Myself and another volunteer played with the children and after their mid-morning snack, I told the two boys to get their hats, gloves and coats on as it was freezing outside. The weather hadn't cheered up but I was taking them regardless as they needed some fresh air.
The boys excitedly ran to the pegs to collect their items and I helped them get dressed making sure that they were wrapped up warm.
"Are you ready boys?" I asked standing to attention.
"Yeah!" They said in unison as we marched from the nursery and down the stairs to the foyer.
"Sign here please Amy." Henry said holding up the paperwork that needed to be signed by any adult taking out a child. I signed on the dotted line and noticed the two boys jigging around impatiently which made me smile.
"Who wants which hand?" I asked criss crossing them over. It didn't matter what hand they took but I liked to make a game out of it as I enjoyed seeing them smile. They both grabbed a hand and I walked towards the glass doors and waited for the set to close behind me before the main doors were open. It wasn't the best security I had seen within a refuge but it would do the trick of keeping unwanted visitors out.
The doors opened and I felt the cold swirl around us, I grasped the boy's hands tightly and we took off on the short journey towards the park. Both boys wanted to run off ahead but I made it clear that if we were doing this they needed to hold my hand until we got to the park. My thoughts quickly wandered away from the task at hand to think about what it may be like to be a mum holding the hands of her own children but I quickly shook the thought knowing that I would only upset myself.
I let go of the boy's hands and pushed on the heavy metal gate to the park, "Off you go then." It was as if I'd released two puppies off their leads as the boys ran around the park not even bothering with the brightly coloured apparatus, they were more interested with running around and kicking the leaves that had fallen from the trees.
I sat myself down on the nearest bench and watched in wonder at the enjoyment on their cute little faces as they chased each other and genuinely enjoyed themselves.
I didn't know how long we'd been there but I was conscious of time and slid the screen on my iPhone. We'd been here longer than allowed and I rolled my eye's knowing that I'd be told off by the centre manager but it was for no other reason than the boys enjoying themselves.
"Nathan! Jacob! Come on boys we need to be heading back." I saw their smiles leave their little faces as they made their way over to me dragging their feet. "Time's up boys but I'll bring you here again next week."
I made sure that their coats were fastened securely and as I did, I noticed a man leaning against a tree smoking a fag as he looked in our direction. He didn't necessarily look out of place but I was mindful of his presence and made sure I took a note of what he was wearing. I smiled at the other mums in the park and took the boys hands as we started our journey back to the refuge.
"I spy with my little eye something beginning with W," Jacob said as we walked along the path.
It was my turn to answer first, "Wall?"
"No."
"Windows?" Nathan asked.
"No."
I looked around the street and couldn't see anything else that may begin with the letter W. We neared the refuge and I wanted to finish the game before we entered the building. "Give us a clue Jacob."
"It's landing on us." I glanced at my sleeve and smiled as I knew what he meant. "Water?" I guessed to hear his giggles.
"No silly it's wain," he replied still laughing at me for getting it wrong.
"Wain?" I asked still a little confused.
"Jacob it's rain not wain." Now it was Jacobs turn to look confused as Nathan and I started to laugh.
We arrived outside the building and I flashed my card to Henry although he knew who I was. The doors started to open and I heard the sound of someone running on the wet ground. I turned around and saw the very same man from the park running towards the building. I instinctively pushed the two boys inside the glass door and screamed at Henry to shut them. My screams scared the children and in turn, they screamed panicked by what they were seeing. Henry pressed the button to close the doors but it wasn't happening quickly enough, I needed to put myself between the man and the boys and protect them. He pulled on my coat trying to yank me out of the way but I held firm. I glanced around at the door noticing that it was nearly closed. The man made a surge towards the door and I knew if he got his fingers in the gap the door wouldn't close but then the other door wouldn't open either to free the boys. The looks on their little faces broke my heart and I could feel the anger building inside me.
I grabbed his arm and tried to pull him but he was too strong for my small frame, this got his attention and he turned thrashing his fists around but I moved out of his way. I needed to think of a way in which I could fight off a man when inspiration hit me. I ran over to him and managed to jump on his back, he moved around aggressively but I managed to get him away from the doors and they slowly started to close again. I could hear the sound of sirens in the distance and only hoped that they would hurry as I didn't know for how much longer I could hold on for. The man turned around and barged me into the building and I felt a shooting pain run up my back but I wasn't letting go until I knew that the children were safe.
I heard the door shut and breathed a sigh of relief knowing that the man couldn't get to his children. He must have heard the same sound and immediately stopped thrashing around allowing me to get down off his back. I saw the tears stream down his cheeks as he rubbed his hands through his hair and sat on the pavement as if waiting for the police to arrive.
I stood nervously questioning his new demeanour as he glanced at me quickly before turning his attention to rolling a cigarette. "I only wanted to see my son." I didn't respond, I simply kept quiet not wanting to antagonise the situation further. "I haven't seen him now for eight weeks and it's killing me."
I heard a car pull up and I glanced behind me to see two police officers exit the vehicle and make their way over towards us.
