by Nicola Jane
“You’re a feisty little thing,” he whispers.
“I’m leaving. I’m just trying to get my friend to say goodbye to these gentlemen and then we’ll be off,” I explain.
“No rush,” he mutters. “Stick around. Maybe I was a little harsh back there.”
“See, he said we can stay.” Eva smiles and holds out her hand for him to shake. “I’m Eva, Anna’s best friend.”
“Riggs,” he answers. I realise this is the first time I’ve heard his name. He didn’t bother to introduce himself back there. Even the moms at the playground refer to him as ‘Ziggy’s dad’.
“Ziggy’s cute,” she compliments, and this seems to ease the annoyance that surrounds Riggs’ eyes. “I only met him a couple of times. Malia adores him.”
A realization passes over Rock’s face. “You two are together?” he asks, running his finger between me and Eva. “Like in a relationship?”
“No.” Eva laughs. “We’re not lesbians.”
“Rock, this one’s Reggie Miller’s woman,” says Riggs. My face instantly goes a deep shade of red with embarrassment. Eva feels the anxiety radiating from me at the mere mention of my ex.
“I’m not his woman,” I utter.
“Oh yeah,” Rock says with a grin. “And he knows you’re drinking in these parts, does he?”
“I’m not his woman,” I repeat.
“Maybe we should go,” says Eva, grabbing hold of my hand.
“Better still, let me call him. I’m sure he’d love to hear from me,” says Rock, pulling out his cell. My hand dashes towards it, snatching it away from him. I’m shaking from fear and panic. Rock’s mouth falls open, not quite believing what I just did, which makes two of us.
“He doesn’t know I’m here,” I mutter. “You can’t tell him that you saw me.”
Rock moves closer and my fear deepens. “I’ll tell him whatever I like. He ain’t shit around here.”
I glance at Riggs, who’s smirking at the interactions unfolding before him. “Do you let all your gang members talk to women like shit?” I snap.
“It’s not a gang, sweetheart. What your boyfriend has is a gang. What I have is a club,” says Riggs with ease.
“The only difference I see is this gang wears leather jackets and his gang wears suits,” I say boldly.
Riggs grins. “I can name a million differences between my club and Reggie’s gang. The first being we don’t beat on our old ladies. We treat them like the queens they are.”
I scoff and fold my arms across my chest. “Well, clearly you don’t respect women because you’ve spoken to me like shit tonight.”
“I said we treat OUR old ladies like queens. You’re not an old lady. You’re Reggie’s woman. I don’t need to respect you.” He pops a cigarette in his mouth. “The last I heard, he beat you so badly, you spent a week in the hospital.” He saunters past me and heads for the exit, lighting his cigarette.
“It was a bad idea to come here,” mutters Eva. “Let’s get out of here.”
Chapter Two
Riggs
I don’t know what just came over me. Something about Malia’s mom riles every cell in my body. Who the fuck does she think she is turning up in my bar and lecturing me about my kid? Looking down her nose at us? I shake my head and take a long drag on my cigarette.
“She’s a firecracker,” smirks Lake.
“She’s got nerve turning up here like that, thinking I didn’t know who her old man is.”
“I thought she got an order out on Reggie. He can’t go near her these days,” says Lake.
“She didn’t like being called his woman,” I say. “You think she’s in this part of town because he can’t get to her here?”
The door opens and the two women step out. I stare straight ahead. I know it’s her as she passes because I feel her under my skin. “Ass,” she mutters under her breath. Lake grins at me and I shake my head again, laughing to myself.
“‘Scuse me?” Despite me telling her to get out of my bar, I’ve actually enjoyed our banter and I’m not quite ready for it to end.
“I said,” she grits out, spinning to face me, “that you’re an ass.”
“I heard,” I nod. “Why?”
Her mouth falls open and her eyes widen. “Are you kidding me? I’ve never met anyone so rude and . . . ” She pauses, trying to find the right word. “Rude,” she repeats.
