Page 49 of Trust In Me
“Well, thank you for having us, and you are more than welcome to join our little party. It will be great to get to know you further. Do you want to lead the way?” asks Bree, as she attempts to diffuse the tense situation.
We all walk towards the entrance, but Liam falls back until he is standing beside me. “Is he legit?” he whispers for only me to hear.
Nodding, I tell Liam what I know. “From what I remember, he used to run Shades, your dad’s sex club in Ireland. There was some trouble surrounding one of the monthly auctions that are held there, but I don’t know the specifics. Shortly after, Declan handed in his letter of resignation because he wanted to move to England to be with Belle. She goes to medical school at Oxford Uni. From the research I did, and it wouldn’t have been a full deep dive, but he came up clean. Des invested as a silent partner only, and he agreed there would be no illegal activity. Declan wanted to build a life here for him and Belle. That’s all I know.” As soon as I finish, Liam begins to nod, like what I’ve just told him is enough…for now. I already know that I will have to run a deep dive on this guy tomorrow. Liam likes to know everyone his father is in business with. It’s the only way we can stay on top of what he’s planning.
As we reach the door, Kian comes over to us. “Look, I know you have issues with your father, and from what I've heard, I don’t blame you. But Declan is practically my brother, and I trust him. And he trusts Desmond. He has always looked out for Dec, and that means something to us both. So please, keep the hatred you have for your father to one side, and just give Dec a chance. I think you might actually like him if you get to know him.”
Liam claps Kian on the back and we both give him the nods he needs. “We promise to give him a try. Thank you for organising this. You have made Ryleigh very happy,” Liam jokes as we make our way into the club.
The minute the doors open, it’s like we are hit with a blast of noise, the loud beat of the bass echoing through our bodies. Belle is leading the way, and Ryleigh appears to be using the giant cock to move people out of the way so we can make our way to the VIP section.
As usual, my gaze instantly finds Mia, and as I suspected, she looks to be a bit uncomfortable. Her head is shooting from left to right as she takes in the mass of people, and I watch as her shoulders stiffen and she tries to make herself smaller. She hates crowds or any sort of attention, and we aren’t even halfway into the club yet and I’ve seen a couple of guys leering at her.
I know I shouldn’t do anything, and that I should keep my distance like I promised. But, fuck it!
I move closer to her, using my body as a shield so nobody is able to get too close to her. I then place my hand against her lower back, not only for her to use as a guide, but also to give her the comfort of knowing I’m there for her.
As soon as she feels my hand, her head whips around. She has no idea who is touching her, and I’m guessing she is about to tell me off. I think for a moment, even after she sees that it’s me, she still considers shouting at me. Then she seems to sigh, almost like she is relieved, and she continues to walk.
Just a few steps later I feel her hand reach around to where mine is, and she takes my fingers in hers and pulls my hand around so that my arm is wrapped around her, and her hand is intertwined with mine. She doesn't look at me, or even acknowledge that it’s happened, she simply continues to walk. But I don’t miss the way she walks just that little taller, with a bit more confidence. It’s like the dark shadows of the club can hide the secrets we aren’t meant to have.
Belle leads us into the VIP area, and as we all take our seats a waitress comes over holding a tray of shot glasses. “First round’s on me,” Declan states, as he picks up a shot glass and holds it in the air. Everyone reaches for a glass, and as we all sit there looking around at each other, the silence starts to become a bit awkward. I’m waiting for either Bree or Liam to make the toast, but they appear to be looking at me or Mia, who I’m trying to pretend isn’t practically sitting on my knee. We’re all crushed into the booth that wasn’t made for this many people. Kian is next to me, and obviously I don’t want to sit on his knee, so I’m naturally leaning closer to Mia. She’s the better choice, after all.
“I think it’s the best man who is supposed to do the toast,” Kian whispers in my ear, and I realise everyone is looking at me expectantly.
“Shit. I didn't know that. My bad…okay. Everyone, please raise your glass and slam it back to celebrate Bree and Liam. May they live a long and happy life together,” I say before leaning forward, clinking my glass with Liam’s before downing the shot. The burn of the vodka as it slides down my throat is delicious, and everyone else follows suit as they congratulate Bree and Liam before slamming back their shots.
“A round of Jagerbombs next, please,” Ryleigh shouts, and groans echo around the table. The loudest of which is coming from Shane.
“No. You promised no Jager tonight. You know how you get when you drink Jager. Last time you ended up in the middle of the dance floor, dancing around your handbag while you threatened to take off your bra.” Shane’s voice has taken on an extremely high pitch, and I don’t miss the red mist that descends over Liam’s face at the mention of his baby sister taking off her bra.
“Oh, shut up. It was one time. And we don’t know if it was the Jager or the tequila that was to blame.” Ryleigh waves him off and instructs the waitress to bring the drinks. Shane shakes his head disapprovingly, but doesn’t bother to say anything. He clearly knows Ryleigh well enough to pick his battles.
