by Nicola Jane
“I dunno. I don’t really want to see Blade.”
“He won’t be there. He’s on a job.”
I shrug. “I’ll see if Sara wants to, but I doubt it.”
“Are you shitting me?” squeals Sara when I ask her. She jumps about excitedly. “If it means I get to see Lake, then hell yes.”
“Oh, I was hoping you’d want a quiet night in,” I say, and she rolls her eyes.
BLADE
“What are you doing here?” asks Eva, her eyes wide as I enter the VIP area of Vinn’s night club.
“I’m here for Cree,” I say, confused.
“But Riggs said you were on a job tonight.”
“What’s going on?” I snap impatiently.
“I might have fucked up.” She winces. “I invited Tillie.”
“What?”
“I’m supposed to befriend her, remember?”
“Away from the club, Eva. Away from me!” I hiss. I turn to leave, but it’s too late Tillie is already handing her jacket over and signing in. I groan, and Eva smiles awkwardly as she rushes over to say hello and no doubt explain that she messed up.
Tillie looks just as pissed to see me as I am to see her. Her friend is giving me evil eyes, so I spend the next hour dodging them, but everywhere I look, Tillie seems to be there smiling or laughing and just generally looking amazing.
TILLIE
“I’m so sorry,” Eva apologises, again.
“Please stop apologising. It’s a big club, we can avoid each other,” I say.
“So how did you and Blade meet?” asks Hannah. She’s heavily pregnant and I can’t help but worry this is no place for her.
“I don’t think she wants to discuss Blade right now, Hann,” says Gia, rolling her eyes. “She’s just told us she’s avoiding him.”
Hannah shrugs. “Sorry, I have baby brain.”
“Are you with one of the guys?” asks Sara, and Hannah presses her lips together to suppress a smile.
Gia also smiles. “It’s a complicated one,” she says. “Hannah’s pregnant with Blu’s baby. She also has another kid with him.”
“Okayyy,” says Sara, exchanging a worried glance with me.
“That totally makes me sound like a whore,” snaps Hannah, and Gia laughs. “Long story short, I was with Blu and had Molly. We split. I got remarried, to a woman, and Blu agreed to give us another child. We used IVF and, ta-dah, I’m pregnant.”
“That’s when it gets complicated, cos Blu met me,” says Gia.
I raise my eyebrows and take a drink. “And you guys are friends?” I ask.
“We all sleep in the same bed. It’s cosy,” answers Hannah, and my mouth falls open in shock, causing them to crack up laughing. “Joke,” she adds.
“We’re friends. My wife, Alice, died a few months back,” explains Hannah, her face suddenly serious. “So I stay at the club and get in Gia’s business whenever I can.”
Gia nudges Hannah gently and fakes a scowl. “Lucky for us, we live away from the club.”
“It’s great that you can be friends,” says Sara.
“We’re all one big, happy family at the club,” adds Eva. “That’s why I was gutted when you and Blade didn’t work out. You’d fit in.”
“I thought he was interested,” I admit, glancing over to where he’s chatting to some of the guys. “Turns out I was wrong. He used me.”
“He seemed really into you,” Eva continues. “I don’t understand.” At that moment, Anna stumbles over, almost spilling her glass of wine. “You okay?” Eva asks.
“I have been on that dance floor for far too long on my own. Not one man even looked in my direction. It’s like they can smell my kids’ scent. No one wants a dried up, old hag with a vagina as baggy as an old pair of tights.” I snigger and Anna wails. “It’s true. Tillie, Sara, don’t have kids.”
“Anna,” Eva gasps, and Anna rolls her eyes and sits on Eva’s lap.
“I love my babies, I really do, but I want to feel beautiful again. I want a tight, pretty vagina. I want to go for a full wax and not have that gorgeous model bitch waxer look at me with pure hate because even she hates looking at my vagina.”
“Sweetie, no one hates looking at your vagina,” soothes Eva, gently removing the full glass of wine from Anna’s hand and placing it out of reach. “Maybe people aren’t looking at you because they see your wedding ring,” she adds, tapping Anna’s wedding finger.
