“Hey! You two, put that down or pay for it.”

The laughter and chatter in the shop stopped. One of the two boys said, “Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?” He brazenly opened one of the bars and took a bite.

Mack strode over to him, never once looking away from his eyes. “I’m Mack Sharkey, and I’m talking to you, ya wee dick.” Mack pulled up the sleeve of her jacket slightly and exposed the tattoo of a shark tooth on her forearm.

The cocky, confident boy looked down at it and then dropped his chocolate bar on the floor.

Mack quite calmly said, “Now go and pay for your items at the till and apologize for causing trouble.”

The boy nodded and walked over to the counter, as good as gold. Meanwhile Mack said to the rest of the kids, “Line up quietly if you want to buy something, or leave.”

They did as they were told, and Mack stood with her arms folded at the other end of the counter. Flora looked over at her, and Mack smiled and winked.

Flora smiled back and then got to work serving the children. Mack watched her work quickly, climbing the ladder for the jars of sweets and weighing out the right amounts in little paper bags.

Mack observed Flora as she worked. Flora was a pretty woman but appeared as if she was totally unaware of that fact. She dressed a lot older than her age, with a big oversized cardigan covering up her body, and her thick hair roughly pulled back into a ponytail.

She clearly didn’t have a lot of confidence, and Mack wanted to know why.

It didn’t take long until the line of children was gone, and Flora had put the last amount of money in the till. She looked up at her and said in a croaky voice, “Thank you.”

“Nae bother. Any time you need anything, me and my pal Liam are right next door. Don’t hesitate.”

“Thank you. Um…” Flora gulped and appeared to be struggling with what to say next.

But was she just nervous and scared with her, or with most people? Mack really hoped it wasn’t just with her.

“I’ll leave you to it then.”

Just as she started to move, Flora said, “Sandra—my friend. She’s usually with me at all the busy times, but she had a hospital appointment today.”

“Oh, okay. Well, like I said, you ever need any backup, or someone’s getting out of hand, we’re just next door. I’ll always help you if I can.”

Flora rubbed the tip of her nose like a little frightened mouse. She had to find out if she was the cause. After saying goodbye, Mack went to the coffee shop and ordered a couple of drinks for her and Liam.