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ghost-nerd-writer · 3 months ago

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Real Rocknrolla

Chapter 3

Game. Set. Match

Chapter 1 Chapter 2

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With a loud sigh, Izzy tried to angle her elbow enough to dab at the areas she couldn't see as the bathroom door opened again, and Izzy tried her best to ignore whoever else had entered the room. That was until she felt a warm hand on her shoulder while another took the paper towel out of her hand gently. She glanced up into the mirror, surprised to see Archy stood behind her.

"I think you're lost Archibald. Unless you're trying to tell me something." Archy flicked his eyes at the mirror with quiet amusement before he carefully angled her arm to see the damage.

"Lenny sent me to find you. Thought you were on the courts, but when I went to fetch you, I found a very broken tennis racket in your place."

"This is your fault, you know." Izzy twitched her arm so he knew exactly what she had reffered to.

"What did I do?" He complained and halted his medical aid.

"Well whistling isn't exactly a developed way of communication. Yes, it catches people's attention. Sometimes not the right people. You distracted me when Jackie was serving."

"Sorry." He muttered as he focussed his attention back on her arm.

"Why do we keep her around anyway? Apart from you getting your rocks off with her." Archy smirked as he reached for a dry paper towel.

"You're not too fond of our Jackie, are you? Why? You want her job?" A disgusted noise escaped Izzy, and she turned to barge past him and out the door.

"Men." Karen uttered from her cubicle.

"My sentiments exactly, Karen," Izzy said before she stomped out of the ladies'.

"Oh come on Izz, I was only joking," Archy followed her with his arms outstretched.

"That's what makes it worse, Arch," she barked as she made her way through the lobby and out through the front door.

"Listen, love." Archy gently caught her arm and she turned to face him. "I'm sorry. I don't know if you've noticed but I am a bastard."

"Not to me you're not, Arch." Izzy replied, and caught him off guard. His eyes flicked to her chest and he frowned.

"She really gave you a sore one with that," he gently placed his fingers where Jackie had hit her with the tennis ball and she flinched at the sharp pain that followed.

"Ow," she gasped.

"Sorry," Archy muttered. Lenny appeared near the bar and waved them over.

"Hurry the fuck up you two, I'm getting fucking tired just watching all this bullshit." Izzy rolled her eyes.

"Way to keep up appearances, Len." Archy placed a hand on her back in invitation for her to lead the way.

"Come on." He guided her down the stone steps and out into the car park where they caught up with Lenny.

"Good game was it, sweetheart?" Lenny asked.

"The best." She answered sardonically, which always seemed to be lost on Lenny when it came from her.

"Good to hear. Jackie likes you, she doesn't like playing with the men. Need to keep her happy so she keeps keeping clients happy."

"Happy to be of service," Izzy muttered as they reached the car. Turbo waited with the car door open for them and they all climbed in.

"Why is there blood on your skirt, sweetheart?" Lenny enquired conversationally as he pulled a cigar out of his jacket. Izzy looked down to see heavy blood drops on the side of her plaid tennis skirt.

"Ah, fuck. I had an accident on the court. Archy's fault." Lenny gave Archy a chastising look before he slipped his cigar between his teeth and lifted her elbow to check it.

"Ah nevermind, love. You can clean it proper when you get home."

He gently placed her arm back and searched for his lighter. Izzy chanced an amused glance at Archy who’s irritated glare was on her. She winked at him and stuck out her tongue. He averted his gaze and pushed his tongue into his lip to hide his amusement. Lenny finally found his lighter and lit his cigar. Izzy glared between her father and his cigar before she held her breath as best she could. She may smoke when she’d had a drink, but she couldn't stand the stench of a cigar. Turbo pulled the car out of the carpark and took off into the streets of London.

"Did the councillor take to Jackie well, then?" Archy asked Len suddenly, as he leaned forward to see past Izzy, and glanced at her to gauge her reaction.

"I think he was taken with her before hand. It's hard not to be, is it?" Lenny answered perversely. Izzy couldn’t help the disgusted scrunch of her face and glanced at Lenny who was happily puffing away on his cigar. She sobered quickly enough to see the impish smirk on Archy’s lip. She returned the smile sweetly and pinched his thigh hard.

"Ah fuck!" He exclaimed.

