Page 72 of Silver Tears

“I can’t. I will. Soon. I’m helping someone who’s got themselves into a situation. That’s all I can give you right now.”

Archer just nods his head at me. “We’ve got your back, always. No questions asked.”

This is how it’s always been between us. The bond we have. The shit we’ve seen and been part of together is what keeps us tight. There are no other people I trust more in the world than the two guys sitting in this car with me tonight. We might not share blood, but they are my family.

“Let’s go,” I announce, slipping the gun into my jacket. I know I won’t need to use it, but better to be safe than sorry.

I shove the door open without any resistance. Unlocked and no one keeping watch. These guys are getting sloppy. The ground floor of the abandoned mill lies empty. The Brownlee brothers are up on the second floor. As we climb the concrete staircase to the upper floors, the sound of music reaches us. Looks like we’re interrupting a party. We come to a stop at the entrance to the second floor. There’s a guy over by the windows DJ’ing and a small group of girls dancing together, clutching bottles of cider and swaying their hips to the music. I snort when I spot the Brownlee brothers over to the left side of the vast open space. Mikey Brownlee smokes a joint as some blonde kneels between his legs, sucking him off. Davy Brownlee’s attention is fixed on the X-box racing game he’s playing. All around them their crew is either fucking, getting high, or sleeping.

I place my fingers in my mouth and release a high pitch whistle that echoes across the space. Mikey sees us first, grabbing the girl between his legs and pushing her away. He quickly gets to his feet and tucks himself in his trousers. He chucks a ball of paper at his brother and gestures our way. Davy quickly discards the controller and jumps to his feet. With my two brothers on either side of me, we close the distance and cross the room. The guy DJ’ing spots us, and the music stops almost instantly. The girls stop dancing where they are and eye us curiously. One winks at me and licks her lips. I recognise her. She’s Maisie Brownlee, their younger sister.

“Well. Well. The Aces,” Mikey says, holding out his hands and grinning at us. “This is a surprise.”

“This isn’t a social visit, Mikey,” I explain, sitting myself down on the battered blue sofa across from them.

Mikey nods his head and picks up his spliff, offering it out to Archer, who shakes his head. “Have a seat. Mi casa et tu casa.”

Dickhead doesn’t have an ounce of Spanish blood in him.

“We have a problem,” I say, leaning back in my seat and watching as both brothers sit down opposite me. Rafe walks behind where I’m sitting and sits himself on the back of the sofa, his cold hard stare fixated on the two brothers. Rafe can look like a scary fucker when he wants to. It’s always the quiet one’s people should fear the most.

“Well, whatever it is, I’m sure we can resolve it, lads,” Davy says, whistling and beckoning his sister over. “You remember Maisie of course, Collings?”

Maisie grins at me as she comes to sit beside me. Her taloned hand runs its way up my thigh. I place my hand over hers, stopping her in her tracks. “Thanks, but no thanks.”

Maisie arches a brow at me. “Come on, Collings, you know I’m good.”

I hate the way the brothers have no issue with using their sister like this. I know none of them had a great start in life, but this is their sister. They don’t even blink as she openly offers herself to me.

“I know you’re good, Maisie, but we’re here on business, not pleasure.”

Maisie looks across at her brothers and Mikey gestures with his head for her to skedaddle. Reaching in front of me and purposefully giving me an eyeful of her cleavage, Maisie reaches for a lollipop. She unwraps it, slowly popping it into her mouth. “I’ll be over there if you change your mind. Hey, Savage,” she says with a wink Archer’s way as she struts away from us. All three of us have been there. Maisie knows what she has, and she’s not afraid to use it.

“What can we do for you?” Davy asks us, realising his sister isn’t going to distract us from the reason for our visit tonight.

“You’ve been supplying drugs to someone, and I need it to stop.” I take out the screwed-up piece of paper from my pocket and toss it onto the table in front of us.

Mikey reaches out and unfolds in and as he reads it, he looks up at me, surprised.

“I’ll clear whatever debt they owe. Tonight. In cash, but I need your word that you won’t supply them again. Ever.”

Mikey passes the paper to Davy, who reads it, and they share a look before they both return their full attention to me.

“I think you know we leave you to do your thing because you don’t cause us any issues. This, however, is an issue. You give them nothing from here on in.”

“They’ve run up quite the debt,” Davy says, pulling out his little book and flicking through the pages.

“I’ll pay it.”

“Four grand,” he announces.

I narrow my eyes at him.

He smirks and shrugs his shoulders at me. “You said both their debts, right?”

I smile and shake my head. “No. I said I’ll pay hers, but I said that you no longer supply either of them. What you do to get the debt re-paid from him, I couldn’t care less, so long as no one else but him gets hurt.”

Davy nods his head in response and his eyes flick over his little book once more. “Hers is a grand.”

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