When The Boys Are Away

Part 73

"Okay, so hear me out." Ada held one hand out vaguely to capture Harlow's attention, whilst precariously balancing a full glass of champagne in the other, "I take the fireplace poker and smash his car windows. What about that?" 

She stared at Harlow excitedly, waiting for a response as the brunette opposite her smirked, "Ada, as great as that sounds, we're not teenagers anymore. If you do that, you will be criminally liable." 

Harlow's wise words meant little to Ada, she'd happily face the police if it meant hitting back at Alfie Solomons, "Well it was either his windows or his kneecaps." She shrugged, quickly sneaking a sip of her drink in between her speech, "Which would carry a longer sentence?" 

"Oh definitely the bodily harm. Go for the windows." Nick answered a little too calmly, sinking onto the sofa beside Ada who nodded appreciatively. Being around the Wentworths so often sometimes led Harlow to forget just how dangerous they were. They were a gang who had committed a huge amount of crime, but they knew the judiciary system so well that they would avoid prosecution every time. 

Nick placed a plate of food on the small table before them that he'd managed to sneak from the kitchen. None of them fancied sitting in the dining room with the other guests, so the three of them and Dale had decided to sit elsewhere. 

Picking up a piece of carrot, Ada smiled gratefully at Nick, the pair of them sharing a heart warming glance which Harlow couldn't help but grin at. It was no longer the Shelbys or Solomons restoring her faith in love, it was resting purely on Ada and Nick now, along with a few other couples in the family. 

"I'm not happy about this Russian shit." Dale voiced firmly as he paced beside the sofa, his glass of whiskey spinning precariously in his right hand. Nick glanced up at him cautiously, knowing that if Dale was worried that something could happen, he was most likely correct. 

"Did Tom not tell you about it? I told him to." Harlow questioned, curling her legs up beside her on the chair into a more comfortable position. The scarlet material of her dress flowed out over her , just covering her ankles, leaving her heels pointing out on show. Dale's eyes flickered conflictedly, slightly nodding his head towards her, "He vaguely mentioned it, but he's keeping secrets. Solomons too." He pointed towards Harlow ambivalently with his glass, as if you keep her attention. 

Ada sighed inwardly, flicking her curled hair over one shoulder, "Tommy always keeps secrets. Nobody knows the full story apart from him, I can promise you that." Her words didn't reassure the Wentworths as she crunched on another carrot from her plate, the few drinks she'd consumed already having a slight effect on her. 

Although Ada could quickly dismiss her brother's deception, it was clear to Harlow that the Wentworths couldn't as the brothers glanced at one another warily. 

"I'll be back soon." Dale announced mysteriously, placing down his glass on the side table before strolling out the room. Harlow couldn't help but sit up, looking towards the door in confusion. 

"I'm going to go too." Harlow mumbled quietly, not even catching the attention of the new couple who were already too infatuated with staring into each other's eyes. 

As she vacated the room, the Winters girl didn't know where she was heading, but her legs urged her to walk back down towards the kitchen. Even if she couldn't find anyone, at least she could get some food out of it. 

Up the corridor she could hear the distant chatter flooding out of the dining hall, but the thought of being stuck on that table with Grace's family made her nauseous. She'd much rather avoid that environment at all costs.

 Carefully, her heels clicked against the stone steps, not wanting to trip in the dim light. It was a trip she'd took so many times before, but this time it felt a little bit darker than usual.