Page 41 of Arthur


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I hear Arthur downstairs, talking. When does he switch off? He reminds me of Maverick, with too much responsibility to take a break. I close my eyes, drifting into a restless sleep.

Thirteen. I am officially thirteen. I smile across the flickering flames dancing on my birthday cake to my twin sister. Hadley grins wide. She loves cake. Mama B counts to three, and we both blow out the candles. Everyone claps.

Dad hands us each a present. They look exactly the same shape and size, as we often get the same stuff. It’s the downfall of being a twin. I’m excited. I hinted a lot for a mobile phone. All my friends have one since starting secondary school, aged eleven, but Mav always said I wasn’t old enough, and Dad agreed. We rip open the pretty pink paper together. I stare down at the Game Boy box. A Game Boy, what the actual . . . “Thanks,” says Hadley, looking equally as dumbfounded. She’d probably asked for books.

“Yeah, thanks,” I add, smiling. We give Dad a kiss on the cheek, as it’s expected, then we hug Mama B. “Can I go to my room and set it up?” Dad nods, and I rush off, feeling angry tears stinging my eyes.

I throw myself onto my bed. Fuck, I told everyone I was getting a new phone. Justin even wrote down his phone number for me. Everyone wants his number. The bedroom door creaks open and Ripper steps in. He locks the door and makes his way over to my bed. I smile sadly as he takes a seat.

“I got you a present,” he says, handing it to me. He’s been really nice the last few months. He gets me, and he gets how suffocated I feel at the club. “But you can’t tell anyone, not even Rosey.”

I unwrap the present and gasp. “A phone,” I whisper, running my hand over the box. “Oh my god.”

“I couldn’t let my favourite girl down, could I?” he asks, winking. I throw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and squeezing him extra tight, so he knows how much I appreciate this.

“You’re the best,” I say.

“But there are rules.” He likes rules. “You keep it hidden, you don’t tell anyone, and I have full access.”

“Full access?”

“I’ve set it up. The password is ‘Ripper’s girl’. You’re not allowed to change it. I gotta make sure you’re safe.” I nod, willing to agree to anything right now. “And no boys. I don’t want you talking to no boys.” Justin enters my mind, but I nod again. I’ll save his name under Justine. “Now, you know I get you anything you want, right?” I nod. “I’ve always been good to you. You’re my favourite. And I know you’re at that age now where you’re curious about boys.” I feel myself blushing. “And so, I wanna help you out. It’s normal when you care about someone to show them the way.”

“Okay,” I mutter, frowning and not knowing where this is going.

“Meli, have you ever kissed a boy?” I shake my head. I don’t get a chance to date when I’m surrounded by bikers. I even get picked up and dropped off to school. “Do you wonder what it’s like?”

“I guess.” I feel embarrassed. It’s not the sort of thing I want to discuss with one of the club brothers.

“You want me to show you?” I bite my lower lip, shocked he’s even suggesting it. Ripper’s nice, and all the women at the club fancy him. I hear them talking about him all the time. But he’s way older, like almost my dad’s age. “I’m looking out for you. What if a boy tries to kiss you one day and you don’t know what to do?” I’m pretty sure that’ll never happen seeing as I’m not allowed to be free like other teenagers. “And your dad put me on Meli watch, right?” he adds, laughing. The guys take turns watching over me and Hadley. Ripper rides me around when I have to go places.

“But, look, if you don’t want to, it’s fine. I just didn’t want the boys at school laughing at you when you don’t know what to do.” He stands, but he looks annoyed. I hate I’ve upset him when he’s just spent all this money on me, and he’s always so kind, thinking about what I need.

“I do,” I say quickly, and he pauses. “If you’re sure you don’t mind.”

He sighs, sitting back down. “Why would I mind helping my favourite baby girl out?”

ARTHUR

I need to focus, but all I can think about is Meli. Ripper was a lot older, maybe twenty years older. Anger boils my blood. And Maverick must know because he put the call in to ask me to bury Ripper’s body under tonnes of concrete. He’s now laid to rest under the footings of a new apartment block. That apartment block used to be the garage run by the MC.

Someone buzzes the gate, and I pick up the intercom. Rosey’s face comes into view. “It’s three a.m.”

“I’m aware of the time, Arthur, I own a watch. It’s not why I came.”

I release the gate and watch out my office window as she skips up the drive. I shake my head. Who the fuck skips when they’re an adult? I meet her at the front door, leaning against the frame so she can’t come in. “What are you doing here?”

“I did what you asked. I tracked down Dumb and Dumber. Did you know Jolene was screwing another E15 guy?” I frown, moving to the side so she can come in. She goes through to the kitchen, and I follow. “Red wine?” she asks, picking up the half-drunk bottle. “I didn’t know you were a fan.”

“I’m not.”

“You have a guest?”

“Rosey, stick to the point.”

She grins, taking a drink from the bottle. I roll my eyes and grab a glass from the drainer, slamming it beside the bottle. She pours half a glass and announces, “They’re dead. I called Albert, he’s on his way.”

It’s another five minutes before Albert walks in. He looks tired, and I wonder when the last time he slept was. Probably months ago, like me. “You keep weird hours,” he grumbles, taking Rosey’s glass and draining it.

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