doesn’t look like the same guy from the sweet shop, and for the first time since meeting him, I feel fear—not because I think he’ll hurt me, his grip isn’t tight, but because I don’t recognise him like this.
“That wouldn’t be a good idea,” he growls in a low whisper. “I know where you live. I know what Sara looks like, and I know exactly where your grandmother lives. You talk to anyone about this evening, I’ll come for them first.”
My eyes fill with tears and I try desperately not to let them spill down my cheeks. “Blade,” says Anna, carefully. “What are you doing?”
“Am I clear?” he growls, not taking his eyes from me.
“Crystal,” I snap. He releases me and I shove hard against his chest as tears trickle down my cheeks in anger. How dare he grab me like that! “Now, let me make some shit clear to you!” I yell. “Don’t ever touch me again! Don’t call, don’t turn up where I am, and don’t ever fucking come into my shop again!”
He looks me up and down with the ease of the disgruntled asshole he’s quickly become. “Fine by me. I only agreed to this date to get in that tight little cunt of yours. Turns out, it wasn’t worth the hassle.”
I watch as he walks away with a slight swagger in his step. I swipe hard at the stray tears, and Anna gently rubs my arm. “Let’s go somewhere quiet,” she whispers, leading me away.
We settle on a wooden swing chair overlooking a dark field at the back of the club. “I’ve never seen Blade like that,” says Anna. “He’s usually the clown of the group.”
“I’m glad I’ve seen his true colours,” I mumble.
“I don’t think that was truly him,” she says. “I think he was scaring you off because he’s worried you might go to the cops.” I don’t reply because it has crossed my mind. I mean, that’s what any normal, law abiding citizen should do. After a few silent minutes, Anna sighs. “They’re good guys. I know it doesn’t seem like it, and God knows, some of the rumours that surround the MC are all bad and sometimes true. Before Riggs, I was married to a mob boss. He was brutal. And I knew he did bad stuff, but he hid it from me. Riggs doesn’t hide who he is and I prefer that. I wanna know what I’m around. People don’t see the real MC. These guys have a tight bond and it’s truly heart-warming. They fought for this country and came together to form a brotherhood after the Army had screwed them up and chucked them away like useless rubbish. Some of them were left broken. Blu, he has terrible flashbacks. Cree, he sees a counsellor. In their own way, they’re all a little messed up.”
“I didn’t know anything about the MC. I’d never heard of such a thing,” I say. “Blade just came to my shop and was flirty. I thought it’d be fun to go on a date with him. Boy, was I wrong.”
Anna laughs. “There’s never a dull moment with these guys, I can guarantee that. But for the record, Blade’s a great guy. I’m sorry he messed up and you got mixed up in it. If you can guarantee you won’t tell anyone about what happened, I’ll get you out of here tonight.”
“You’re gonna trust my word?” I ask.
Anna nods. “I have a feeling about you, Matilda. You and Blade, you’re not over. Your story is just beginning.”
It’s my turn to laugh at her crazy prediction. “You’re wrong. I’m walking out of here and never looking back. This date was the worst I’ve ever had and trust me when I say I’ve had some bad ones. But I give you my word, I’ll stay quiet. I don’t need trouble with the MC.”
Anna smiles. “It’s a pity, Tillie. You’d fit in great around here.”
A week passes and I can’t stop checking my news app to see if the body of the man has been found. So far, nothing. How can nobody be missing this guy, and why hasn’t his body turned up?
I haven’t heard from Blade. He hasn’t been to the shop and I miss him, crazy as it sounds.
“I don’t understand. This other guy is rich, he’ll take you on a great date,” says Sara, eating a forkful of pasta she just made. I inhale the rich-smelling tomato sauce and my mouth waters. Fridays in the shop are always crazy and I skipped lunch, but I notice Sara hasn’t put a bowl out for me. Her persistence in getting me back into the dating game is annoying, especially when I can’t tell her exactly why I’m avoiding it.
