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  “Then you’d better keep me happy.” She said it flirtatiously but the threat was there.

  He kissed her. “Okay.” Mikey would do serious damage to anyone who tried to blackmail him. So why did he keep letting this little ginger dot get the better of him?

  He stripped off and led her to the bed. Best get it over with so he could get some bloody kip.

  CHAPTER 5

  Rachel was sitting in a café, enjoying a brew and a cake with her mum and Dolores, her old friend from Manchester who had served her faithfully working in the clubs and casinos she’d owned up there. When her husband Vince had developed emphysema and was advised by his doctor to enjoy the country air, they’d decided to join their friends in Devon. Thanks to Rachel and Ryan’s generosity, neither Dolores nor Vince ever needed to work again.

  “Well Vince is finally starting to improve,” grinned Dolores, a short blond lady with a large bust. “He can actually get about now without wheezing, we’re going out a lot more, it’s great. He’s even started getting active in the bedroom again, thank God. The celibate life was killing me.”

  Gill released an embarrassed giggle and coloured. She liked Dolores very much but had never got used to her plain way of speaking.

  “I’m so glad he’s on the mend,” said Rachel, who didn’t suffer from her mother’s prudishness, pleased with how happy her friend looked. It hadn’t been an easy few years for Dolores and Vince.

  Dolores scowled at the man staring at Rachel from across the room. This happened a lot after Ryan was abducted by a pair of local serial killers and their criminal pasts had become local knowledge. It made Dolores furious that everyone couldn’t just leave them alone to get on with their lives and it wasn’t the first time she’d chided someone in public for being rude, she was fiercely loyal to them both. “What are you staring at?” she yelled at him.

  The man jumped in his seat and blushed. “I wasn’t staring.”

  “Yes you were you rude little man,” said Dolores, getting to her feet, bosom wobbling with outrage. “Got a problem?”

  The man chewed his lip, looking down at his hands before looking back at Rachel. “Actually I do and I think you can help me.”

  “Don’t listen to the clown Rach, it’s a trick,” said Dolores.

  The man got up and stood by their table, anxiously wringing his hands. He was only short and quite elderly, his left eye blackened and swollen. No threat. “I’m in a huge bind and I’m told only you can help me.”

  The fear in the man’s eyes, not of herself but of something else caused Rachel’s heart to go out to him. “Let’s have a chat over a brew,” she said kindly.

  The man smiled with relief. “Thank you, thank you so much.”

  “Won’t be long,” Rachel told her mother and Dolores, picking up her handbag and moving to join the little man at his table.

  “What on earth is that about?” said Gill.

  It boggled Dolores’s mind how someone as naïve as Gill ever birthed Rachel Law. She’d used to think that Gill’s naivety was in fact a defence mechanism to prevent her from facing up to the worst aspects of her daughter’s life but over time she’d realised Gill was genuinely innocent, childlike almost in a way. Rick however was fully aware of what had gone on and did his best to protect his wife from the harsh truth, knowing she would be unable to handle it.

  “Rachel and Ryan do a lot of charity work, helping people out when they need it. It’s probably something to do with that,” said Dolores before taking a sip of tea.

  This pleased Gill and she smiled. “Yes, that must be it. Bless them, they do a lot of good, don’t they?”

  “Yes they do,” said Dolores genuinely. Their vigilante ways had done a lot to protect the local community but Gill didn’t need to know about all that.

  Jules finally finished vomiting into the toilet, dragged herself to her feet and wandered back into the kitchen for a glass of water. She and Jackson had bought their own home in a peaceful, family suburb of the city. Jules never thought she’d see the day she was happily settled, finally domesticated and tamed. Well, almost anyway but she was so happy here. Naturally it was a large house with five bedrooms and a huge, secure back garden for Cara to play in. There was also a gym for her and Jackson to work out in, although they found if they worked out together they didn’t actually end up using the gym equipment. She’d finally sold the Parker home where she’d been raised and where she’d been abused for years, her virginity torn from her one bloody, brutal night. Finally she’d managed to put all that behind her thanks to the expertise of her therapist, as well as Jackson’s love.

  Jules had never known such happiness was possible. Finally she was content and now her paradise was being added to because she thought she was pregnant again. Cara had been her first miracle, Jackson her second and she might well be getting a third. When she was raped on her thirteenth birthday her evil adopted mother had told her the hospital doctors had said she’d never have kids thanks to the horrendous damage that had been done to her during the attack. However, when she’d fallen pregnant with Cara she’d discovered her adopted mother had lied and that she’d been fertile all along. She and Jackson had talked of having their own child, Cara being the biological daughter of Jared Slattery, an enemy of her family since he attacked the compound and abducted her. They’d even started trying but hadn’t really thought much about it because Jackson had just finished a cage fighting tournament, which meant he’d been doing a lot of travelling, spending several nights away from home and Jules had been so busy working for the family business as well as her own tattoo shop. Studying the calendar, she realised she’d missed a period but she needed a test to confirm it.

  The ringing of the doorbell had her grabbing her jacket and keys and walking through the house to the front door, which she opened to Mikey. They were going to meet with a man in the city Mikey wanted to buy a pub from. After the last person he met to negotiate the purchase of a pub tried to kill him he wanted her along for back-up.

