Daniel Bailey watched his brother as he stormed back into the club, and he stood outside for long minutes, until he stopped shaking and his breathing was once more under control. He consoled himself with the fact that his brother had been watching his back, and his boys’ backs. At least he now knew that, no matter what happened, at the end of the day, they were still the Bailey boys.

Chapter Sixty-Nine

Lena and Ria were sitting down watching the goings-on around them. Tania was exhausted – such a shame, Lena thought, that the excitement had made her unwell. Still, they had made it through the most important part of the day unscathed. She put two chairs together, and laid her down there, covering her with a coat.

Ria was keeping an eye on her own daughter. When Imelda had had a few drinks she could be a bit aggressive, and Ria didn’t want her to start at her son’s Communion. Young Delroy was nowhere to be seen – he was probably up to all sorts with a couple of other boys. She glanced at Tania; the child was white as a sheet. All too much for her, she supposed, it was a long old day for the kids.

Everywhere she looked, people were laughing, having a good time. Ria liked her life, especially at times like this. She appreciated how lucky she was, she didn’t take it for granted like other women. She knew that this could all disappear overnight, she wasn’t a fool, but that didn’t scare her in the way it always had Lena. Ria was determined to enjoy it, if not, what was it all for? Her boys were having a good time; she wondered if Lena had noticed that two of her sons were sporting shiners. Well, she wasn’t going to mention anything, they were grown men.