Henry came out of the building and pointed to the man on the ground as he started to explain to the officer what he'd seen. I slowly made my way to the staff entrance that Henry had just come out of and couldn't understand why the normal entrance was so complicated.
"Excuse me miss, we're gonna need a statement from you as well." The police office said as he cuffed the dad.
"Yeah but I'm gonna need a stiff drink first."
"Hi Amy, what can I get you?" Amanda asked from behind the bar.
I chewed the inside of my mouth as I contemplated what to drink, "Erm I think I'm going to start with a vodka and orange." Amanda smiled and reached on the shelf for a glass before using the optics to get my measure of vodka. I glanced around the club, it wasn't too busy this afternoon with just a few punters scattered around the seating areas and I was thankful of the absence of club members.
"There you go," Amanda said placing my glass onto the bar. I smiled and reached for my wallet when Amanda placed her hand over mine. "The gentleman at the end of the bar bought this for you." I glanced in his direction and smiled as I raised my glass to thank him. I wasn't looking for company this afternoon, I just wanted a quiet drink but he was handsome, with dark short cropped hair and a chiselled jaw. I could possibly make small talk to help pass the time, I nodded in his direction and he smiled as he pushed from the bar and swaggered towards me. I hadn't seen him around before but that didn't mean he wasn't a local.
"Thank you for the drink, I'm Amy." I stated holding out my hand. His smile grew as he politely took my offering and lifted it close to his lips to lay a kiss on the back of my hand.
"Nice to meet you Amy, I'm James." He drawled.
"That's a lovely accent you have there, you sound very...British!" I stated lifting my glass to take a quick sip.
James drew his brows together looking a little confused by my comment, "As suppose to what?"
I placed my glass onto the bar, "
Very Essex!" I sniggered.
James chuckled, "Right I see where you're going with this. I'm not from around here originally but I'm now very local and visiting my father today." James perched on the stool beside me and motioned to Amanda that he needed a refill. James returned his attention to me, "Thank you," he stated in reference to my earlier comment. "So what brings a lovely lady like yourself to a place like this?" he asked raising his hands referring to the strip club.
I sniggered at his question, where was I to start and what information did I omit to tell him through fear of scarring him off so quickly. "The short answer is, I've had a really shitty day."
James placed a note on the bar for Amanda as he took the drink she'd just placed in front of him. "And the long answer is?" he asked looking at me intently.
His response surprised me, he was obviously from money by the way he spoke, dressed and carried himself and he also had manners which wasn't something I was used to. "Precisely that, long! We'll have to save that for another day." The sides of his mouth curled slightly and I knew that I amused him with my whit. "So what brings a handsome young man like yourself to a place like this?" I asked throwing his question back at him.
"My father is in an important meeting, I asked the first person I saw where the nearest pub was and they directed me here." He smirked.
"Did that person wear leather or ride a motorcycle by any chance?"
"How did you know?"
"Just a lucky guess."
James' phone bleeped indicating that he'd received a text, he removed it from the breast pocket of his suit jacket and swiped the screen to read the message before locking the phone. "I'm sorry but I've got to leave, my father is out of his meeting."
I smiled although I felt a little disappointed, I think I could've had an enjoyable afternoon with James. "I understand, it was nice meeting you though."
James stood from his chair and brushed his hand accidently against my thigh but my eyes quickly met his seeing the desire sparkle between us. He leaned in close and I puckered to place a kiss on his cheek but James moved his head so that my lips placed firmly against his. James pulled away far too quickly for my liking but I saw the desire in his eyes and the cheeky smile that I'd seen a few times during our conversation.
"Until next time." James grabbed my hand that was rested on my thigh and gave it a light squeeze before slipping a card between my thumb and forefinger. I glanced down at the card to read that James was a doctor which didn't really surprise me as he presented himself to be educated. I looked up quickly and noticed him stroll through the bar gaining attention from the other females in the room. I placed my hand over my mouth as I twirled the card in my other hand going over the whole conversation in my head.
"He was yummy!"
I looked in the direction the voice came from to see Amanda leaning on the bar and smiled at her dream like facial expression, "He sure was and he's given me his card." I stated wiggling my brows.
Amanda cackled and pushed from the bar, "Do you want another?" she asked.
"I'll tell you what, I fancy a large glass of wine."
I had managed to drink two and half bottles of wine by myself over the course of the afternoon but I wasn't ready to leave and I certainly wasn't leaving any drink left in the bottle that was for sure. I'd spent the afternoon propping up the bar and had enjoyed passing the time people watching which was one of my favourite pass times especially in this place as it attracted a variety of different people.
"Hi Amy," I closed one eye to help me focus better as Mark joined me at the bar.
I gave him my biggest smile, and shuffled off the stool so I could cosy up against him. Mark was hot, he had it all going on and was the only biker I knew that could wear his patch as if it were a designer accessory. He was still a prospect and the guy's had put him through his paces but I knew that he was highly regarded among the guys and it wouldn't be long before he was fully patched. I saw the unease on his face as I rested my body against his but I didn't care, I needed some male company and I was hoping Mark had a couple of hours to spare.
