AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I was young. I didn’t know I was pregnant until really late, and by then, it was too late to terminate. Mum was furious, so I decided to keep him, more as fuck you to her, but actually, it backfired because she left and I had to deal with him alone.”
I lean on the counter. “That was a shitty decision on her part. Why didn’t she take you with her?”
“She was never a good mum. Me having a child was too hard for her to deal with, and basically, she couldn’t be arsed to make the effort.”
“But you did it alone anyway, that shows courage.”
“Or stupidity.”
“How did you manage it?” I ask, checking the pot of boiling spaghetti.
“Day by day,” she mutters, shifting uncomfortably. “Coming back to the club was the best thing I ever did, though. It made life easier, and I could work knowing Ollie was taken care of.”
“How did you get into your role?” I ask, grabbing two dishes from the cupboard.
Her eyes light up again. “I met a guy,” she begins, and I scowl. “Nothing like that. But he gave me self-defence lessons. I was good at something finally. It gave me some power back and I became a better version of myself. I stood up to Eagle, first of all, and when he began to back off, I realised I wasn’t weak like before. I trained hard—self-defence, boxing, anything I could to make me stronger. One night, I was in a bar watching a couple argue. He dragged her out back for a beating, and I followed. He struck her once, and I made sure he’d never do it again. Each time I got involved in some sort of dispute, I felt better about myself. Before long, I was getting hired to do it.”
“You come alive when you talk about work,” I say.
“It’s the only stable thing in my life.”
I spoon spaghetti onto the dishes. “Not anymore, Red. Not anymore.” Because now, she has me.
Once I’ve dished up and we’re at the table, I pour her a glass of wine. “How did it go with your mum?”
“Badly,” she admits, twisting her fork into the spaghetti. “I don’t know why I bothered to see her. I knew how it would go.”
“Does she know about what happened with Eagle and how he died?”
She shakes her head. “She knows nothing about my life now. The last time I saw her, she was getting on a bus to Ireland. Ollie was a baby.”
“Were you guys ever close?”
She tastes the bolognaise and closes her eyes in appreciation. “This is good,” she says through a mouthful, and I smile. I’ve never really cooked for anyone but Ma or my brothers. “No, not really. She’s not the maternal type.”
“So, how come it didn’t go well?”
“Tell me about your meeting today, the one I crashed,” she asks, changing the subject.
“Not much to tell,” I say, shrugging.
“Why’s she hiring?”
“I don’t know that she is for definite. She was putting out the feelers.”
Rosey frowns. “You met someone who isn’t sure if they want to hire a hit?” she asks sceptically.
I backtrack, realising my mistake. We’d never meet anyone face to face unless we were certain it was going ahead. “I mean, after your little show, it made her nervous. I might have to pass it to Archer.”
She looks away, embarrassed, and I feel bad for the lie. “Any plans to see your mum again?”
She shakes her head. “Tell me about your past.”
“Not much to tell.”
“Bullshit. You grew up with Arthur Taylor, there has to be stories there. What about dating and kids?” She’s smiling again, and I’m relieved she isn’t hanging on to the details of earlier.
“No kids. I don’t want them. Didn’t have time to date, Art made sure of that. And my childhood was a good one.”
