Reggie took the initiative then. ‘Sorry to come here so late but I wanted to introduce you to Ray. Jack thinks you need him, Sharon. This is just to be on the safe side so don’t get too worried, but having Jamie Brewer come after your cab ranks is serious. He won’t go up against me, or Jack, obviously. He is, however, one devious cunt. So we have brought Ray in to give you a hand and a bit of muscle. He will be with you to help you run the show and to be there if anything should get a bit out of hand.’

Sharon realised immediately that Jack and Reggie must be genuinely worried if they were going to these lengths. She also realised that there could be real trouble in store. In all honesty, she had been going to let the fucker have the ranks but this man put a completely different connotation on the situation. She decided that she wanted Ray Donovan around for a while.

‘Can I get you both a beer?’

She went into her kitchen and, as she opened the beers, she felt the pull of Ray Donovan. Even his accent was attractive. He was the antithesis of Lenny and that was exactly what she needed. Oh, he was big and he was handsome, and he was more man than she had ever seen in her lifetime. She also sensed that Reggie wanted him; she saw the way he looked at Ray, and that was enough for her to want him more. Let him see how it felt. As tears came to her eyes she went to the mirror and looked at herself. She knew she was a beautiful woman; men desired her. She had a lot to offer, not just in her looks – she also had lucrative businesses. She was considered a catch in their world but, until now, she had not wanted to be caught. This new development might force her father-in-law to give her a wide berth and that could only be a good thing.

Big Lenny had increasingly become a worry that she could do without. She felt it would not be long before he got up the courage to actually lay his hands on her. She had given him no encouragement at all. Why the fuck would she? He was a womaniser and, with a drink in him, he would eventually approach her. She was also shrewd enough to see that this Ray Donovan would be an asset to her in more ways than one: he could be the man to wipe away the memory of Lenny Scott and his fucking duplicity.

She brought the beers in to the men, and agreed with Reggie that Ray would start working for her the next day as her number two and, with that in mind, she went to bed for the first time in years a happy woman.

Chapter Eighty-Eight