by Jane Keene
The other two gangsters knocked on the door, Shane let them in, and to Ryan’s relief they had Victoria between them. He could see how exhausted she looked, but seemed unharmed. His heart swelled with relief at the sight of her.
Victoria looked up; her eyes had to adjust to the dark lighting in the Café. Her eyes focused on Ryan and a flicker of hope sparked inside. The whole day had felt surreal to her, like it was not happening to her. Now, she felt the full impact of the situation she had found herself in.
“Victoria, are you okay?” Ryan shouted across the room to her.
“Shut yer gobs, no talking to each other. Do you hear me?” said Shane in a threatening tone.
They moved Victoria to a table close to the kitchen; Ryan was still behind the counter next to the coffee machines. He longed to smash all these assholes, pick up Victoria and carry her out of here.
There was a commotion coming from the back of the Café, obviously they had gained access through the back too. Just then, everybody went dead still and turned to see who had just entered through the front door.
Chapter 24
“Mick, what are you doing here, you shouldn’t be here!” Ryan was shocked; the last thing he wanted was Mick to get hurt.
“Ol Mick is here to see me”, said a voice emerging from the dark. Ryan’s blood ran cold. It couldn’t be him.
“I thought you were in prison?” Ryan shouted. Jack Sullivan let out a malicious laugh, “Ryan, that was always your problem, you think too much. Now all that thinking has landed you and your friends here.” Jack made a sweeping gesture with his hands.
“You should have just kept your mouth shut, and our business to yourself in the first place.”
Ryan looked around; Victoria stood shivering in the corner, now Mick was here too. Ryan walked towards Jack, he could see him better now, and time had not been kind to him in prison. His skin was ruddy and puffy, his hair once lush and a deep reddy-brown was now thin and straggly, peppered with a dirty grey.
“You have me now, let the others go, we can end this all tonight.” Jack let out another bone-chilling laugh.
“Do you really think that it’s going to be that simple, I have been wasting away cleaning toilets, staring at the same four walls for years all because of you, my wife divorced me, and my kids want nothing to do with me. Only my boys stuck my side”.
Jack stepped forward into the light, he had something shiny in his hand, and before Ryan could react Jack drew his gun up and pointed towards Ryan and pulled the trigger. Ryan heard two popping sounds, expecting to feel an impact he saw another flash and suddenly it was all over, Mickey and Jack lay motionless on the ground.
Suddenly, the noise of sirens in the distance broke the silence. The men who were holding Victoria were in a panic, stuck between wanting to flee or to pick Jack up.
But sense prevailed, and they fled through the back entrance. Ryan, fell to his knees next to Mick. He could see blood trickling from his mouth. He tried frantically to find a pulse, but he was gone.
Victoria stood rooted to the spot; she couldn’t believe what had happened. She looked at Ryan trying to revive Mick, she saw the emotions and pain, and something clicked inside of her. She ran over to Ryan, who by then, was being restrained by the police. She touched his shoulder; he stopped and looked up at her. She held her hand out to him and without question he took it.
Chapter 25
Nothing seemed real and the drive to her house felt like a thousand miles away. Victoria did not know how she found the strength to get Ryan into the car and drive him to her house.
Since Mickey’s shooting, he had not said one word. They declined medical attention. Eammon O’Connor had offered to drive them both, but they both declined. They had to report to their local Garda Station in the morning to give statements about the event.
Victoria didn’t know why she was taking Ryan back to her house; all she knew was that he could not be alone in his current state.
He looked completely heart-broken. She unlocked her front door and led him in by the hand. Neither had eaten, nor had anything to drink. She tried to offer Ryan something, but he stopped her mid-sentence.
Ryan took hold of Victoria’s hand and led her upstairs to her bedroom. Once there, Ryan spoke for the first time his voice had a slight wobble to it.
“I still have Mickey’s blood all over my shirt!” he gestured to the red stains, now deeply ingrained in the fabric. Victoria’s eyes welled with tears; she moved closer to Ryan and began to slowly unbutton his shirt, one button at a time. She peeled it over his strong, muscled shoulders and let it fall to the floor. She then went to work on his trousers, unzipping them smoothly; she kneeled down and tugged them down his sculpted thighs and calves. He was now standing in his underwear.
Ryan then lifted Victoria’s camisole over her head, she was wearing a white see-through lacy bra, and her pert, aroused nipples peaked through the material. He felt his erection harden, he hooked his fingers in her trousers and pulled her closer. He undid the buttons and the trousers fell to the floor. He stood back and marveled at the sheer beauty of her body, he longed to pull down the matching white lacy panties. Victoria then steered him into the bathroom, where she proceeded to discard both her bra and pants.
She reached into the shower and turned on the taps. Ryan stripped off his last layer and quickly moved towards Victoria and picked her up against his body. Their bodies melted into each other and the sheer heat consumed them. Ryan could not stand it anymore, he kissed Victoria’s sumptuous lips, lightly at first, but he could feel her responding hungrily to him.
Their kiss deepened and intensified, Victoria flicked her tongue against his, which ignited more desire deep into her belly. Ryan pulled away slightly and set Victoria down; he looked deep into her eyes and asked.
