It was so strange to be back here after so long away. The Deep had three floors, each with a different vibe. The ground floor had a relaxed pub vibe, usually a meeting point for friends and those that wanted to chat. The first floor DJ played classic and cheesy pop, the second catered for the high energy dance crowd. Both The Deep and The Reef were very safe places for those in the LGBTQ+ community. A lot of people would go to The Reef earlier in the evening, then make their way around to the club, knowing they were perfectly safe in this little corner of Glasgow.

Mack walked around the corner and saw the club’s head of security, Jay Douglas—a woman who was known to the regulars as The Amazon—crouched down, rubbing Dexter’s tummy. Jay was a former MMA fighter, who trained like she was still competing. “Ma wee dog’s found some attention already?”

Jay looked up and grinned from ear to ear. “Mack.” She stood up and held out her hand to Mack, then pulled her into a hug. “So good to have you back, mate.”

“Good to see you, Jay. How’s things been?” Mack asked.

“Aye, ticking over well. You were well missed, especially at poker night. I missed taking money off you,” Jay joked.

“At least you had Nikki’s money to take. How’s Annie?”

“Aye, she’s doing great. The Reef is keeping her busy. Nikki’s in the main bar—let’s have a pint and catch up soon, okay?”

“Yep, will do.”

Dexter ran ahead of her again, and she followed him into a large open bar area with tables and a small stage at the back of the room. She spotted Nikki sitting at one of the booths over in the corner.

Mack laughed when she saw Dexter forcing kisses upon her cousin, while Nikki was trying to keep him from covering her face with those kisses. Her cousin didn’t dislike dogs completely, in fact she knew how much her daughter Isla loved Dexter, but her perfect make-up and expensive designer skirts and blouses didn’t mix well with dog hair.

“Dex, down,” Mack said.

Nikki heard her voice and looked up quickly. She put Dexter on the floor and stood up as Mack walked towards her.

“Look who the cat dragged in,” Nikki said.

Mack had always been in touch with her masculine side, with her build, dress sense, and attitude, but no one could doubt that Nikki was the Sharkey leader. She exuded power from her alpha femme personality and could control and enthral most adversaries, both business and criminal, with a look, the tapping of her painted fingernails, or simply crossing her legs.

Nikki held open her arms and Mack hugged her tightly. “It’s so good to see you, Mack. I’ve missed you so much.”

“You too, Nikki.”