“Last week was a disaster. It taught me to stay single and be grateful.”
“Grateful for no sex?” she asks, screwing up her nose.
“Grateful that I can avoid drama. Relationships are way too complicated.”
There’s a knock at the front door and Sara disappears to answer it. When she returns, she looks sheepish. Behind her, Ethan appears, dressed in a smart suit and holding a bunch of flowers. “Did I get the time wrong?” he asks, staring at me with confusion.
I glare at Sara. “Surprise,” she says weakly. “I texted Ethan from your phone and asked him on a date.”
“Christ, Sara. Learn when to stay out of things.”
“I thought it was odd that you’d been ignoring my texts all week and then you just popped up out of the blue to ask me on a date,” says Ethan with a smile.
“As you can see,” I say, pointing to my joggers. “I’m not dressed for a date.”
“You look good enough to me,” he says and I blush. “Look, I get it, you don’t want to date right now, but your good friend here set it up anyway, so why not humour her . . . and me. We can eat dinner, nothing fancy, then I’ll drop you home.”
“Nothing fancy?” I throw Ethan’s words back at him, staring in awe at the London Eye.
Despite living in London for such a long time, I’ve never yet made it to the famous landmark. “I thought I’d go big for a second date—well, first because can we really count one drink as a first date?” asks Ethan. “You know, it took around seven years to build this,” he says as a man opens the door on one of the pods for us, and I gasp. Inside is a table set for two, a candle flickering in the centre. “And cost almost seventy-five million.”
“I see it from my bedroom window,” I say. “But I’ve never been on it.”
“I’m glad your first time is with me,” he says, grinning. “I had to preorder food, so I’m hoping you like lobster?” he enquires.
“I love seafood. Never tried lobster, but I’ve always wanted to.”
We sit at the table and I stare out at the amazing view of London. At night, when it’s all lit up like this, it’s so pretty. The waiter tops up my glass with champagne. “I didn’t know you could hire these pods for dinner,” I say.
“You have to know the right people,” says Ethan. “Tell me more about yourself, Matilda. I know about your grandmother. The shop. Your dreams of owning a cocktail bar. What about your parents?”
“My mum and dad live in Scotland. They moved a while back, but I was settled here, so I stayed with Nan.”
“Yo
u must miss them?”
I nod. “Yeah, but I talk to Mum regularly. Dad—he’s my step-dad, but he raised me so I just call him Dad—he’s a great man and treats Mum so good. They’re perfect together and I want that in a man. What about your parents?”
“Split when I was a kid. Both live miles away, so I don’t see them often.”
“Siblings?” I ask
“Nope. Just me.”
“Me too,” I say. “I always wanted a sister, but now I have Sara and she’s pretty much the same thing.”
“Do you see much of your real dad?” he asks casually.
I shake my head. “No, never met the guy. Mum said he walked out on us before I was born.”
“How’s your friends over in the MC?” he asks and I frown. He asked about them before and I don’t get his fascination with the gang.
“Good,” I mutter. Flashes of the dead man’s eyes pass through my mind. “I wouldn’t say they’re friends, though,” I add.
“You took my advice and avoided them?”
“Sort of,” I answer. “I really don’t know them all that well.”
We eat lobster and drink more champagne. Then we eat dessert and stand looking out over London together. So far, the date’s perfect. When Ethan finally turns to me, I hold my breath in anticipation of our first kiss. He doesn’t disappoint. As his mouth closes over my own, I sigh because it’s perfect—soft, gentle and just how I imagined it.
Ethan takes me home, and when we stop at my house, he steps out after me and walks me to the door. He kisses me again and it’s just as swoon worthy the second time around. When I close the door, I lean my back against it and smile to myself. I’m jolted out of my bliss by a loud thud on the other side of the door that scares the crap outta me and causes me to let out a yelp. I peer through the peephole and scowl when Blade comes into view. I pull open the door and he bustles me inside. “What the hell?” I hiss.