𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙧𝙖 • 𝙟𝙤𝙝𝙣 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙗𝙮 [complete]

••• 25 •••

I DANCED around the tables as the punters shouted and laughed, but I paid them no mind. They were too drunk to remember any of this the next morning, and so was I. I had dragged Finn to the Garrison with me, since I knew the other brothers were already there. And for some reason, Finn and I weren't invited.

"Come on, Alex," Finn slurred as he trailed after me, a half-empty bottle of gin in his hand. "At least let's... at least let's go join their meeting."

"They don't fuckin' want us there, Finny," I yelled, turning back to him. "They're discussing some confidential stuff. So shut up and dance with me!"

He just chuckled to himself as I continued swaying through the busy pub. Suddenly, the place quietened down significantly. I looked over to see Tommy, Arthur and John leaving the side room, looking slightly confused to see us. Tommy and Arthur left the pub, but John made his way to the bar. Zeroing in on him, I walked over, trying my best not to stumble. The sheer volume of alcohol I had consumed hit me all at once, and I was overtaken by a wave of dizziness. All the sounds in the pub seemed to amplify; every glass being slammed down and every chair getting scraped across the floor screeching in my ears.

I suddenly felt a a hand tightly grip my arm and was immediately transported back to the week I spent in Danny Cruz's cell. I saw his face glaring down at me as he squeezed my arm, screaming insults at me. His face then morphed into Salvatore's, and I was a filled with complete dread. Once again, I was a little girl with no power, being throttled by her father.

"Get the fuck off me!" I screamed, snatching my arm back.

Then, my mind cleared and I was jolted back to reality. I saw Finn staring at me with wide eyes as he held his hands up in surrender, his bottom lip quivering.

"What the fuck are you doing, Finn?" John yelled, glaring at his brother.

"No, no," I said quickly, my heart beating impossibly fast. "It wasn't him... I.. My mind's fucked; I drank too much."

"Are you alright, Lex?" John asked, his voice much softer.

I nodded, catching my breath. "Yes, I'm fine." I turned back to Finn who still looked terrified. "I'm so sorry, Finn, I don't know what came over me-"

"It's alright," He assured me, taking a step towards me. "It's alright."

"I'm sorry," I repeated, my words barely audible.

"Come and sit," John ordered, taking a seat at the bar.

I shook my head, "No, I'm fine. Just need to sober up."

"You sure?" John asked, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked at me with concern. I nodded and smiled, before walking over to him and placing my hands on his shoulders while he turned to face the bartender. "Get me a glass of whiskey, Harry."

I leaned my head on John's back and wrapped my arms around him, not caring that we were in public. Finn wouldn't say anything, and the other men were either too drunk or too scared to keep their eyes on us for too long.

"Alexandra," A voice suddenly boomed from the side. My eyes widened as I immediately recognised it and I quickly stepped away from John, looking over to her.

"Hi, Polly," I said sheepishly as Finn came over to stand beside me. I then looked behind her and gave a nod, "Hey, Ada... Cara."

The three women looked at me with very different expressions. Polly was pissed, Ada looked confused, but Cara stayed calm. She took a step forward before smiling. "Evening, Alexandra. Hi Finn, John."

"Hi, Cara," Finn mumbled.

"Alright, darlin'?" John asked, sending a pang to my chest. She nodded and walked over, taking a seat beside him and kissing him on the cheek. I looked away before having to see anything more.