  “You okay?” he frowned. “You look pale.”

  “I’ve just been throwing up. I think I might be pregnant.”

  “Seriously?”

  She smiled and nodded.

  Mikey swallowed hard, jealousy rising up inside him like bile. Instead of giving in to it he grinned. “Congratulations.”

  “I don’t know I am for sure yet, I need to do a test but I have missed a period and normally I’m regular as clockwork.”

  “Urgh, too much information.”

  “Why are men so afraid of periods?”

  “Because they’re gross.”

  “You’re not the ones who have to deal with the pain and the blood and the moods.”

  “Correction, we have to deal with the moods.”

  “Suppose,” she said, stepping outside and locking the door behind her.

  “You sure you’re up to this? You can stay home if you’re not.” He didn’t want to leave her behind, he loved spending time with her, just the two of them but he didn’t want her making herself ill.

  “We’re only going to a meeting, it’s not like we’re battling bad guys, are we?” she said a little hopefully. “Dominic’s not likely to give us any trouble, he’s too old and thick.”

  “No we’re not and you won’t be until you’ve had the baby.”

  “Making coffee and photocopying duties again,” she sighed.

  “Yes, if you are pregnant. If you’ve caught a bug then you can battle bad guys once you’re better.”

  “Great,” she grinned.

  “Do you want another kid?” he said.

  “Yeah,” she said enthusiastically. “Me and Jackson have been trying but we’ve been so busy lately we haven’t really thought about it.”

  They climbed into his car, Mikey slamming his door shut a little harder than he should have but he was still wrestling with his jealousy. He wanted to live here with her and Cara, eagerly trying for their own baby. If only he hadn’t rushed into marriage with Amber
it could be him in Jackson’s place. Rather than deal with that knowledge it only steadily continued to eat away at him because he knew for a fact that he and Jules were made for each other and he didn’t give a shit that they were first cousins. It was just a bloody shame that it seemed they would never get it together. Still, at least she was happy, that was all he wanted for her.

  She glanced sideways at him, fully aware of what he was thinking, his obvious jealousy making her ache inside. He’d offered to leave his wife for her before she’d married Jackson, after she’d discovered she was pregnant with Cara and she often wondered how it would have turned out if she’d accepted him. She was sure the chemistry would have been amazing. Even now, stuck in a confined space together she couldn’t help but fantasise about having sex with him. Plus she loved him. After she’d married Jackson she’d tried to deny that she did, buried her feelings for him deep inside herself but they wouldn’t go away. However she would never act on them. She loved Jackson too, he was her husband and as far as she was concerned that was an end to it. She’d assumed her love for Mikey would change into something platonic over time but it never had, it was just as strong as it had been two years ago.

  He caught her staring at him and she looked away, keeping her gaze on the window.

  Mikey cleared his throat and started the engine. “You sure you’re up to going into town?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I need to get a pregnancy test anyway.” She closed her eyes and licked her lips, causing Mikey’s stomach to knot with desire. “Snails,” she murmured.

  “Did you say snails?”

  She nodded. “I’ve got a sudden craving for them.” Her eyes opened. “That confirms it, I’m definitely pregnant. I couldn’t get enough of them when I was carrying Cara.”

  “Snails?” he repeated incredulously.

  “Yeah. Proper ones from a restaurant I mean. I don’t just pick them up off the ground and eat them.”

  “Thank God for that but all the same, you should still do the test.”

  “I will. After we’ve done our errands can we grab lunch at a French restaurant? If I don’t get a big plate of snails I’ll go crazy.”

  Mikey was even willing to watch her dig into a plate of the horrible slimy things if it meant he got some one-to-one time with her. “Go on then. I’ll even pay.”

  “Cheers,” she grinned. “Can I book my maternity leave now? Do you want me to fill in a form?”

  “Ha fucking ha,” he said wryly, steering the car down the drive and out onto the street. “Let’s just wait and see what the test says first though. I’m not taking the fact that you want to eat a plate of snails as red that you’re having a baby.”

  “There’s no doubt about it but if you like I’ll show you the stick?”

  “That’s okay, you can just tell me what it says. I don’t actually need to see it.”

  “Scared of a piss-covered stick?”

  “You’ll probably throw it at me or wave it in my face.”

  “You know me so well,” she grinned.

  Mikey smiled, he loved the way they bantered together, it was so relaxed, so natural. If he spoke like this to Amber she’d throw a hissy fit.

  “What’s up?” she said. “You suddenly look miserable.”

  “Nothing.”

  “Come on, tell your big cuz what’s wrong.”

  “Alright, I will.”

  He pulled the car up at the side of the road, switched off the engine then sat there staring at the steering wheel.

  “You going to share then?” she said when he’d been silent for a while.

  He turned in his seat to look her in the eye. “You really want to know what’s wrong?”

  “Yes, I do,” she said, concerned.

  “Okay, then I’ll tell you. I wish you were my missus and that the baby you’re probably carrying was ours.”