“Would you please shower with me?” Victoria nodded and they both climbed into the already running shower, Victoria began to lather soap onto Ryan’s arms and chest, she moved lower and ran her hands expertly over his toned stomach. She reached lower and encircled her hands around his large erect member; she moved her hands up and down the shaft, causing Ryan to groan with pleasure.
Before he lost control, he moved Victoria’s hands and he pinned them above her head with one hand against the wall of the shower, he had been waiting such a long time to be with her he was going to take in every single second.
He kissed her neck lightly, his took the palm of his other hand and slightly rubbed her nipples, Victoria arched her back pushing her breasts closer to his mouth. He drew in one nipple to his mouth and circled it with his tongue making flicking motions. He let go of her hands and while he was working her nipples with his tongue and fingers, he moved lower and found her soft fleshy mound, he skillfully massaged her until she started moaning with pleasure. She gripped his hair roughly while he brought her to a deafening crescendo. Victoria had never been pleasured in this way, felt her limbs shake and tremble.
Ryan turned the running water off and picked her up out of the shower, he took two big fluffy towels off the shelf and proceeded to dry off first Victoria then himself. He then led her to the bed. Victoria now feeling fully recovered from her shower lay down on the bed and pulled Ryan on top of her.
Ryan could no longer hold back asked, “Do you have protection?”
Victoria nodded and gestured towards a drawer next to her bed. Ryan sat up and removed the packaging, Victoria watched him pull the sheath over his erection, she wanted him so badly, she swung her legs over him and straddled him, and she moved herself onto his erect penis and began to move up and down. Ryan moved his hips to meet hers and soon they were building a matching rhythm, Ryan barely held on until he heard Victoria cry and suddenly he let go and let the crashing waves descend on both of them.
Chapter 26
Maisey wanted to get into work early, it was always good to start the day early, and you missed the morning rush for a seat on the bus. Maisey got off the bus and walked across the road towards Café
de Maison.
As she drew nearer, she saw the front door was taped up with yellow crime scene tape and the Gardaí were swarming around the place. A chill of dread went down her spine, she spotted Aaron speaking to one of the officers, he looked up and he was as white as a sheet.
She ran over towards him. “Aaron, what has happened, where are Mickey and Ryan?” Aaron turned to her, his face wet with tears. Maisey placed her hand on his shoulder and quietly urged him to speak. Aaron wiped the tears away with the back of his hand and quickly shrugged Maisey’s hand from his shoulder.
“It’s Mickey, my Dad, he’s dead!” Maisey felt her legs go weak, her stomach churned, and her mind tried to reason with this shocking news.
“How, when?” was all she could get out. Aaron was about to explain when they heard screaming and crying from behind them, it was Breda.
“Oh Crap!” whispered Aaron under his breath. “That’s all we need.” He went over to Breda who now was being consoled by Cormac, who was looking extremely confused. Aaron gestured for Maisey to come over. “I can only explain this once, so let’s go upstairs to the apartment.”
Once upstairs, Cormac did what he knew best and made them coffee. Then all four sat around the small kitchen table.
They sat in silence for a long time as the magnitude of what had happened washed over them. Breda had eventually stopped blubbering. Maisey felt numb, she wasn’t ready to believe that Mickey was gone. Aaron got up and began to relate the details of the previous night’s events.
“I always knew Ryan was shady” spat Breda, “Now, he has gone and had Mickey killed. The bastard! And, where is he anyway? He is not here to pick up the pieces and explain himself.”
Maisey felt angry but decided giving out to Breda would be ill-timed and disrespectful to Mickey. When all this is over she is going to have it out with her once and for all.
“Okay besides all that, why was Victoria there? What was her involvement in all this?” asked Maisey, still unsure of all the details.
“Apparently, she was used as some sort of leverage against Ryan; they kidnapped her and held her hostage.”
“Ooh, the bastards!” exclaimed Maisey, “No wonder Ryan was so at odds, I put it down to him just been moody.”
“But I still don’t get, why Ryan was involved with those men, what were they doing in the Café,” asked Breda.
“I don’t have those answers yet, Breda, but I am determined to find out why my father was in the line of fire!”
Aaron looked weary; Maisey could see that he was tired. “Cormac, Breda let’s go. I am sure Aaron has a lot to deal with.”
Breda was about to protest, but the look on Maisey’s face she decided against it. This time Aaron looked at Maisey with gratitude, it was the first the time he didn’t look at her with contempt. The change made him look different, softer, almost.
They all got up from the table; Cormac patted Aaron on the shoulder and left with Breda in his wake.
Maisey hung back a bit, “Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you?” Whatever she had seen in Aaron’s eyes just moments before had disappeared and the same icy steel look had returned.
“I think you have helped yourself for long enough.” Maisey felt as if she had been physically struck, she would never understand why Aaron mistrusted her so.
“Aaron, I am not sure what I ever did to you, but I know you are hurting now.” With those last words she left, what she did not see was Aaron crumple to the floor in a flood of tears as the grief for his father took hold of him.
