I frown, trying to remember how I got here, but the thought slips away before I can catch it.
Then I see her.
Sitting on a wooden bench beneath an old oak tree, hands folded neatly in her lap, smiling the soft smile I’ve missed for over a decade.
Mum.
My heart lurches painfully. She looks exactly the same. Exactly. But that’s impossible. She’s gone. She’s been gone for years.
“Mum?” The word forms in my mind, but my mouth won’t shape it. No sound comes. Nothing works. My voice is gone, my body heavy and unresponsive, like I’m watching from behind glass.
I lift a shaking hand toward her, reaching, reaching—but my fingers never quite touch. They hover in the air, suspended, useless.
She doesn’t seem to notice. She just sits there, smiling out at the park, peaceful. Real. Too real.
And I feel myself falling backwards, away from her, away from the light, back toward something dark and cold and wrong.
Until the park dissolves like smoke and she fades from view.
KADE
“You can’t turn up to the club,” I repeat, slower this time, letting every word land. Jimmy just smirks and leans back in the chair like he owns the place.
Most of my business is done here, in the tattoo shop I run, or the yard a few streets over where the delivery vans are kept. It’s neutral ground. Safe ground. The club isn’t.
I set my sketch pencils down and turn to face him fully. “We keep our women out of business. That’s how it’s always been.”
He’s only been here a few minutes—conveniently right after Diesel stepped out.
Jimmy laughs under his breath. “You’re forgetting how much I’ve got on you.”
“I’ll take the risk,” I snap, before he can finish the threat.
“We’ve got some extra loads coming in next week,” he explains. “I’ll need more vans on the road.”
I shake my head. “Not happening.”
“Kade, there’s no choice for either of us.” His voice drops, more serious than usual.
“You’re wrong. I choose what work my club takes. And we’re not taking any more of your shit.” I step closer. “We didn’t want to touch you in the first place, but we honoured Bull’s arrangement. That ended months ago. Out of good will, I kept it going. But my honour only runs so deep, and you’re out of time.”
Jimmy’s jaw tightens. “You’re not fucking listening. There’s no choice. This goes above me.”
“There is no one above you.” I lean in. “Street rats don’t have people.” A muscle ticks in his cheek. “Get the fuck out of my shop,” I growl.
He stands, but doesn’t move. “If I don’t shift these loads, we’re all dead.”
The door swings open, and Liam stumbles in, looking flustered. “Sorry I’m late.”
Jimmy glares daggers at him before turning his attention back to me. “Nathan Cole wants these loads moved to these addresses.” He lays a folded sheet on my desk. “If they don’t reach their destination, he’s coming for us all.”
I close my eyes briefly, a cold weight settling in my gut. “Nathan Cole? How the hell did you upset him?”
The London gangster is ruthless, untouchable. People with sense don’t make deals with him.
Jimmy shrugs helplessly. “He saw a good opportunity and we agreed on terms.”
“You made a fucking deal,” I thunder, “without speaking to me?” I shoot to my feet so fast the chair scrapes across the floor. “I should’ve put a bullet in you the second I learned about your little alliance with Bull.”
