Page 105 of Straight to Me

Cupping my face he pushes his lips to mine softly, but passionately.

I forget Jack still sat at the table, and the sea of men and women around us. My arms link around his back while his hands play in my hair.

The more time I spend with him, the less I feel like I can be apart from him. As if we’re in our own little world, the noise around us is drowned out. To each other, it is only us here together.

It’s perfect.

Loud cheers and whoops start to bounce around the room, breaking our moment. VP’s hands run down my back, holding me tight, as my cheeks blush from all the commotion. People clap and bang tables, even Jack stands to clap our kiss. Chants of ‘Dea-no, Dea-no’ start up again.

I feel sick how everyone’s looking at us.

“All eyes are on us, Mads.”

“Don’t you dare let me go,” I tell him self-consciously.

“Never.”

He kisses the top of my hair as the rowdy audience begins to settle. The hum of voices fills the room once again in no time. “Jack.” VP nods to his cousin. He picks up his beer, clinking the neck of the bottle against Jack’s.

“You been taking care of my girl for me?”

“You know it. Told her to prepare herself for the party.”

VP looks down to me, squeezing me tighter. “I’ll apologise now for anything you might see or hear.” I’m expecting lots of drunk men and naked women, surely it can’t be that bad?

From the other side of the building, a loud whistle cuts everyone off. Heads turn to the source. Ronnie mounts a chair with a beer in his hand. “Listen up!” he shouts.

The lady behind the bar turns down the music as we all sit or stand in silence, ready for what he’s about to say. “Deano, where are you lad?”

VP shifts on the spot. He’s cool and collected, taking a sip of his beer before raising it to Ronnie. “Our boy’s back! Might not be for long, but he’s here.”

Cheers sing out again. It’s clear they all love him. “Alright settle down shitheads, let me talk,” Ronnie laughs.

The few still cheering and whistling begin to quieten down. “As you know, Sodom Saviours took my life from me.”

A sombre mood blankets the entire room in a nano second. A few men bow their heads as Ronnie continues, “We’ve fought year after year with them and their associates, for what? They’re still breathing. Still riding.”

“Fucking Sodom Saviour cunts!” someone nearby spits.

Ronnie raises his voice, “The fuckers shot at my son and Deano on their way here!” Eyes flit to Jack and VP, a few gasps from the crowd can be heard too. My hand around VP tightens. “As the mother of Rippers, I’m not fucking standing for it anymore!”

Booming voices cry out.

Glasses are lifted at Ronnie’s declaration of what sounds like war. “Tonight, we party. We enjoy Deano and his girl joining us,” their eyes look to me, “but tomorrow, I say we show those bastards they can’t fuck with us!Tomorrow, we give the Saviours Hell!”

Mayhem unfolds. Men cheer and grab each other, blood-hungry at the promise.

VP stands motionless, staring wide-eyed at Ronnie.

Ronnie raises his beer in a toast towards him. No one is looking at them, except me and Jack. We look to one another briefly, before looking back to VP.

Flames dance in his eyes, his clenched jaw makes his temples twitch as he grinds his teeth together. He hesitates, but slowly raises his beer back to Ronnie who’s smiling; satisfied that VP’s on board.

VP’s face is unreadable as he grabs my hand and says, “I need a smoke.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

“What the fuck’s he playing at?” It’s a rhetorical question.

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