Chapter 27
The sun streamed into Victoria’s bedroom, the warm rays touching the bottom of the bed. Ryan had been awake for over an hour, but didn’t have the heart to wake Victoria, who was lying across his chest. She was exhausted from her ordeal with Jack’s gang and it didn’t help that they had made love twice during the night. He felt himself harden at the memory.
Victoria started to stir, the movement of her naked body against his was arousing, the sexual chemistry between them was like nothing he had ever experienced. He knew though it wasn’t just sex, he was emotionally involved with her too.
Victoria opened her eyes and stretched lazily. “Good morning.” She said shyly.
“Good morning to you too” he replied. He caught sight of her beautiful creamy breasts, it was too much for him, and he slid on top of her.
“Mm, I could get use to waking up like this in the morning,” said Victoria cheekily and gripped his buttocks with both hands. They both were highly aroused, Victoria put her hand down to guide him into her. She wrapped her legs around him and pushed him deep inside her. Their lovemaking was urgent and they both within seconds could feel the buildup and climaxed quickly.
After a few minutes of heart rates now normalising, Ryan sat up suddenly and moved to the edge of the bed. The memories he had been trying to push back came at him with a force.
“Ryan?” Victoria asked. “Mickey’s dead, Victoria, and it’s all my fault.” He put his head in hands, he got up from the edge of the bed, and he threw a towel around his waist and stood looking out of the window. Victoria did not know what to make of the sudden change in him.
“Mickey decided on his own to be there, you never asked him to be there and you certainly did not pull the trigger, don’t you see it’s not your fault,” pointed out Victoria.
Ryan shook his head, “Don’t you see? All of this is my fault! Mickey would still be alive if it wasn’t for me. You would not have been kidnapped, if it was not for me. All of it is my fault!” Ryan was on a rant, his guilt and grief overtaking him. He started getting dressed; he flung on his clothes.
Victoria jumped out of bed and rushed to his side.
“Ryan, stop! Just stop for a moment! There is nothing you can do now, please calm down and let’s talk about this.”
“There’s nothing to talk about, I am responsible for Mickey’s death and that’s it.”
At this stage, Ryan was fully dressed and was pulling on his coat.
“Listen to me” urged Victoria, “You have lost someone close to you; you are not thinking rationally, just stay here with me, have some breakfast and we will deal with this together.” Victoria took a deep breath and finished. “Did last night and this morning mean anything to you?” Her voice wavered.
Ryan looked at Victoria; he could see the hurt in her eyes.
“It’s best if you don’t get mixed up with me, I am not good for you, you can do so much better. You need to be with someone good, someone without a past. Just know that last night with you meant more to me than you will ever realise. Good bye Victoria.” He turned and left.
Victoria was overcome with emotion; she stormed down the stairs after him, still naked.
“I don’t care what you are going through, Ryan; you are a bastard! A bastard!”
But it was no use the front door had slammed, and Victoria was left at the bottom of the stairs alone. She sat on the bottom step and hugged her arms around her legs, tears streaming down her face. Victoria could not believe what had just happened, the night with Ryan was the most beautiful and sensual night she had ever spent with anyone. They were so connected, mentally, emotionally, and of course, physically. She knew from the moment their bodies touched that she was falling in love with him. The elation she had felt this morning had rapidly been replaced with loss. She came to the sickening realization that Ryan had used her to block the memories of Mickey’s death, and now she was all alone, again.
Chapter 28
When Ryan left Victoria’s he walked for miles, not caring where he was going but he soon realised that he needed to get home, there was so much to sort out. He flagged a taxi down and climbed into the vehicle. Once back home, he took out his mobile phone, the battery was flat, so he set to charge. He paced around his kitchen, he could not sit still, he knew if he sat down the images of Mickey being shot, and the disappointment and hurt on Victoria’s face would come back to haunt him.
His thoughts wer
e disturbed by the ringing of his phone, the caller ID showed the Café. He felt sick, who would be calling him from there. He took a breath and answered.
“Thank God you answered. Ryan, where the hell have you been?” It was Aaron, Mickey’s son.
“Aaron, I was just about to call you, I want to say….” He paused, he could not bring himself to offer his condolences, and it would sound hollow and make it all too real.
“I know Ryan, I feel the same way, would you come down to the Café, and we need to talk?”
“Sure, of course, what time must I meet you there? “Does three-thirty suit you?”
“Sure, see you then.” Ryan had not even hung up yet when the phone went again, this time it was the Gardaí they wanted him to come down the station to give a statement. He arranged a time to meet them and decided he needed a good cup of coffee.
***
After two gruelling hours at the Garda station, Ryan made his way to the Café, he wasn’t sure he could go back inside. By now, all the hype had simmered down and only one uniformed officer was visible. He opened the door and went in. Maisey was sitting at a table in the corner drinking coffee. Aaron was nowhere to be seen. When Maisey saw Ryan, she leapt out of her chair and threw her arms around him. Somehow seeing Maisey there comforted him and it felt natural. He hugged her close, her tears fell against his shoulder and he felt the tears in his eyes. They stayed like that for a long time, locked in grief.
It was Aaron’s sudden arrival that broke them apart.
“I know this is difficult, but I came across a letter from my father, he wrote it early in the evening before he died.”