"You alright Archy?" Izzy asked sweetly. Archy looked between her and Lenny’s startled looked.

"Fine. Yeah." Archy grumbled. Lenny took a drag of his cigar and then turned to Izzy.

"Speaking of Jackie," he tapped her leg to get her attention. "You're going for drinks with her this weekend. She was saying she was getting bored of the usual places, so I told her you'd go out with her." Izzy looked at him in shock, her mouth agape.

"What if I had plans? Did you even think to ask?"

"You'll do as you're told," Lenny growled.

Izzy felt herself revert back to her childhood reaction to news she didn't like. She pouted and a frown creased her brow. She felt Archy's shoulders shake, and turned her head, to glare at him as he laughed silently. She threw him a dirty look, but he merely gave a cocky tilt of his head.

"Listen, love. We're going to drop you off at home. We've got some other business to get to." Lenny said as he rolled down the window and tapped the ash from his cigar.

"That's fine, I'll have the Wild Bunch round. We can have a party." Izzy looked at her nails, aware that both men now stared at her.

"I know you're joking, sweetheart. But fucking don't," Lenny said flatly

The trio remained silent until they reached the house. Archy got out to so that Izzy could clamber (elegantly) out of the car.

He took her hand to help her step out and winked at her before he slid back into the car. Lenny waved from behind Archy and then they were off down the road and round the corner.

"Psst." Someone hissed from somewhere behind her. Izzy twirled in shock before her eyes settled on her big brother Johnny Quid. And he was high off his fucking tits.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" She hissed as she stomped over to him and punched his shoulder before shepulled him into a tight hug.

"I just need a few things little sister of mine."

"Johnny you stink." Izzy startled and pulled away from him quickly.

"Rude. But observant. And very nice of you to tell Johnny the truth."

"What have you taken?" She asked crestfallen. Johnny shrugged at her look of disappointment.

"Bit of everything," he mumbled and cast his eyes to the ground.

"Come inside, get cleaned up, and you can be on your way before Lenny gets back." Johnny plastered a smile on his face before he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Of course mum. A mutually beneficial arrangement."

"You can't steal anything, Johnny."

She opened the front door just a fraction to make sure none of Lenny's men were kicking about before she hurriedly ushered Johnny inside.

"Upstairs, quickly." She commanded.

"Sister mine, you realise there is blood on your skirt. You been fighting or do I need to start handing out my own twist on the famous Archy slap?"

"Not unless you can backhand mother nature, love. Now upstairs."

"Yes mother."

Izzy tried to smack him on the arm again, but he moved quickly up the stairs and out of sight. She tiptoed around the downstairs area to check nobody else was in the house. If Lenny were to find out Johnny was here he'd have a fit.

Once she had confirmed they were alone in the house, she ran upstairs to find Johnny, who had let himself into the billiard room and had sprawled himself out on the table. With an impatient sigh, she left him to whatever it was he was doing to find him a towel from the airing cupboard and returned to Johnny, to toss said towel at him.

"Come on Johnny, I don't know how long Lenny's going to be." Johnny lifted the towel from his face and sat up as he lit a cigarette.

"Alright mum, watch my cancer stick. It's my last one." Izzy rolled her eyes as he ambled out of the room. He'd always been one for the dramatic.

"Will you behave yourself if I go for a shower too?" Johnny looked at her.

"We're not sharing." He joked dryly.

"Ew! Johnny!" Izzy shrieked. Johnny laughed as he made his way to the guest bathroom. Izzy sighed in disgust before she headed to her own en suite.

The very knowledge that Johnny was in the house had her showering in record time. She jumped out of the shower, dressed as quickly as she could and ran out into the hallway, slowed herself to seem cooler than she felt, and wandered through the house in search of her brother.

The discovery of a bone dry towel that hung limply on the banister gave her pause. She picked up the towel and searched around as she tried to work out where the fuck he had wandered off to.

“Johnny?” She called.

Silence.

Her stomach dropped as she thought of the multitude of things he could have taken. She threw the towel back down onto the banister and ran through the house in search of him. Nothing seemed to be missing as far as she could tell, which could mean Lenny wouldn’t notice if Johnny had stolen something. She returned to the landing and breathed a sigh of relief as she grabbed the towel and took it down to the washer.

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