“Go home. You’ve drunk too much and you turned up here to discuss your kid. Come back when you’re sober and maybe I’ll listen to what you have to say.”
“Fuck you,” she hisses.
“Do you kiss Reggie with that mouth?” Lake smirks.
“Let’s just go,” says her friend on a sigh. “They’d never understand.”
“Understand that a mob princess had the nerve to come here? I understand perfectly.” I move towards them, and if I’m not mistaken, Anna has a heated look in her eyes. “Maybe I’ll rock up to your place, see what you’re like without that alcohol running through your blood.” I run my finger down her bare arm. Goosebumps break out on her skin and she sucks in a breath. I smirk.
“I’m not telling you where I live,” she mutters.
“I don’t need you to. See ya around, sweetheart.” I turn back to the guys, grinning with satisfaction. This woman will regret putting herself on my radar.
I take Ziggy’s backpack from the kitchen counter. “You’re taking him to school?” asks my mom. I note the shock in her voice.
“Yep,” I say, not wanting to get into it.
“Yay!” Ziggy grins. “Can we go on the bike?” he asks. I nod and he fist pumps the air.
“No,” says my mom firmly. “Finn, you know the school will call and question whether the bike is safe. It isn’t worth the bother. Just take my car.” She throws the keys and I catch them.
We get into the car and I fasten Ziggy in. “Daddy, why does Granny call you Finn?”
“Because that’s my real name,” I say. “And because she’s my mommy, she’s allowed to use that name.”
“I like Riggs better,” he says.
“You’re lucky because you get to call me by a name that nobody else can call me,” I say. “Daddy.” This satisfies him and he smiles. “Now let’s get you to school.”
I stand uncomfortably in the playground. I hate the school run because I stand out. All the other adults here are mainly moms and they stare at me cautiously. They pull their kids closer to their sides like they don’t quite trust me.
I check my watch again and sigh. There’s still five minutes to go. Ziggy suddenly screeches and takes off towards the gates. He crashes into a little blonde and wraps her into a hug. Her little curls bounce from the impact and she giggles. “Malia, my daddy’s real name is Finn,” he announces, taking her hand and pulling her towards me. “He brought me to school today.”
Malia stops in front of me. She tips her head back and stares right at me. She has her mom’s light green eyes, which reminds me . . . I glance towards the gate as a harassed-looking Anna bustles in. She has shades covering her eyes and I suspect she’s feeling hungover. “Malia,” she bristles, and the little girl turns towards her. “I told you not to run ahead,” she adds.
The little girl pouts. “But I saw Ziggy,” she says in a little voice. “And look! His daddy brought him to school today. He’s so big!” I smile down at the little version of Anna.
Anna stands a few feet away and stares at the closed classroom door. Maybe she’s willing it to open up, like me. “Sore head?” I ask.
She glances at me and lifts her shades slightly to meet my eyes. I like that she’s showing me no fear. “Are you talking to me?” she asks coolly.
I make a show of looking around at the space around us. The other moms are giving me a wide berth. “Looks that way.”
“My head is just fine, thank you.” Her tone is cold and impatient.
“I thought we could grab a coffee and discuss last night?” I ask.
“I don’t think so,
” she mutters.
“You not so brave now that you’re sober?” I ask.
The doors open, and Ziggy’s teacher smiles warmly at me. She’s had a thing for me for the last year, since Ziggy first started in her class. “Oh, how lovely to see you, Finn.” She smiles. “Would you like to stay and look through some of Ziggy’s work? He’s been doing so well.”
“I have a coffee date with Anna,” I say, tipping my head in Anna’s direction. The teacher straightens slightly and looks Anna up and down.
“He doesn’t have a coffee date with me,” mutters Anna. Her face flushes red with embarrassment.
“I do,” I correct. I hand Ziggy his backpack and he runs inside, pulling Malia with him. I turn to Anna and smile. “You can either walk outta here with me or I can embarrass you in front of all these judgy bitches.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” she growls.
“Oh baby.” I smirk. “Please don’t wave the red rag. You don’t know me well enough to challenge me.”
