Outside in the street, Shannon watched Alfie walk away. She liked him a lot. He was kind and funny, so she had no idea how he’d ended up with Franny. What he saw in her was beyond her. She was a prime bitch. No doubt about it.

She sighed. Thinking about Franny made her think about Bree. How did they know each other anyway? When she’d known Bree, she’d never mentioned anything about Franny, though she did suppose it was a while since they’d spoken, and even back then, Bree had always seemed secretive.

Frowning, Shannon pulled out her phone and pressed dial, knowing that someone else would be interested to hear about the events of the night. Not only that, but they’d probably have all the answers.

15

Franny cursed Vaughn. She was angry, and she could feel it in every cell of her body. She had no idea what the hell Vaughn was up to with that girl, but what she did know was she looked like trouble, and having her sniffing around the club, well that just wasn’t an option.

It was bad enough they had to deal with Charlie. Even once Alfie was gone, they had to try to come to some kind of compromise. Certainly, at the moment they couldn’t afford to pay what he was wanting, especially as she was forking out for Bree. She already knew that word had got out about the attack on the club with some of the clients wanting to cancel their membership, so having a girl looking like she’d stepped out of a crack house lying in their staff room wasn’t going to help matters.

The problem was, she’d taken her eye off the ball thanks to Bree’s constant demands, though hopefully, now that Alfie had decided to take a break, life would get a lot easier.

All the running around and looking over her shoulder had become a strain, and with Vaughn on her back, it was getting risky. With any hope, Vaughn would eventually decide to join Alfie abroad as he had done in the past, though perhaps that was just wishful thinking on her part.

Sighing, she pulled up outside Bree’s house. Apart from anything else she knew she needed to get more rest. She was tired, and it was certainly making her irritable. Though the one good thing was she’d been able to get Mia’s nappies. Whilst Alfie was sleeping off whatever he’d indulged in, she’d been able to pop home and get some money before running in to the late-night supermarket. The truth was, Alfie couldn’t go away soon enough.

Inside the flat, Franny, having thrown her keys and jacket onto the side, unlocked the bedroom door. A wave of exhaustion hit her as she longingly glanced at the bed. ‘Hey, I’ve got the nappies you wanted.’