“Or it could be that huge, brooding biker glaring at you from across the room?” suggests Leia, tipping her head in her brother’s direction. “Riggs looks pretty pissed right now.”
Anna scowls in his direction. “Fuck him. I’m not allowed to have fun or drink too much. I can’t even dance,” she slurs.
“You can, just not with other men,” Eva points out. “That’s a reasonable request from your husband.”
“You know what’s not reasonable?” yells Anna, taking us all by surprise. “That I’m tired. I’m exhausted and Riggs doesn’t want to have any fun. He brings me to a fun place but wants me to stand beside him and be miserable.”
Riggs marches over, looking even angrier than before. “Let’s go,” he snaps.
“I’ve a few glasses of wine. It’s been ages since I drank and it’s hit me hard. Relax,” she huffs.
“Anna,” he says with a warning tone to his voice, holding out his hand.
“I’m not really feeling it tonight actually,” says Leia, standing. “I’ll make sure she gets home.”
“I’m not a kid,” Anna snaps, getting to her feet and swaying slightly. “And I’m not Michelle! I am allowed to drink alcohol,” she hisses.
Riggs doesn’t wait for her to speak another word. He grips her upper arm and removes her before anyone can protest. Leia grabs her coat and follows. Hannah also stands. “I’m tired too. I’ll catch you all back at the club,” she says, and Gia nods in agreement.
“I’ll come too.”
Once they’re gone, I turn to Eva. “Will Anna be okay?”
“Yeah, Riggs wouldn’t hurt her. Things are just . . . strained, I guess. Riggs is going through a bad time. Secrets were kept and Anna’s struggling. It’s been a tough few months on them, but they’re coming through it, and when she isn’t drunk, they’re almost back to how they were. She just wanted to let her hair down, I don’t blame her.”
BLADE
Lake drinks his whiskey, then announces, “I think I’m gonna talk to Sara.”
“Shit, brother, leave her alone. You aren’t interested and it ain’t okay that you keep using her.”
He scoffs, laughing in my face. “I’d probably listen to you if you hadn’t done the same thing with her best friend.”
“Me and Tillie are different,” I snap.
“Quit bitching,” mutters Cree, his eyes fixed to Eva just like they always are whenever she’s in the room.
“If you don’t leave her alone, I’ll start to think you’re turning into Cree,” I say. “Obsessed.”
“She’s my fucking wife. I wanna make sure she’s okay,” Cree hisses defensively.
“Man, she’s in a room full of mobsters and bikers. Nothing will happen to her here,” I say, rolling my eyes. “You brothers have gotta lighten up. You’re killing my mojo.” I pull out a strawberry twist and bite off the end, winking at a woman as she passes, smiling at me seductively.
“Your mojo?” repeats Lake.
“Yeah. I’m ready to get back out there. Find a woman and take her home,” I say, grinning.
“Where d’ya get the liquorice?” asks Cree
“It’s the last of my stash,” I say sadly.
“You’re hooked on that shit like an addict to cocaine,” mutters Cree.
“He’s addicted to that like he’s addicted to Tillie’s pussy,” adds Lake with a grin.
“I am not fucking addicted to no woman. I’m free and single. Not like you bitches,” I say, wandering into the crowd of beautiful women. I can do this. I live for this. This is my playground.
I’m so relieved to find the bathroom has no queue, I almost pee myself with delight. I rush into the first cubicle and sigh happily the second I sit on the cold seat. There’s a thud in the next cubicle and I freeze. I’m one of those women who panic and overthink, and right now, I’m certain there’s a murderer right next door and he’s just killed a woman.
“Oh fuck,” groans a female, and I smirk to myself. Someone’s having a good night.
“It’s too cramped in here, Sunshine.”
I bristle at the sound of Blade’s panting voice. I hear the cubicle door open and the pair fall out into the bathroom. I lift my feet and wince. What the fuck do I do now? And he called her Sunshine, the fucking bastard!
“It’s soft,” pants the woman. “You want me to go down there?”