Anna squares her shoulders and glances around at some of the other moms who are kissing their kids goodbye at the door. “Fine,” she mutters.
I follow her out of the gates and point her in the direction of a nearby café.
“I don’t want a drink,” she mutters when the barrister comes to take our order.
“Two coffees,” I order, ignoring her eye roll. We sit by the window. “So,” I begin, “how are you settling in around here?”
“You haven’t brought me here to ask that,” she says coldly. “You want to know about Reggie and whether I’m a threat in your part of town. Well, I can tell you that I’m not. I am not with him. He doesn’t have my address and I see him very briefly at Malia’s supervised visits at a contact centre in central London. Neutral ground to both of you, apparently.”
“I guess you went home last night and did some research about my club?” I smile.
“Gang wars aren’t hard to research.” She sighs.
“You like that word, gang,” I point out. “If you’d have done your research properly, you’d know I’m not in a gang.”
She looks uninterested and picks at a white paper napkin. “Look, I’m here to get on with my life. I’m not interested in you or your club and I’m not interested in Reggie or any of his dealings. The stuff going on with you and him has nothing to do with me and Malia. I shouldn’t have come into your bar last night. It was a stupid move and one I didn’t think through properly. I’ll probably move again in a month or two, then you’ll never see me again and the world will go on turning.”
“Why do you move so often?” I ask.
“That’s none of your business and I don’t want to discuss it with you. All you need to know is I’m no threat to you.”
I lean back in the chair as the waitress sets down two coffees. Anna thanks her politely and the smile she radiates is beautiful. I want to see it more. “I don’t see Reggie as a threat, Anna. He doesn’t concern me and neither do you. You came to me about our kids.”
“I was drunk. It was stupid. I’ll speak to the teacher about getting them to play with other kids too.”
“No. They’re happy. Why would you rip them apart? If you leave, then I’ll deal with the fallout from Ziggy. It’s not your problem. Your kid is used to moving on, so I’m sure she won’t ever think of him again. So, why here? What made you move here?”
Anna begins to fiddle again, and I gently place my hand over hers to still her fidgeting. She glances at me and I wonder if she feels the electricity radiating between us too. “It’s safe here.” she says. “He can’t come here without causing himself problems and Reggie doesn’t like problems.”
“And you said that he doesn’t know you’re here?” I ask because I find that hard to believe. Reggie will know exactly where she is, especially because his daughter is here too.
“Not yet.” She glances around the café. “But he’ll find out.”
“And then you’ll run. How long will you run for?”
“Maybe I won’t need to, now that I’m in this part of town?” she shrugs her slender shoulders.
“Why do you run, Anna?” I ask again. “If he sees Malia anyway, then what’s the reason for running?”
“He isn’t allowed to have my home address because he threatened to kill me. And he will.” She stares directly at me. “One day, when I think he’s over it, that’s when he’ll do it. I move and he eventually finds my address and takes great delight in telling me he’s found me.” A sad look passes over her face. “It’s a game to him.”
“He’s a mob boss. He’ll always know where you are,” I point out. “He probably knows where you are the second you sign a new lease.”
She shrugs. “Maybe. But if I stop playing the game, he’ll strike. He’ll think I’m complacent.” She rubs at her face, and for the first time, I notice how tired she looks. “I don’t even know why I’m telling you this. You don’t need to know. I should go.” She stands. “I’m sorry about last night. It won’t happen again.”
As I watch her rush off, I’m left thinking of how much I want it to happen again.
When I get back to the clubhouse, I find Cree, my Vice President, sitting in my office. “Lake tells me you met Reggie Miller’s wife last night at the bar?” he asks.
I nod and take a seat opposite him at my desk. “What of it?”
“Well, why the fuck was she in The Windsor? In fact, why the fuck is she even in this part of London?”
“I knew she was here, Cree. I didn’t see it being an issue. Her kid started at Zig’s school about four weeks ago when she moved here.”
“And you didn’t think that was something you should share?” asks Cree.
