Free Lost Angel by Mandasue Heller Page B

bachelor shit out of your system last night?’ Frankie gave him a knowing look. ‘I won’t say I’m happy about it, ’cos I’m not, but I’ve decided to let it pass under the circumstances. Just don’t do it again. Okay?’
    ‘Okay,’ Johnny murmured, feeling sick all over again. Frankie obviously knew more about what had happened last night than he did, and that wasn’t a comfortable position to be in.
    ‘Good lad.’ Frankie gave him a half-smile. ‘Anyhow, forget about the slags – we need to talk about your future.’
    Slags?
    ‘First things first: we need to set you up with a job.’
    ‘A job?’ Johnny repeated numbly. He didn’t want a job. Jobs were for losers.
    ‘Yes, a job,’ said Frankie patiently. ‘How else are you going to take care of my girl and pay me back for that fucking great rock I put on her finger?’
    Johnny gave a miserable little shrug. He hadn’t thought about it. Hadn’t really thought about any thing beyond getting through today, if he was honest.
    ‘Hope you didn’t think that was a freebie,’ said Frankie. ‘’Cos I haven’t got this far by being a fucking mug. And Ruth’s got expensive tastes, so you’re going to have your work cut out keeping her happy. That’s why you’re coming to work for me,’ he announced. ‘You can start down at the yard in two weeks. At the bottom, obviously, ’cos I don’t want the other lads to think you’re getting preferential treatment. I’ll start you off washing the motors, and shit like that. But we’ll reassess after a few weeks – depending how you get on.’ He paused and gave Johnny a piercing look. ‘You do want to get on, don’t you, son? You ain’t gonna disappoint me?’
    ‘Yeah, course I want to get on,’ Johnny lied. ‘I just didn’t expect you to take me on, that’s all. I’ve not had much luck with jobs.’
    ‘You’re family now,’ Frankie reminded him. ‘And family takes care of its own. Loyalty is everything in my book – do you understand what I mean by that?’
    Johnny nodded and smiled up at the waitress who had just brought their drinks over.
    ‘It means never letting anyone come between you and yours, and never, ever betraying them,’ Frankie told him. ‘Like that bird.’ He nodded at the waitress’s back as she made her way back to the bar. ‘You can look, but if you so much as think about touching I’ll chop your fucking hands off.’
    ‘I wasn’t looking,’ Johnny spluttered. ‘I was just thanking her for the drink.’
    ‘You’re a bloke, it’s in the genes,’ said Frankie. ‘But Ruth’s your number-one priority now.’ His gaze was steely as he stared Johnny in the eye. ‘Like I said before, I’ll let last night slip. But if I ever find out you’ve put your cock near another tart now that you’re married to my girl, you’ll be eating it. Capiche? ’
    Johnny nodded and reached for his drink, but his hand was shaking so badly that he spilled some of it down his shirt. What the hell had he done last night? And how the hell did Frankie know about it – whatever it was? Had he sent someone to follow them, or been there himself, watching?
    Frankie saw the questions flickering through his eyes and smiled slyly.
    ‘I’ve got eyes everywhere, Johnny boy, and don’t you ever forget it. Your mates are lucky they ain’t looking at life right now,’ he went on seriously. ‘I only stepped in to keep you out of the shit, but I won’t be doing it again, so steer clear of them from now on.’
    ‘Okay,’ Johnny agreed, wondering what the hell had happened – and what Frankie had meant about stepping in. Dave had acted weird when he’d asked him about it, and now this. It sounded heavy, and he hoped Andy and Mikey were all right.
    Satisfied that the boy understood the rules, Frankie raised his glass and clinked it against Johnny’s.
    ‘Family first – and fuck everyone else.’
    Frankie took a swig of his drink now and wiped his mouth on the back of his