"Hi babe, any chance you can join me for a drink?" I asked hopefully.
Mark looked a little uneasy and shuffled to his right to put some distance between us. "I've gotta wait for the takings so I can have a quick drink but then I need to get back."
"That's great, what do you want my treat?" I asked giving him the best smile I could muster in my intoxicated state. I took a sideways step so that I was once again leaning against him, his body was warm apart from the coldness of his leather and I breathed in his scent, Mark always smelt delicious.
He leaned on the bar trying his best to not touch or rub against me, "Can I just get a coke please Amanda." Mark picked up my empty glass before sliding it across the bar, "And I'm assuming a wine for Amy?"
Amanda nodded, "Have you come for the takings?" she asked as she poured the wine into a fresh glass.
"Yeah, no rush. I'd better keep this one company until the cavalry arrives!"
"I am here you know and don't even think about calling Ethan." I slurred before grabbing my drink from Amanda and taking a large gulp. I saw an exchange between the two of them but I couldn't make out what they were saying and I didn't care. I turned towards Mark and placed my hand on his chest, "How often do you work out babe because you have one hot body."
He blushed slightly and grasped my hand, "Amy you need to stop this babe, you'll get me in trouble."
I giggled and could hear how pathetic I sounded but it was as if someone else was talking rather than me, "Ah babe, I like getting in trouble. Why don't we go in one of the rooms out back?" I asked walking my fingers down his torso in the direction of his belt.
I saw him gulp hard and knew that I was making him uncomfortable but I'd instigated it now and wanted to see it through if he'd let me.
He eagerly stepped back putting some space between us and glanced around the room as if looking for someone. I was drunk but I knew either he or Amanda had made contact with the club to let them know I was here and groaned at the thought of being told off again.
Mark turned his attention back to the bar, and as he moved his head I saw Ethan stomp into the club and I instinctively grimaced trying to move my body so that I wasn't in his eye line. He stood on the stairs and glanced around the club and that was my cue to try and make a speedy exit.
"Mark, I'm just going to the bathroom." I stated sliding from the stool.
He nodded his head, "Okay but if you're not out in five I'll come looking for you."
I gave him a cheeky wink, "Yeah, you do that babe." I stated before leaving his side in the direction of the toilets at the back of the club. I didn't' intend to use them but the fire escape that led to the alley that ran alongside the club was in that direction and that's where I planned to go. I couldn't drive in my state but I could either sleep it off in the rear seat or leave it here until morning and get a taxi home, I wasn't sure yet what I was going to do.
I stumbled into the corridor and pressed on the metal bar of the fire exit to release the large locks. The door opened easily and a gust of wind swirled inside making me shiver from the cold. I pulled my lightweight cardigan tightly together and made my way down the stairs making sure that I held on to the railings for support. As I reached the bottom step, I gingerly placed my foot onto the wet ground making sure it could take my full weight before I pushed off and held onto the side of the building for support as I made my way down the alley. I knew that this simple process was taking me longer than someone who was sober and if I was seen I'd offer some comic value because of my antics but the mind of a drunk person is far from normal.
"Easy does it Amy, that's right one foot in front of the other," I said as way of encouraging myself. I glanced down the alley and smiled to myself realising that I didn't have far to go. "That's it Amy you're nearly there girl, not far now." I told myself aloud to keep the momentum going and get as far away from the club as possible before I was caught.
I continued to use the brick wall for support although this was proving difficult but I managed to reach the end of the alley and felt a sense of achievement. I glanced around my surroundings, and heard a group of guys cursing and being generally crass from across the road. I squinted as I tried to focus on the group and heard a loud bang further behind me in the direction I'd just come but my eyes were transfixed on the group in front of me. I couldn't quite make them out and there was nothing that was overly visible but I just had an uneasy feeling. I stared in the group's direction and that's when I made focus and saw him. Sam was standing with the group, giving it large to the other members, oh how things change in this fickle world in just a couple of weeks. He hadn't been directly involved in the stabbing but he was with the group when I'd been taken and could have possibly tried to calm the situation or prevent me from being harmed.
I let out a muffled scream as a hand was placed roughly over my mouth and I was dragged back into the alley. My arms were immobilised by the persons other arm but I thrashed round and managed to kick him in the leg.
"For fucks sake Amy just behave yourself!"
"Ethan?" I stopped struggling and he placed me on the ground holding me so I wouldn't stumble. "What are you doing chasing me down a dark alley?" I asked swaying a little as I placed my hands on my hips.
Ethan shook his head, "You're fucking unbelievable, do you know that?" I brought my brows together confused by his statement as he let out a sigh. "You come out and get drunk again after all that I said last night, come on to a prospect and try to sneak off before I catch up with you, and that's before I've even started about leaving early this morning!" I rolled my eyes and felt the tug on my arm before I had time to even open them properly as Ethan pulled me down the alley and up the stairs to the club.
Amy (Aces MC Series Book 3.5) Page 5