Ronnie got up next. She handed her a box. “From me, Vera and Gene.” Cheska took off the lid and froze. “Hairpins,” Ronnie said, smirking. “Maybe not the ones you’re used to receiving. But ones that’ll help you better in this family.”
I kissed the back of Cheska’s neck as she pulled back the tissue paper. Two long silver hairpin blades sat in the box. Cheska lifted them up. “To carry with you,” Vera said. “Just in case.”
Cheska felt the end of the blade, pulling her hand away when it brought a spot of blood to her finger.
“My present’s lessons on how to use them,” Eric said from across the room.
“Leech,” Vera said.
“We’re fucking blokes,” he said, indicating the rest of us. “We don’t do presents. Unless you want a hooker. I can get one here in five minutes flat.”
“Pig.” Betsy rolled her eyes.
“I’m good, thank you, Eric,” Cheska said, smiling, then lowered her eyes. I saw my family casting glances to each other, wondering what was wrong with her.
“It means a lot to me,” she said, voice tight, and I held her closer. She turned to look at me, and I frowned. “I’m okay,” she said, reading my fucking mind as always.
I was just about to push her for more answers when my phone rang. Charlie’s went off too. Charlie looked at his phone and spat, “Fuck!” He met my eyes. I pulled out my phone and saw the message. My blood boiled in my veins.
“Fuck,” I growled and lifted Cheska off my lap.
Ronnie was on her feet in two seconds when she saw the message. “I’m coming.” All my family received the message, one by one.
“We’re all coming,” Betsy said. I glanced at Cheska. “She’ll have to come. Gene too. There’ll be no one here to watch them. Unless you want me to call in some soldiers.”
“They’re fucking coming,” I said. My family knew I wouldn’t trust any fucker but one of these with her, with Gene. We all went for the cars. Cheska gripped my hand as we piled into the back seat of my Bentley.
“What’s happened?” she asked, eyes wide.
“A shipping container has been dumped on my newest dock.”
“Okay,” she said. “A container of what?”
I ran my hand over the stubble on my chin. “Women,” I said and saw the question in Cheska’s eyes. “Trafficked women.”
The colour fell from her face, then she held my hand tighter as we made for the docks. I replayed the message again. The soldiers guarding the docks had all been wiped out. Mikey, one of my generals, had gone to check on the next shipment and saw the gates were wide open, bodies fucking everywhere. He’d found the dumped shipping container, peered through a crack, and seen a fuck-ton of women in cages inside, drugged to the bloody eyeballs and stark naked.
This was Old Sammy’s dock. He still owned it. We just paid him a truckload of money to use it. I’d had it for a few fucking weeks. That was it. And already whoever had been fucking with us had targeted it.
Cheska was silent on the way. Her fucking birthday. The pricks had struck on her fucking birthday. As we travelled the roads, quieter because of Bonfire Night, crashes and bangs exploded around us. Cheska leaned against the window, watching the fireworks burst into the sky. But she never let go of my hand.
Finally, we entered the road leading to the dock. I saw the gate as we passed, the hinges blown and the gates hanging wide open. I narrowed my eyes as I stared at my men dead on the ground. Cheska’s hand was shaking, and when I cut a glance her way, her eyes closed, blocking out the sight of my soldiers bleeding out on Old Sammy’s tarmac.
The car came to a stop and the engine cut out. The car was silent. I released Cheska’s hand, needing to get out and deal with this shit, but she held on tight and shifted her arse along the back seat to my side. “I’m coming with you,” she said and lifted that fucking chin.
Leaning over, I took her mouth in a bruising kiss, then opened the door. The sound of fireworks echoed off the docks. I made my way to Mikey and saw he’d already had soldiers stationed around, patrolling the perimeter. His eyes fixed on Cheska as I approached him, no doubt wondering who the fuck she was to me. My brothers