  Jules sighed heavily and leaned back in her seat, picking at her fingernails, a habit of hers when feeling edgy.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “You didn’t need to. I sort of knew anyway.”

  “But you kept pushing it?”

  She nodded, biting her lower lip. “Because I like hearing it.”

  “It’s nice to know my torment amuses you,” he snapped.

  “Not like that but my feelings for you are still strong, so it’s nice to know that yours are too. I know that’s selfish of me but I can’t help how I feel.”

  He turned to her hopefully and took her hand. “If they’re still strong then...”

  She placed her free hand on top of his and shook her head. “I’m sorry, we still can’t be together.”

  “Because of Jackson?”

  She nodded. “I love him too, I really do and he keeps me so steady. I’ve never been this healthy before, psychologically I mean. I made the right decision.”

  “Yeah, I know. I see every day how happy you are.”

  “You might not feel like this if you were happy with Amber.”

  “I would. I will always love you Jules but if me and Amber were happy I might find it easier to bear.”

  “If you’re finding it so hard maybe I shouldn’t work for you anymore?” She said it reluctantly because she loved her job and she loved getting to see him every day and working alongside him, as well as her brother.

  “No, don’t do that. I really would lose my mind then. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything but sometimes it gets on top of me. Even if you won’t,” he ended with a grin.

  “Cheeky.” Her smile fell when her heart started to beat harder, heat causing her skin to flush. “Could you give me a bit of space?”

  “Why?” he said, eyes burning.

  “Because you’re getting me seriously hot.”

  “Is that such a bad thing?” he said, dropping his voice to a soft murmur, leaning in closer, resting his hand on her thigh.

  “Yes because I will never cheat on Jackson.”

  “You sure about that?” he said as they both leaned in even closer to each other, their lips barely an inch apart.

  “Don’t,” she groaned when his hand slid higher.

  Mikey went rock hard when her eyes slid closed with pleasure. He could see her nipples straining against the material of her black t-shirt, which didn’t help. “I don’t think you mean that,” he whispered. Deciding to take a chance, he slid his hand even higher, moving towards the very centre of her and she started to writhe in her seat in anticipation.

  Suddenly she sat bolt upright. “No,” she said, removing his hand from her thigh.

  Mikey sighed and leaned away, giving her the space she’d asked for. “So close.”

  “We can’t allow that to happen again,” she said.

  “Because you were close to giving into me?”

  “Yes. Jesus, my life is finally good.” She turned pleading eyes on him. “Please don’t make me destroy it.”

  Mikey felt like a shit. “I won’t. I’m sorry.”

  “Maybe I should stop working for you? Maybe it would be better if we had some space from each other?”

  “No,” he said quickly. “I can’t have you, I accept that now but it would drive me even more crazy not getting to see you at all.”

  “It’s not working.”

  “It has worked for two years.”

  “Has it?” she said sadly. “We’re always looking at each other in a way we shouldn’t. Jez has noticed.”

  “So what? He’s not going to say anything.”

  “I know but if he’s noticed then the others will have too.”

  “Jesus Jules, we have to get used to being around each other without wanting to tear off each other’s clothes. I told you we should have done it while we had the chance. We might have found out it was a disappointment and it would have put us off.”

  “There’s no way it would have happened like that.”

  “You’re right,” he said. “It would have been epic.”

  “Yes it would and i
t would only make us want more. We did the right thing.”

  Mikey gripped onto the steering wheel, even though the car wasn’t moving. He’d lost count of the number of times he’d regretted not making love to her when he’d had the chance because sometimes it drove him out of his mind wondering what it would have felt like. But he was determined to put her first and he screwed up his courage for what he had to say next. “There’s so much more to what I feel for you than lust. I love you and I only want you to be happy and if you think not seeing me would do that then I won’t fight you.”

  “You want me to stop working for you?” she said, wide-eyed.

  “Christ no. I only want what’s right for you.”

  She bit her lip, wanting to reach out and take his hand but not daring to because she’d only want to touch him more. “I’ll think about it.”

  Mikey nodded, experiencing a sudden tightness in his chest and he started the engine. “Okay. Let’s go and get this meeting over with.”

  CHAPTER 6

  Jules and Mikey remained in silence throughout the rest of the journey, Jules throwing covert glances at him as he drove, Mikey handling the car rougher than he normally would.

  Still they didn’t speak when they arrived at the pub for the meeting, which lasted ten minutes. Dominic realised Mikey wasn’t in the mood to be fucked with and decided to give him exactly what he wanted.

  “That went well,” Jules told Mikey once they were outside, breaking the silence.

  He nodded. “I need to pop into the bank before we go,” he said, pointing down the street.

  “I’ll come with you, I could do with a walk.”

  Another nod was his response and she followed him, having to hurry to keep up as he stormed ahead, everyone moving out of his way to allow him to pass as he took on the aspect of a steamroller.

  “This is weird,” she said as she waited with him in the queue inside the bank.

  “What’s weird?”

  “You in a bank. Sort of a fox in the henhouse thing going on.”

  “Funny,” he said flatly.

  Their attention was diverted from each other when the doors clattered open and four men wearing black ski masks and carrying shotguns burst in, causing everyone to cry out in horror.