Page 62 of Bully's Darkness
“Whizz filled us in,” says Taz.
I nod. “Good. Smiler, over to you.”
Smiler clears his throat. “I sat down with Ragnar, Boss, and Stretch to work out a plan. It ain’t gonna be easy. I’ve been watching Dagger’s men, and they’re clever. Too clever. They don’t ride the same formations, they don’t even ride the same routes, and they hardly ever ride with Dagger. It’s like they don’t want to draw attention to themselves, yet they don’t want to hide away. And Dagger is like a fucking ghost lately.”
“Taking them on the road is near impossible,” Ragnar cuts in. “I know you wanted it that way, Pres, but hitting them at base makes more sense.”
I shake my head. “We tried that. It didn’t work.”
Whizz grins, turning his laptop my way. “What if we attend a party?”
I peer closer at the poster on screen. “Where’d yah get that?”
“One of his men emailed it to Dagger, and I’m monitoring his emails,” he says with a wink.
I grin, turning it to Smiler. “Would this work?”
He half shrugs. “I mean, it’s tight,” he says, checking his watch. “But if we wait ‘til dark, get in towards the end when their guard is down.”
I nod, banging the gavel on the table. “We’ll meet back here at nine for instructions.”
The men head out, but Taz lingers back. “You reckon that party is for Lila?”
“That’s what the poster said,in remembrance.”
He shakes his head. “It don’t feel right, Pres. Why celebrate her life when he was the one who brought her down?”
“I don’t know, Taz. All I do know is that I’m sick of waiting. I want the piece of shit dead before sunrise.”
Olivia
I managed to convince Bria into seeing our friends tonight. I needed some space, and her worrying was driving me insane. The second she left, I jumped into the bath for a nice, long soak. Then I put on my fluffy pyjamas and sank into the couch to watch a movie.
But even as Tom Hardy demands my attention, my mobile taunts me. I pick it up for the hundredth time to read Bully’s message. His words seem genuine, and I don’t remember the last time he ever wrote me a text like this. An apology.
My finger hovers over the reply button, just like it has done more than ten times at least. It would be easy to forgive him, and lord knows I want to. But we’ve been here too many times. The first was when we’d only been together a few months. He slept with a club whore and immediately confessed because the guilt ate him alive. The second time was a random woman on anight out, but then we’d been together a year. So, when he went inside, I relaxed. He couldn’t cheat in prison. Or so I thought. And knowing about it is bad enough, but watching it, hearing her say those words,I love you, is too much.
Me: Why did you do it to me again?
Its’ seconds before his reply comes, and my heart is beating in my throat as I open it.
Bully: Because I’m an idiot. It was sex, Liv. Just sex.
Me: Did you have feelings for her? Be honest, I can take it.
Bully: No. But I think she felt things for me. I brushed it off. I just wanted sex. Being inside, away from you, was too hard and she was a distraction. I didn’t even give her a second thought after she got fired.
Me: You’ve really hurt me.
Bully: And I hate myself for it. What are you doing?
Me: Watching a movie.
Bully: Bet it’s got Tom Hardy in it.
I smile to myself.
Me: Of course.
