Ric fits in well. He knows the business and he offers things that interest my family. He’s impressing them, but not me. I watch his mouth move and I pretend to look interested, but deep down, I’m dying inside. I don't want this forever. I don't want to be the quiet little wifey who looks pretty but isn’t allowed to talk. I don’t want country dinners or charity balls.
I have to tell them, Ric too, that I can’t marry into the mob.
BLU
“Jesus, Blade, take the fucking bucket,” I growl, passing it back to him. He cautiously peers inside like a thousand spiders are gonna jump out and smother him. I glare impatiently.
“I can’t deal with puke, man,” he mutters, trying to hide his gag reflex by covering his mouth with his hand.
“You kill people,” I snap. “What's a bit of puke?”
“But it stinks,” he whines and I shove the bucket against his chest. He balks and I roll my eyes.
“Fuck’s sake,” I hiss. “Watch him,” I add, stomping past Blade and placing the orange bucket of puke outside the stable door. When I return, the ass we have tied to a chair is whimpering. I wipe my blade clean on my jeans and he begins to tug at the thick ropes that bind his arms behind his back.
I watch the smarmy bastard squirm and imagine what must be going through his head right now. He knows he’s got to die. The courthouse let him off, but we all know deep down that judges are corrupt, and because this powerful nonce paid his way out, he thought he was free to go on abusing young girls. Motherfucker deserves everything he gets.
“Didn’t Riggs say make it quick?” queries Blade, eyeing me as I rummage through my tool kit.
“The mayor wanted it done that way, but I don’t take orders. You want someone dead, then I do it my way,” I growl. “This piece of shit doesn’t deserve a quick death.” I jam a metal spike into his thigh and a muffled cry escapes him. “Yah know that his youngest victim was just eleven?” I continue as I withdraw the spike slowly and then stab it into his other thigh. Sweat beads on his forehead and his eyes are bloodshot. “She had to suffer your fat, sweaty ass grunting on top of her,” I spit angrily.
Blade moves behind the man and makes quick work of slicing across his neck. I glare at Blade. “What? he asks. “I’m bored.”
“I was having a moment there,” I snap. The guy gurgles, choking on his own blood as it pours from the thin slice across his skin.
“I’ve got shit to do. There’s a new girl starting at the club tonight and I haven’t got time to stand around while you get off on poking holes in this waste of space.” He pulls out his phone and arranges for the clean-up team to come.
I get to Hannah’s just as she’s setting the table for dinner. I stand in the doorway watching with Molly in my arms. Being like this is torture, knowing this is the life I could have had twenty-four-seven. Hannah’s eyes narrow and she’s scowling. I glance down to where her eyes are fixed and notice spots of blood soaked into my T-shirt. I lower Molly to the ground and she runs off to the living room, I guess to continue watching her television programme. “Jesus, Blu,” Hannah hisses, grabbing a damp dishcloth and marching over to me. She rubs vigorously at the few spots, but blood is stubborn and I’ve ruined many shirts this way.
“Sorry, I should have gone home and changed,” I say. “I’ll fasten my jacket. Molly won’t notice, and if she does, I’ll tell her it’s tomato sauce.”
“I’m not concerned about Molly noticing, Alice will be home any second,” she snaps.
I still her hands and smile. “Alice knows how it works,” I say, but this just angers her and she snatches her hands from mine and throws the cloth in the sink.
“Like I don’t?” she mutters.
“That’s not what I meant,” I say with a sigh.
“No, it’s fine, I get it. You’re both from totally different worlds and yet you both have an understanding that I can never have because I’m just a normal, law abiding citizen,” she says coldly.
The door opens and Alice smiles as she passes me. I kiss her on the cheek and then she goes to Hannah and kisses her. She pulls back and looks between us. “Oh dear, it’s frosty in here. What’s going on?”
“Blu was just reminding me how I’m the odd one out in this,” she pauses and shrugs, “thing we have going on.”
“Okay, start from the beginning,” says Alice. “Blu?”
“I hate it when you do that,” I mutter, taking a seat at the table. “You’re not at work now, Alice.”
“Christ, I come home from a hard shift and this is what I’m greeted with?” snaps Alice.
“He has blood on his shirt,” snaps Hannah and I scowl at her for being such a tell-tail. “Apparently, that won’t concern you because you,” she uses her fingers as air quotes, “get it and I don’t. It’s like you’re in a secret society,” she mutters.
“You’re jealous because you’re not part of the fucked-up world we are forced to live in?” asks Alice with a slight smirk.
“You know what I mean,” hisses Hannah, and Alice presses her lips together.
“I can arrest his ass if it makes you happy,” suggests Alice and Hannah smiles too.
“Would you do that for me?” she asks.
“I’m sitting right here,” I