“No, give me a minute to warm up,” he pants, and the sounds of their kissing fill my ears. I screw my face up in disgust. I sit for another few seconds and then my mobile phone shrills to life and I grit my teeth, glaring at the screen angrily, trying desperately to shut it up. I cancel Sara’s call and take a deep breath. I’m not hiding in the toilet. We’re not together, so he isn’t doing anything wrong.
I run my fingers through my hair, take a deep breath and unlock the door. They don’t notice as I step out of the cubicle. Blade is all hands, grabbing every bit of flesh he can find, and she’s scratching her fake nails down his back. I turn the tap on full and it splashes out, splattering Blade’s back. “The fuck,” he hisses, turning around. He catches my eye in the mirror and I go about washing my hands.
“Sorry,” I mutter. “Didn’t realise it came out so fast.”
The woman seems oblivious to our exchange and continues to kiss his neck in a manner similar to a vulture eating the last remnants of flesh off a bone. I move to the hand dryer right beside the pair and turn it on. The woman rubs her hand over his crotch and groans, “Ooo, baby, you’re solid,” she pants.
He glares at me, then shoves her hand away and storms out of the bathroom, leaving her looking bewildered. She turns to me and I shrug. “Save yourself the drama. He’s riddled with STDs,” I say. “He’s in here with different women every weekend.” She stares at me, horrified. I give her a smile and leave.
I’m hauled against his rock-hard body the second I step out of the bathroom. He pulls me into an office, where a man who I assume is the bar manager looks up. Once he sees it’s Blade, he leaves us alone. “Why did you have the bathroom when you could have used this office?” I ask, running my fingers along a bookcase. “Your first dates get worse.”
“You can’t turn up at places where you know I’ll be,” he snaps, and I glare at him.
“Wow, you love yourself and it’s a huge turn-off. I came here tonight because Eva promised me you weren’t coming, so it’s you who’s shown up where I am.”
“The least you could do is stay out of my way and not ruin my night by cockblocking me!”
“Please,” I huff. “I saved her. I have to help out when I see a sister in trouble.”
He narrows his eyes. “You dumped me, Tillie.”
“And you called her Sunshine,” I snap, needing to get that little bit of information off my chest. “That’s a shitty move.”
“It’s just a nickname. It doesn’t mean anything.”
I don’t know why I expected him to give a meaningful answer, but the fact he brushes off the nickname he gave me hurts. “Forget this,” I mutter, heading for the door.
“Tillie, wait,” he says with a sigh. “I don’t want it to be like this between us. I hate fighting with you. It doesn’t feel right.”
“Blade, you don’t trust me. If you did, you wouldn’t have ruined what we had and accused me of running to the cops and giving information. What you should be doing is finding out who did go to the cops. Because if it wasn’t me, then someone else knows.”
Chapter Eleven
BLADE
Doesn’t Tillie think I’ve gone over it? Each time, I come back to the same person—it has to be her. Whether she meant to or not, she’s clearly told somebody. No one else knows. There is nothing tying that guy to me, and with only me and Tillie there, why would the cops come sniffing around me?
Tillie leaves and five seconds later, Riggs storms into the office. “You’re back quick. Is Anna okay?”
“The guy,” he snaps. “The one Tillie is dating. What’s his name?”
I shrug. “Erm, his name is Ethan or Ewan or something like that. Why?”
“Ethan Rowley. DCI Ethan Rowley,” he says.
“I fucking knew I recognised his face!” I growl. I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut. She just lied to my fucking face.
Rage soon follows and I head for the door only for Riggs to stop me. “I’m already on it. She’s about to get bundled into a van.”
That news makes me feel even madder. I don’t want anyone dragging her anywhere. “Let me deal with her,” I say.
“Nah, man, you’re too close. We gotta find out what she’s told this cop.”
We arrive back at the club and we hear a commotion the second we step off our bikes. She’s screaming the place down in a rage that’s likely to alert the local cops any second. I rush inside, closely followed by Riggs. Vinn is sitting on a bar stool watching Tillie with amusement. “You asked Vinn to do it?” I snap, and Riggs nods. “Christ, Pres. She’s still important to me.”
