The Rules: A gripping crime thriller that will have you hooked. Kerry Barnes

supposed to be a temporary thing, but, now . . . Oh, feck me . . . Oh, I have to go. The doctors are calling me.’

      Zara gasped as she replaced the receiver, her mind now on Neil, fervently wishing him to live. He was like a little brother to her. Not a brother like Ismail, a rat of the first order, but the brother she wished she had.

      As she was about to call Shamus back, Eric appeared, holding her drink. ‘Hey, are you okay, Zara? It’s a bit overwhelming, eh? All the family and . . . ’

      She waved her hand distractedly. ‘No, it’s not that, er . . . could you get Mike for me please, Eric?’

      He turned his head to the side. ‘Zara? What’s happened?’

      Near to tears, she replied, ‘Sorry, Eric, I haven’t got time. Could you fetch Mike for me?’

      Ignoring her request, he walked over to her and crouched down. ‘Talk to me, Zara. What’s going on? I can sort it out. Mike’s a bit pissed. Let’s not burden him for the moment.’

      Almost the spitting image of Mike, Eric didn’t have that same open smile.

      ‘Neil has been knifed.’

      ‘Fuck, no! Where did it happen?’

      Zara frowned. ‘I, er . . . I don’t know where, but Shamus thinks . . . oh, hang on. I need to call Shamus back.’

      As she pressed the Return Call key on the landline, she slowly turned to see Eric still there and mouthed the words ‘Get Mike’.

      ‘Shamus, where was Neil when he got knifed?’

      ‘Zara, from what I can gather, Neil was attacked just outside one of the restaurants. We need to meet up. I feel like a sitting duck. Another one of our places was turned over last night. It’s the second one in a week.’

      ‘Why didn’t someone tell me?’ she asked, firmly.

      ‘Uncle Davey wanted to talk to you about it, but Mike was coming home, and you were poorly, so . . . Anyway, the fact is, some fecking gang smashed the fecking lights out of the owner of the Pomodorra, took all the gear and the money, and threatened to kill his grandson. The Belle restaurant was also done over, and it was the same gang, judging by the description.’

      ‘Okay, Shamus. Tomorrow, can we meet first thing?’

      There was a pause. ‘Er . . . yeah, sure . . . if Neil is okay. I mean, if he pulls through.’

      ‘Yes, look, sorry, of course. Let’s cross one bridge at a time, eh?’

      As she replaced the receiver, she gave Eric a puzzled look. ‘Why didn’t you get Mike?’

      Eric dropped his shoulders and sighed. ‘Listen, Mike’s just got out of the nick. He’s catching up with old mates. I thought it best to keep him in good form. Any problems, Zara, let me help. Mikey’s had enough to worry about to last him a lifetime.’

      Zara looked down at her wrist and felt Eric had a point. Mike should be allowed time to enjoy life and not jump right back into another war, one that really wasn’t his business. She nodded and smiled. ‘I guess you’re right. Anyway, I wouldn’t want to pull him away from his family.’

      Eric chuckled. ‘Yeah, not when Jennifer’s strutting her stuff in that short skirt of hers.’ Without a second thought as to what he’d just said, his voice turned serious. ‘So, what did Shamus say? I mean, do they know who stabbed him?’

      The thought of Mike flirting with another woman hovered at the back of her mind. She looked at her wrist again and suddenly felt lost. What was she thinking? Maybe Mike’s proposal of marriage came because he was in a dark place and seeing her again after all those years of believing she was dead, it may have pushed him to act irrationally? She’d seen Teddy’s niece arrive and was taken aback when she swanned in, with the shortest of skirts and a low-cut top. She was probably in her late thirties but had the figure of a younger woman. Zara couldn’t compete with someone who looked like that. She suddenly came out of her daze. ‘Sorry, Eric, I was just in shock. Shamus reckons it’s the Yardies who have done over two of my businesses. Anyway, you’re right. I won’t worry Mike with it.’

      Eric leaned forward and rubbed her shoulder. ‘You ain’t on your own, Zara. I’ll help. I can drive you to a meeting tomorrow, if you’d like me to.’

      Unexpectedly, Zara’s eyes filled up and two large tears cascaded down her cheeks. She hastily brushed them away and tried to push herself out of the chair.

      Eric quickly assisted, by sliding his arm under hers. ‘Hey, Zara, what’s the matter, babe?’

      His gentle words almost had her blubbering. ‘Oh, I’m so worried about Neil. I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to him.’ As soon as she said that, she felt his grip tighten.

      ‘I didn’t know you and Neil were so close.’

      ‘Yes, very close, actually. We worked together for five years. He was always popping in to see I was okay. The Lanigans were good to me, you know.’ Her mind preoccupied, the severe look on his face escaped her, but she sensed his prickly tone.

      ‘How good were they, Zara?’

      Not realizing there was a dark undercurrent to his voice, however, she just smiled sweetly and replied, ‘Like family, really. It was such a bonus when you have no one.’

      She excused herself to use the cloakroom. Once behind the closed door, she allowed the tears to fall for many reasons. With Neil now fighting for his life and that niggling doubt that she couldn’t compete with a younger woman, a multitude of emotions swept through her mind. But the worst of them was that she didn’t feel a complete woman. She sat on the toilet seat and tried desperately hard not to allow herself to sob. She had to pull herself together; this was a homecoming for Mike, Ricky, and the boys, and, more than that, she had to hold her head up and show she was still a woman in control. Her weakness and vulnerability must not show through. She had to demonstrate she was the same person who could lead a firm – her firm.

      After splashing some water on her face, she left and walked back into the garden. The lights had come on. She spotted Mike with his back to her; he was engaged in conversation with Jennifer, the leggy blonde, and Eric was with them.

      As Eric clocked her standing there, he quickly nudged Mike. Right away, Zara felt as though Eric was giving Mike the heads-up that she was watching. Instead of joining their company, she turned around and looked for Gloria. Everyone seemed to be in high spirits and chitchatting. For Zara, it was a stark reminder that apart from Mike’s family, she had no one. Pull yourself together, Zara, she thought.

      Pouring herself a drink, she felt a presence behind her and hoped it was Mike, but, as she craned her neck, it was Eric. ‘Are you okay, babe?’ he whispered.

      She nodded and glanced back at Mike, to find him heading her way.

      ‘There she is, the love of my life. Where were you, darling? No one knew where you were.’

      She looked at Eric, who, surprisingly, winked. She wondered if he was trying to tell her something.

      ‘Oh, I was in the cloakroom. So, are you having fun, Mikey?’

      With a pint in his hand and his cheeks glowing red, he nodded. ‘Aah, this means so much, here with my family, my mates. Let’s get this party going.’ He spun round and shouted to Ricky to turn the music up. Zara knew then he was pissed, and she suddenly felt drained. Mike was getting warmed up, and she was ready for bed. It was yet another reminder that she was less than the woman she was before.

      Ricky was in his element. Gloria was showing him off to everyone, and he felt a different person. For the first time in his life, he felt he had control, with no one stopping him from doing anything. He drank, he ate, and he could play any song he wanted to. The hugs and kisses were endless. All the guests had something complimentary to say, but the one thing that lifted his shoulders and made him proud were the words, ‘You, Ricky, are your father’s double, a chip