The Family Firm

Chapter 64

Junior looked at himself in the mirror. The slight muscle tone he had lost during his recovery had returned twofold; his physique was admirable, and it was something he had worked diligently to maintain, which had been especially difficult the past year. Honestly, some days keeping fit was the only thing that kept him sane. Like a man trapped in nick he had been imprisoned by his injuries, confined to his bed, barred from lifting, and even had to learn to walk with the use of a cane. Now, however, aside from the large scar on his abdomen, it was as if he hadn't endured such a horrific event at all.

He traced his rough fingers along the length of scarred flesh, noting how it contorted the skin around it, as if he had a thick band of tissue separating him in half. While it didn't hurt, it served as a reminder of what had happened that beautiful May afternoon, when he held his wife's body in his arms, covered in both their blood.

He slipped on the shirt he was holding and smoothed it over his chest. He didn't allow himself to think of that day for any extended period of time, not any more. Niamh was dead, and thanks to Freddie Sr, so was that bastard Vinny Smith. While he was thankful to his uncle for getting revenge in his and Niamh's names, part of him wished he could have killed the fucker himself. He would have, if he hadn't been fighting for his life in hospital. It was a dissatisfying end, an anticlimax. Still, deep within his breast, lingered a hatred that hadn't yet been quelled by the act of revenge. It was a feeling he wasn't sure would ever go away, an anger he had held onto those long, painful months as he healed and mourned. Anger, it seemed, was, at times, all he had left. Well, that and Katie.

He loved her well and truly, and he had since they were kids. To even consider not being with her seemed foolish to both of them; they had a bond neither of them could really describe, something they had once fought against, but now became fully realised. Katie was more than just a girl. She was Katie.

The thought warmed him over as he finished tidying up in the mirror—he always cared about his looks, as his uncle Freddie had taught him these things were important—before heading down the stairs. As he rounded the corner, he saw his mother in the kitchen with her back to him, dressed in an old jumper with her hair pulled into a ponytail, piling a few things together. He stood there silently a few moments, watching her from the doorway. She looked a picture from the old days, back before the nice house and the fancy clothes, when they were living off value brand beans and toast. His mum was a beautiful woman, even dressed down like this, maybe even more so.

It could have brought tears to his eyes, thinking about it. She had always been a good mum to him, even back when his dad had first been around, before his uncle could care for them, when he was banged up in HM Prison Brixton. No, she wasn't perfect, and she embarrassed him at times, but he loved her. She went through hell and back to take care of him, and he would be fucked if he didn't return the favour. She deserved the best, his dear old mum. And he vowed to give it to her.

He took a step forward, and, hearing his shoe clack against the hardwood flooring—gone were the days of cheap lino—Frankie glanced over her shoulder at him.

'There you are, son,' she said, zipping up the small black holdall she was packing. Placing her hand atop it to signal she was finished, she turned around to face him and addressed him like a child she was sending off to his mate's. 'Now, I've got your things here, and I fixed your kettle, love, just took a bit of cleaning, that's all. Lenny rang, he'll come 'round in a few. You gonna tuck this in?'

Junior watched his mother fussing with his shirt and could have laughed, but didn't. She was a dear old thing, and he had never really treated her as well as he could have. He was filled with so much love for her in that moment, all he could do was grasp either side of her face and firmly kiss her forehead, holding her there for a good few moments.

Frankie was surprised by the sudden affection, but seemed to melt into the touch briefly before she pulled away and turned around, blinking away the sudden tears that had welled up into her silvery eyes. 'He'll be here any minute, Fred. Make sure you get your shoes on, they're by the door.'

Junior's smile hadn't left his face, and he hadn't bothered moving, leaning his hip against the counter. 'You're a good mum, y'know. Always have been.'

Frankie turned, then, to look at him, her expression swelled with pride. 'Well,' she said, swallowing the lump in her throat and playing off the compliment as a joke. 'I tried me hardest.'

Wordlessly, the two of them embraced, unsure who had initiated it, and simply held each other in the quiet of the kitchen. For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of their breathing, the ticking of the clock, and a distant train trekking by. It seemed an eternity they stood there, enjoying the feel of one another, the affection of mother and son they didn't often enjoy. All the words that needed to be said between the two of them were realised in that silence, and any ill feelings that might have accumulated over the years evaporated into thin air. For a split moment, it was just the two of them in the world, like it had been so many years ago.

Eventually, they pulled away and wiped at the tears on their respective faces, both collecting themselves despite lacking a need for pretence. 'Fuck me,' cursed Frankie quietly through a chuckle. 'You'll have me going all night at this rate.'

Junior smiled with her and reached forward to grab the holdall, stepping back a moment later with it while Frankie busied herself in the kitchen, tidying up this and that, and he was well aware she was simply trying to avoid crying.

She spoke before he could. 'Do you know when you'll be back?'

He thought, then, to the reason he was leaving in the first place. He and the rest of the boys would finally be putting those dirty Greeks in their place, ending the tension between them once and for all in a blaze of glory, as they say. Of course, it was dangerous, and he knew his mother worried, considering this was his first big job since the incident, but he was excited to get back into the real world, to get earning again, so that he could take care of her, and Katie as well.

'Not too late,' he told her fondly, just as the sound of tyres on the drive could be heard, and the soft, yellow glow of headlights flooded the kitchen. They both glanced towards the door to see Lenny's familiar car parked outside, before looking back at one another.

Frankie stepped forward and looked at her son seriously. 'Be safe, all right?'

Not much else could be said between them. Junior nodded. 'I will, Mum. I promise.' They both were very well aware that he couldn't, but Frankie had done this many times before with her brother. They all knew the score.

They shared one last look between the two of them before Junior kissed his mother's cheek and headed out the front door, feeling her eyes on the back of his head even as he threw his bag into the boot and slipped into the passenger's side of Lenny's car. As the big brute reversed out of the drive, Junior peered through the windscreen at Frankie watching him from the door. They broke eye contact only once he couldn't keep his head turned, and as soon as his gaze fell on the road, he blocked out all thoughts of family and home. Now, he needed to channel the anger of revenge he had longed for, anger at the injustice of the world. Junior wanted to show the Greeks and the people like Vinny Smith, who thought they could do whatever the fuck they wanted, that you didn't fuck with the Evanses.