Page 3 of Revenge

The next words were too quiet to hear, so I resumed my earlier position in the main hall's doorway.

The music had gotten louder and the dance floor was flooded with guests. The school's large stage was at the front and the live band was set up there, playing their instruments like their lives depended on it. The huge velvet curtains which were open had seen better days.

Kids were in clusters between the adults, dancing or running around and sliding across the floor on their knees. There were couples dotted around either making out or arguing. Tables with glasses and beer cans and dirty pots from the leftover buffet were littered all over, and balloons wereeverywhere. I would guestimate there were around four hundred guests in that small space, overcrowded and loud aka chaos.

Ihatedchaos. I was a boy who always needed to be in control.

Scanning the crowd for my Da, I saw him standing with his men, talking to the bride; Susie or something like that. I couldn’t remember. Considering it was her wedding day and she had married an associate of my father’s; they were standing extremely closely together. The new Mrs Alasdair Wilkinson was laughing at something my Da, had said which must have been hilarious. That was a first. My father had little to no sense of humour. Being the head of any mafia family, you rarely found things to laugh about. The woman kept touching his chest and hung on every word, which I couldn’t hear due to being so far away. That and the volume of the shit music. Give me some Metallica any day.

Men and women started gyrating in front of me as a smoochy song came on. Fuck me, I hated slow songs when girls expected you to dance with them and hold them close. I’d been to a few parties where I’d had women all over me, wanting me to pull them against my body. I didn’t have a problem with girls, of course not. I lost my virginity to Sandy Newton last year and enjoyed sex as much as the next guy, but I didn’t do slushy shit. I also didn’t obsess about fucking like Nico did. If I needed to get off, I sorted myself out.

I noticed Hamish, one of my father’s men, attempting to hit on a skinny redhead and I checked my watch. How much longer would I have to stay? I could easily take the Tube homewithoutmy father or his men. But I knew that wouldn’t be allowed. The streets of London were too dangerous for people like me and I wasn’t to go anywhere without Oscar, my bodyguard. He was at the party and I knew he’d be watching me from somewhere. The guy was talented, committed and a pro at blending.

Time to get shitfaced.

I withdrew one of my father’s hipflasks from the inside pocket of my jacket and took a nip. The Irish whisky was welcome as it burned the back of my throat. As I lowered the flask, I almost dropped it as someone rushed past me. It took me by surprise, I’m not going to lie. But as I glanced down to try and establish who it was, they had already taken off across the hall, pushing through the swaying guests.

It was a girl. She was small and thin, with long dark brown hair rippling down her back in waves. I pushed off the frame and stood in the door, straining to see where she was going.

And then it happened,everythingseemed to go in slow motion, the sound of the music bleeding into the background as the girl turned and glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes met mine andlockedon.

A rush of adrenalineshotthrough my chest like a bullet; a mixture of unrecognisable emotions crashed through me.

What the fuck?

The girl was such a sweet little thing; even with her eyes so wide and fearful. She had been crying, her face was streaked where the tears had fallen. Her nose was small and button-like and her lips were drawn with worry; I noted how she caught the bottom one between her teeth. As I glanced down her waif-like body, I noticed she was dressed like a bridesmaid and then I saw her knees. They were bleeding, the white tights she wore ripped and a shot of aggression pumped through my veins. She couldn’t have been more than seven and my protective side kicked in.

I smiled warmly, not wanting her to think me a weirdo and she gave me a small grin in return, before moving away.

I knew she was the girl from the gym. The one who had been called trash. Why the fuck wouldanyonesay that about someone so young and helpless looking.

I watched as she scurried towards the stage before casting a worried glance behind where I was standing. The stage was covered by a silk valance, so you couldn’t see beneath it. The girl peeled back the curtain and crawled under there without turning back again. She was hiding.

Taking another hit of the whisky, I slid the flask back into my pocket and rolled my shoulders, from my position in the doorway, I was a barricade.

As expected, there was a commotion in the corridor as the group of kids that had no doubt been terrorising the girl came looking for her. I plastered an ‘I couldn’t care less look’ on my face, leaning my shoulder against the frame and waiting.

A group of six kids, four girls and two boys all bigger than their target appeared, all laughing and sneering. I immediately recognised Rory Whittaker, he was ten years old and the younger brother of Ricky; a lad I used to fight with when I came home during the holidays from school; the Academy being a boarding school.

As they approached me, Rory’s expression was wary and so it should have been. I should smack them all over the head, for ganging up on one little girl. Fucking pussies.

“Sup, Kai. You see a scrotty girl come down here?” Rory said, having the balls to ask me that question.

I shrugged, “Why do you want to know?”

The girls exchanged glances and the other boy who was thin and tall with loads of zits tried to see behind me into the hall. Up close he was older than I’d first assumed; maybe thirteen or fourteen. At that age, he should have known better.

“She stole my wallet,” he piped up. His voice was at that stage when it started to break from boy to man. Yeah well,fuckthe voice. Theybothhad some growing up to do if they were picking on a child; and a bloody girl to boot.

I narrowed my eyes as I knew he was lying.

Making my choice, I flicked my head as if I believed them and then pointed down the corridor towards the toilets.

“She went down there,” I explained with a nod in that direction.

“Cool,” he replied, his eyes flaring in his huge melon-shaped head.

Sniffing, I raised an eyebrow, “Do I get a reward for my assistance?”

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