*****
Church that night was held from Suzy’s living room in hushed voices. Just a few of us. Indie wanted the club even tighter. Tonight’s business was need-to-know only. In the kitchen, the women washed up dishes, and Mamma Dot made more food like we were about to head into wartime rationing. Nineties dance pumped in the background.
“Our intelligence is quiet at the minute,” Fury started. “Not a sniff of the Hand.”
“At the moment, they have other things to think about,” Indie answered.
The men squeezed onto sofas or crossed legged on the floor watched him, questions in their eyes but no one raised them.
“It’s given us breathing space. But they’ll regroup. And I am certain they will attack us at Magnet’s funeral.”
Brothers muttered in agreement.
“I propose the funeral we hold will be a sham.” Silence now from everyone. “They’ll attack us there. It’s public. A risk. But they’ll assume we won’t expect it because of that. And when they do, we’ll be ready.”
“What about the other MCs and MCCs. They’ll be caught in the crossfire?” Barry the Blade asked.
“They’re in the coalition. They know what it means.” Fury grunted.
“Aye. But I don’t want them taking unnecessary damage. Or there won’t be a coalition left at the end of it. We’ll keep them safe. But they need to be there too, to see us handle business. We’ll put the Viking up high with the Reverend. They’ll take the majority of them out cleanly. They won’t even get through the doors.”
“And what about the women?” one of the twins asked from the floor, although I couldn’t tell which was which now that they’d moved.
“I’m going to send them up to Grace.” Indie’s voice dropped lower. “We’ll give them an escort part way. Tomahawk’s lot will get them to the causeway. They’ll be safe once they get on that island, out of the way.”
“Will they all fit in ya ma’s house, Indie?”
“She’ll cope for a few days. She’ll love the company and the kids. Holy Island is too close-knit and too public for the Hand to try anything there.”
We all nodded.
“When this is all over. And it will be,” Indie paused, glancing around the room, making eye contact with each andevery one of us. “We will give Magnet the send-off he deserves. But I’m not having those fuckers ruin a brother’s last run.”
Chapter Thirty Four
“How long will this take?” I asked, packing another woollen jumper into the little carry-on case on my bed.
“Not long enough for you to wear all these clothes. Do you really need four pairs of jeans?”
“Well, as you can’t tell me how long I’ll be away for, then four pairs of jeans might not even be enough.”
Ryan rolled his eyes for the tenth time in ten minutes.
“Can we go now?” He asked as I squashed the lid of the little suitcase down.
“Yeah.”
He dragged the case from the bed, his arm sagging suddenly as the mattress disappeared from under it.
“Apart from enough clothes to last a month, what else you got in this?” he complained.
An angry buzz at the intercom stopped the words leaving my mouth, and I studied Ryan like he might know who it was. He shrugged his shoulders at me.
“You expecting anyone?”
“No.”
The knock echoed round the house.
