We walk for five minutes. Hannah lives close by a strip of bars and restaurants, which is handy when I’m not in the mood to drive too far. I push open the door to a French restaurant and we’re seated at a table for two. Molly is a cheap date, preferring to order soup for her main meal or something small. She’s tiny for her age, so it doesn’t take much to fill her. I order two bowls of onion soup.
“How was your first day at your new school?” I ask.
She scowls. “He was there,” she mutters angrily.
I rub my thumb over the lines on her forehead and smile. “You keep frowning like that and you’ll have lines like Nan.” Molly giggles. “That’s better. So who is ‘he’?”
She rolls her eyes like she ain’t got time for my dumb questions. “The boy from the park,” she says with a sigh. “The mean boy.”
“Oh, how did that go?”
“He ignored me,” she says, her tone outraged.
“Well, maybe he’s a little scared after you pushed him?” I suggest. “I think your mummy would say you should stay away from him.”
“I don’t like him ignoring me. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“You pushed him. That was wrong.”
“He wouldn’t let me play, that’s wrong,” she counters.
I laugh and ruffle her hair, which only annoys her and she rushes to straighten it. “You always have the answers,” I say. “Stay away from the kid and make some nice friends.”
We’re halfway through our soup when I hear my name. Looking back over my shoulder, I freeze for a second. I stand and turn my back on Molly, trying to block her from Cobra’s view. “Cobra,” I mutter. He holds out his hand for me to shake, which I do instinctively. He registers the confusion on my face and grins.
“As we live and breathe.”
Cobra was the President of the Kings Reapers in Manchester. I was part of that charter for a couple years and it was a shit show for almost all of that time. The club was dismantled a few months back when Riggs discovered things weren’t being ran the Kings Reapers way. Cobra was into some dark shit including rape. I decide to play dumb. “What are you doing in London, Pres?” I ask casually.
“Just checking things out,” he says with a shrug. “You still with Riggs?”
I nod. “Yeah, thinking of moving on soon though,” I lie.
“He still looking for me?” he asks.
“I don’t know. He doesn’t talk about you to me in case I tip you off.” Another lie.
“And who’s this little madam?” asks Cobra, moving around me and smiling at Molly. She eyes him warily but squares her shoulders just like I’ve taught her. Don’t show fear.
“I’m Molly. Who are you?” she asks.
“I’m Cobra,” he says.
“Like the snake?” she asks and he smirks.
“She’s got a fearless streak,” he says to me. “You didn’t mention you had a kid.”
“Didn’t know I needed to.”
“I get it,” he says, turning his attention back to me. “You don’t wanna put your family in danger, and if you expose them to this life, then . . .” I see the coldness returning to his eyes.
“It’s time you were on your way,” I say. “Just in case any of the Kings are around.”
He nods in agreement. “Let him know I’m back,” he says as he leaves.
I pull my phone out and call Riggs. “Thought you were busy,” he answers on the first ring.
“I am, but something came up. Meet me at the club in an hour.”
The clubhouse is busy for a Monday evening. Riggs sees me walk in and glares at me, clearly still pissed that I couldn’t do the job tonight. I nod to his office and he follows me. “Who the fuck do you think you are?” he growls, slamming the office door closed. “You call me and demand I meet you here—”
“I saw Cobra,” I interrupt and that’s enough to shut his rant down. “I was in Café de Paris on Peckham Road. He just walked on in there like a long-lost friend.”
“We’ve been looking. There’s no way he can just walk around here without being spotted. Where the hell’s he been for months?”
“I dunno, but he told me to let you know he was back.”
After Riggs took the Manchester club apart, Cobra walked away with a warning to stay away from the Kings. It’s a decision that Riggs regrets because if he’d just killed him there and then, he wouldn’t have attacked Raven. Since he left her for dead, Chains has wanted blood and Riggs can’t give any more chances or he’ll look weak.
“We’ll need to be extra vigilant. I’ll let Raven know, we should keep her and the other women close by.”
“You gonna lock the club down?” I ask, but he shakes his head.
“Not yet. Let’s see his next move. What were you doing in a French restaurant?”
“It was date night,” I mutter and his eyes bug out of his head.
“You let me down tonight for a fuckin’ date?” he snaps.
“Yeah, Monday night is date night,” I say, “with my kid.”
“You have a kid?” he repeats.
“And now that clown’s seen her, I don’t know if she’s in danger.”
Riggs begins to pace. “You wanna bring her to the club?”
I shake my head. “Nah, her mum can’t come here and she’ll never let me bring my kid. She doesn’t like the club life.”
“Okay, brother, but the offer’s there.”
Chapter Three
GIA
I wrap the bedsheets around my naked body and push myself to sit up. Conner moves around the bedroom in stealth mode, collecting his clothes. I watch silently as he begins to dress. “You could always stay the night and sneak away before sunrise,” I say hopefully, but he laughs like the suggestion is absurd. “Vinn never comes in here,” I add.
“Gia, baby, let’s not go over this again,” he says with a sigh. “I can’t stay the night. It's too risky.”
“But