“Why? She’s split from him. Got an order from the courthouse just last month.”
Cree glares at me, the vein in his neck ticking because he’s pissed. “You did the research and didn’t share. What the fuck, man?”
“Stop bitching,” I groan. “It’s not important information. Reggie isn’t stupid enough to start a war with us. He’ll stay over the tracks. Stop worrying.”
“So what did she want with you?”
“To talk about our kids. Not everything is club related. Ziggy told her girl that he wanted to kiss her and then he asked her to be his ol’ lady. No big deal. I’ll talk to Ziggy and that’s the end of that.”
Cree laughs. “That kid,” he says affectionately. “So, this woman isn’t a problem for us?”
I shake my head and open my laptop to run a search on Anna Miller. I don’t know if she goes by that surname, but when I pop it into the search engine, the screen is flooded with news stories about her attack a few months ago. I click through them, all reporting similar events: Police and ambulance were called to a domestic incident in which businessman Reginald Miller was involved. His wife was rushed to the hospital where she remains critical.
I continue to look through the feed. A few later reports confirm Reggie was arrested for the assault of his wife, Anna Miller. The court case was only two months ago, and although Reggie was found guilty, he wasn’t imprisoned due to other factors. It doesn’t list the factors, but I imagine they involved large sums of money passing hands. It would explain why Anna isn’t dead already— the bent judge would have put restrictions on contact.
“Is she as hot as Lake said?” Cree smirks.
I nod my head, still staring at the news story in front of me. “H.O.T.,” I spell out. “It’s crossed my mind to hit her up.”
“Because you fancy her or because it’s a reason to get under Reggie’s skin?” he asks. I grin. He knows me well, so I don’t need to answer that. “You’re addicted to trouble,” he adds, shaking his head. “She got any H.O.T. mates?” he asks, and I laugh harder.
Chapter Three
Anna
“He said what?” screeches Eva. “Oh my god.” I’d filled her in over the phone all about my coffee this morning with Riggs. “Why does he want to know about Reggie anyway?”
“I
n case it impacts them, I guess. It won’t. Reggie won’t expect me to know anything about the boundaries. I had to message Luella and ask her about it,” I admit. “She promised she wouldn’t tell Stephan that I’d been in contact.” Luella is the wife of Reggie’s right-hand man. We were close before Reggie and I split.
“Do you still trust her?” asks Eva.
“Yeah,” I say. “She helped me out a lot back when I was with Reg. She didn’t tell Stephan any of it.” I check my watch for the time. “I have to go. I have a job interview at a garage. Just office work, but it’ll pay the bills,” I say. “And it’s temporary, which is ideal if I have to move again. Will you be my reference?”
“You aren’t moving again, Anna. I love having you right up the road. And of course, I will. Good luck with the interview. I’ll call by on my way home from work and see how you got on.”
I enter the garage where there’s a man with his head under the hood of a car and another man working on a motorbike. They both look up and the mechanic nearest to me comes out from under the bonnet and wipes his oily hands on a rag. “Can I help you?” he asks.
“I’m Anna. I came about the job.”
He smiles and holds his hand out for me to shake. “The name’s Gears,” he says. “Let’s go to the office.” He leads me up some metal stairs into an office that overlooks the garage. He pulls out a seat and I sit. “As you can see, I need help,” he says, pointing to a stack of papers. “I can’t file paperwork away for shit and the boss gets on at me. I can’t fix cars and sort paperwork and answer the phone.”
“Well, I can definitely help you then because I’m great at all of those.”
He grins and I hand him my passport. He glances over it. “Can I make a copy?” I nod and he snaps a photo of the passport before handing it back. “I’ll need to check you out. You got a previous employer?”
“Yes. You can call Eva Holmes. She employed me as her P.A. for many years,” I lie. The truth is Reggie wouldn’t let me work and so the only experience I have is from years ago when I first left school. I don’t want to complicate things with my past and that’s why I have a passport in my maiden name. But I know I can do this job with ease.