“After what she’s done?” growls Riggs.
I sigh and move towards Tillie, who is too busy yelling to notice until I take her by the hand. She jumps in fright and then her face morphs into one that could be mistaken for a flesh-eating fairy. “How fucking dare you!” she screams.
“Sunshine—” I begin then wince when her hand strikes my face. She looks more shocked than I am as she rears back, staring at her hand.
“Don’t call me that,” she mumbles, her voice cracking with emotion.
“Listen, I need answers, Tils.”
“I told you, I don’t know anything because I haven’t told anyone.”
“Not even your boyfriend?” snaps Riggs.
She glares at him. “Not even him.”
“What happened? Did you share bedtime stories with him when Blade hurt your feelings?” he continues.
“Fuck you,” she hisses, and Riggs rushes quickly towards her. I move without thinking, putting her behind me and squaring my shoulders.
“Damn, brother, you must have it bad to put her before your President,” says Riggs, his tone menacing. “You need to start talking, little one, before I get really pissed. Cos if that happens, no one’s gonna stop me,” he warns Tillie.
“I’ll talk to her,” I say, looking him in the eye. He stares back for a minute, then nods. I turn to Tillie. “Let’s go upstairs and talk,” I say. She folds her arms stubbornly. It takes the last of my patience and I throw her over my shoulder and march for the stairs. “Keep quiet, you’ll wake the kids,” I snap.
We get into my room and I dump her on the bed, then lock the door. “So I’m a prisoner?” she asks.
“I just need to talk,” I mutter. She moves up the bed and leans against the headboard with her knees tucked to her chest. I hate that she looks so sad and hurt. “Ethan,” I begin and she rolls her eyes. “Hear me out,” I snap. “What’s his job?” She shrugs. “You’re dating and you don’t know what he does for a living?”
“He never told me. Something where he can get information. That’s how he got my address.”
“And that never made you a tiny bit fucking suspicious?” I snap, pacing the room. How could she be so fucking stupid?
“Are you saying he told the cops? Because I didn’t tell him anything.”
“I’m saying he is the fucking cop, Tillie!”
“No, I asked him on the very first date and he told me he wasn’t a cop.”
I look at her like she’s stupid. “He was already watching me, Tillie. He’s been playing you to get information.”
She shak
es her head. “No, he wouldn’t do that. He was really sweet. He spent a fortune on our date. Why would he do that if it wasn’t real?”
“It depends how bad he wants to get me, get the club,” I snap. “Those cops get a good bonus.”
“I haven’t told him anything. I promise. He warned me off your club, said you were trouble. Whenever he asked about you, I thought it was cos he wanted to check I was single.” She covers her face in her hands and groans. “I feel sick.”
“You’re gonna have to stay here,” I say firmly, and her arms drop to her sides. “Riggs will never trust you. Not while this cop is sniffing around.”
“I’ve been so stupid,” she mumbles.
“I’ll get you a nice room,” I add.
“What will I tell Sara?” she asks.
I shrug. “Tell her you’re staying with me.”
“And what about the shop? I have a business to run.”
“Take a few days off,” I respond, heading for the door.
“I haven’t got my phone. Riggs took it from me,” she mumbles.
“I’ll get it. Sit tight here while I get you a room sorted.”
TILLIE
My eyes burn holes into Blade’s head while I wait for Sara to answer her phone. He might have given me my phone back, but that in no way means I’m any freer, because now he’s perched on the end of my new temporary bed, watching my every move. Her voicemail kicks in. “Hi, Sara. Just wanted to let you know I’m staying at the clubhouse with Eva. Let me know you got home safe. Love you.” I disconnect and Blade takes the phone from me, stuffing it in his pocket. “So you’re just gonna keep me here until when exactly?”
“I don’t know. Riggs is working on a plan.”
“Don’t you think Ethan might get suspicious and come looking for me?”
“You know he’s married?” he snaps, and I lean against the wall and slide down to the floor. “He really sucked you in.”