𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 • 𝙟𝙤𝙝𝙣 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙗𝙮

• 2 •

I snorted, shaking my head. "How disappointing. You think you're the first person to come to me with opium?"

"It's not like anything else on the market," He promised, his voice low. "It doesn't get any purer than my supply."

I stared him down, remaining defiant. "You're not the first person I'm saying no to, either."

He lowered his hands and sighed, blinking a few times. "You don't understand. This is powdered bliss. It's heaven in a vial."

"It could suck my tits and make me fly for all I care; it's still a no," I stated bluntly, subtly trying to loosen the rope around my wrists and failing.

"You sell Solomons' coke," He stated, tilting his head. "Are you fucking him? Is that why you accepted his offer?"

"Coke and opium are two very different things," I replied. The truth was, I had accepted Alfie's offer without weighing the risks. Having just arrived to London, I thought it would be smart to have him on our side. Five years later, I realised I would've been better off having never gone into business with him. "Opium has a lot more risk attached to it. Coke is easy to sell, and easy to keep quiet. Opium is loud."

James' face dropped and he raised the gun again, holding it to my forehead. "Then I'll kill you, Alexandra. And then, I'll find that scummy husband of yours and kill him, too. And then-"

"Don't," I cut him off with narrowed eyes, seething. "Do not go there, James. You'll regret it."

"Then I will beat your son to death," He finished with no hint or humanity of emotion, shaking me to my core.

"Hold on, James," Alfie called out from behind us. "You said it was about the money, you didn't say anything about killing her."

"What the fuck did you think he was gonna do when I refused, Solomons?" I yelled at him.

"So don't refuse," James said coolly, his narrowed eyes trained on mine. "I can destroy your businesses and your family, and save you til last so you don't miss the show. You will sell my opium through your clubs, Alexandra. You will pocket 30% of the profit. And you will not question me, or refuse me, ever again."

I didn't reply straight away, a million thoughts running through my head. If I accepted, not only did I risk John finding out, but I risked losing the clubs. If I said no, I would lose them both, along with my son and my life.

"Okay," I said with a sigh, causing a wry smile to grow on his lips.

"I knew you'd do the right thing, Alexandra."

•

"SERIOUSLY, LEX?"

"I am so, so sorry, John," I apologised, locking the front door once I entered our home. He looked angrier than I had ever seen him before, his eyebrows furrowed and his arms folded across his chest.

"Where the fuck have you been?" He asked, looking me up and down. "You've been gone for over twenty-four hours!"

"I'm sorry," I repeated, pulling my coat off. "I... I drank too much, and ended up getting on a train to Essex. I didn't mean to be gone for so long." Although it hurt me to keep another secret from him, there was no way I could tell him the truth.

"I thought you were dead," He mumbled. "You can't do that to me, Lex."

I sighed and walked over to him, pulling him in for a short hug. "I'm sorry, J. I tried to call, but I barely had enough money on me to get a train back."

"Gerald's been in a state all day," John said. "He thought you were never coming back."

"You know I would never do that to him," I uttered. "Is he upstairs?"