Liam, on the other hand, is not happy. “Let me make it very clear right now, Ryleigh, before you drink any more. The first sign that you have had too much to drink and you are in a taxi home. And so help me God, if you even think about taking any of your clothes off, you will be straight home. Understood?”
Ryleigh’s face twists into her typical pissed-off teenage expression, and I have seen this look many times before. If somebody doesn’t diffuse the situation right now, it will descend into chaos. The problem is, Liam sees Ry as the baby of the family, and his dad mode kicks in. But she isn’t a little girl anymore, and I think Liam is struggling with that. Even though he isn’t the eldest, he has always been the one to look after the girls, and Freya has never caused him any trouble. But the same can’t be said for adventurous, rebellious Ryleigh.
Bree, thankfully, has also read the situation and steps in. “Okay, enough of the lectures. We are here to have fun, and that is what we are going to do. I’m not carrying a giant inflatable cock around for no reason. Ryleigh promises not to overdo it, and Liam promises to try and lighten up, even if it’s only for a bit. Now, shall we get this party started!” Bree shouts, as the waitress puts the tray down and everyone reaches to grab their glasses.
We all place the tumbler that is filled with Red Bull in front of us, and take hold of the shot glass full of Jager. Holding them up, everyone looks around for who will be the one to make the next toast. They can fuck off if they think I’m doing another. I expect Liam to take the hit, so I’m surprised when Mia begins to talk. “Here’s to a great night. Thank you to Ryleigh and Kian for helping to organise this. You deserve the best, Bree, and I think you have found it with Liam. Congratulations!”
As soon as she finishes her speech, we each drop the shot glass into the tumbler of Red Bull, before swallowing the whole thing. Fuck, that shit is strong. I can already feel the alcohol beginning to flow into my bloodstream. It’s like I can feel it travelling through my body, relaxing each of my nerves in turn. Making me a whole lot more chilled than I was before.
It also seems to have electrified my nerve endings because the ones that are currently touching Mia’s soft, silky skin, it feels like I’m being electrocuted. I’m on edge each time her arm brushes against mine, and every time she laughs she seems to lean in towards me, and I have to resist the urge to put my arm around her.
We manage to talk Ryleigh down from another round of shots, and we all just order whatever we want. I ordered a bottle of beer, and Mia got her usual Jack Daniels and Coke. I don’t really pay much attention to what else is going on around me, my attention is always on her.
Everyone seems to break off into mini conversations, and Kian starts telling me all about his recent threats, and asking me if I will look into it for him. I agree, but tell him he will have to come to me with all the details another time. I blame it on the drinks I’ve had, saying I won’t be able to remember, but in reality it’s because I’m only half listening. The other half of my attention is with Mia, who is talking to Freya about her college course.
Freya has just finished sixth form, and was going to go to university, but has decided to take a gap year, much to Liam’s annoyance. Freya has always been the good girl of the family, determined to get as far away from this life as she can. Growing up surrounded by death and mayhem, she doesn’t exactly know how to live a normal life. She has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She could’ve just chosen a random subject she enjoys and gone to university with no clear plan, like a lot of people her age do. But Frey wants a plan. She wants to find what makes her happy. At the moment she is staying with a friend in Ireland, but has been talking to Bree about coming to stay in London for a bit. She wants to explore and find herself.
“So you just left your family and went on your own? How did you do it? Weren’t you scared?” Freya asks, and Mia shakes her head in reply as she circles her finger around the rim of her glass.
“Honestly, no. But that’s because for me it was scarier to stay and be part of my family. I’m not saying it’s easy. If I’d taken my father’s money, I could have done a full-time course and graduated two years ago. Instead, I did a part-time, online-based course so I could work during the day to pay off the money for the course. I’m in my final semester now, and this is the only module I have to do in a placement. So the university basically sends out assessors and has Kellan fill out paperwork about how I care for Hallie. He will be the person who decides if I pass my course or not,” Mia explains, and I’m shocked for a moment because she never told me that. I knew I would have to assess her. I received all the paperwork and did a video call with her assessor, but I didn’t know it was my decision.
“You are so lucky that you have been able to use this as a placement. Not that I think Kellan would be biased. In fact, he is probably the harshest judge when it comes to Hallie.” Mia just laughs at Freya’s comment. It’s more of a sarcastic chuckle that lets Frey know she knows exactly what she’s talking about.
“He is, but I don’t blame him.” Mia discreetly turns my way, I can just see her out of the corner of my eye, but thankfully I had already turned to face Kian. I may not be looking directly at her, but my ears prick up as she starts to talk about me. “He really does love Hallie, and is a genuinely great dad. She is a lucky little girl to be surrounded by so much love. I know Kellan sometimes tries to compensate for what Hallie lost so early on in life, but he really doesn’t need to. She may not have a mum in her life, but she has everything that matters. She is loved, and if I can be part of that, even just a little bit, then I will take it.”
