Page 32 of Knights Game

“Why do you have gloves in your pocket?” Levi asks, frowning.

“I ask that question regularly,” I mutter as I pull them on.

“Duchess, have you got anything we can wrap him in, maybe a curtain or something, I don’t want the blistered skin to fall on the floor.” Roman says.

“That’s…gross.” I turn my nose up, and Roman looks at me questioningly.

“I’ve watched you cut out tongues, slit throats, and smash people’s faces in so they are unrecognisable, but this, this is the thing that grosses you out.”

“It’s just something about burnt skin.”

“Don’t be such a fucking wet wipe,” Levi snaps, grabbing hold of one of the guy’s arms. As soon as his hand makes contact the skin breaks.

“I’m going to need a fucking wet wipe after all this,” Duchess mutters as she grabs the remains of a curtain from the pillar, ripping it down and handing it to Rome.

“You need shoes on.” Levi nods down at her feet. “There’s glass—”

“There’s more than fucking glass on the floor, Levi. Now get out of my club, I don’t need you guys in here when emergency services appear. Go out the third door on the right, it will take you into the alleyway. Throw the body in the bin until you can dispose of it sensibly.”

“Your boys good to get rid of it?” Levi asks me, and I nod.

I hate being his sodding lackey, he should be doing it himself, but I’m playing the game, and my men have certain skill sets,and this job has the name Fletcher written all over it. What that man can do with chemicals is something terrifying.

Rome works on the body, laying the curtain on the floor and rolling the remains onto it, along with wiping up some of the bloodied water before wrapping it up. He works quickly and methodically. The other boys finish their sweep, standing off to the side, waiting for orders.

“Get out of here, Jackson. Go check that the girls made it back to Jade’s.”

“Will do.” Jackson turns and leaves through the main doors. He returns quickly. “Time’s up.” He jogs to the side of the bar and exits into the ally.

“Let’s go.” I bend and grab the top of the curtain as Rome grabs the bottom.

Levi just stands there staring at Duchess.

“I’ll meet you at yours,” he says to me.

That’s us being excused, and at no point do I remember inviting him back to mine, but fuck it, time’s up.

We can’t afford to be standing here holding an Albanian’s charred remains when the police walk through the front door.

12

Layla

I have a rareday off and I plan to do nothing but read and spend it on this sofa, snuggled under my blanket. I will not, absolutely will not, keep checking my phone to see whether Luca has messaged me.

And I will absolutely not admit that I have the pocket square in my top drawer next to my vibrator.

My phone rings and I grab it. The care home. My stomach lurches.Grandad.

“Hello?”

“Layla, it’s Sylvia.” The manager, someone I like very much. She was one of the reasons why he felt so safe.

I throw my iPad to the side and sit up. “Is he all right?”

“Oh, yes, dear, sorry, he’s fine. Sitting in his chair.”

I smile. It has the best view of the tree and birds.

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