Niamh was crouched down behind the back of the sofa, the cold metal of the gun feeling like a heavy weight in the palm of her trembling hand. The door burst open, coming right off of its hinges and she screamed, cocking the gun and getting ready to shoot, just as she had been told to, when she heard his frantic voice shouting her name.

"Alfie," she croaked, trying to stand but her legs were like jelly. "Alfie, I'm here."

Heavy boot steps sounded all around the house as Alfie's men began to search the property thoroughly, and Alfie dropped to his knees in front of Niamh when he saw that she was completely unharmed. The gun in her hand fell to the floor with a clang and she wrapped her arms around his neck, gripping on to him for dear life as his own hands touched every part of her, almost as though he couldn't quite believe she really was alive and well.

"What the hell is going on, Alfie?" she begged.

Alfie let out a shaky breath. He couldn't speak for a moment; he just had to hold her. He was barely aware of the shouts from his men, proclaiming that the house was clear. All he could think about at that moment was Niamh and the relief that she was fine. But when she repeated her question, with a little more force this time, Alfie realised that he didn't want to tell her the truth. Not while there was no apparent immediate danger in the house and not before he had a chance to formulate a plan with his men moving forward. The problem was that he didn't want to lie to Niamh either. But how could he tell her the truth without revealing that he had planned to fuck over her family? How could he do that and risk ruining what they had? So Alfie did what he didn't want to, and he lied to her.

"I'm sorry for scarin' you, love," he murmured, taking her face in his hand. "That fucker Sabini's been playin' silly buggers with me and I fell for it hook, line and sinker."

"What?" Niamh frowned.

"Told me he had someone sniffin' around inside the house to scare me, didn't he?" he forced out a huff of a laugh. "Look like a right fuckin' wally now stormin' in here like that. And I bloody frightened you, didn't I?"

"Why would he do that?" she eyed him warily. "Things with him have been fine since we got married. He's too frightened to do anything now that you and my family are allied through marriage. Why would he suddenly start something now?"

"Just tryin' to flex his muscles, love," Alfie muttered. "Tryin' to remind imself and me that them little raisins danglin' between his legs are actually balls. Honest love, it's nothin'. I'll send a couple of lads into his territory to rough up a few of his men and he'll get back in his place, alright?"

"Maybe we should call Tommy and let him know? Perhaps he could send some Blinders down here; show of unity, you know?"

"No," Alfie answered hurriedly, taking Niamh's hands and bringing them to his lips. "Your brother's got enough on with the impendin' arrival of his baby and all that, aint he? Aint no need to bother him with anythin' so silly. I'll mention it when he visits next and we can have a little laugh or somethin' but no need to call him and worry him for nothin'."

"I suppose," Niamh agreed, her brow furrowed and she was unable to shake the feeling that Alfie wasn't being completely transparent with her.

"Good girl," he winked, pulling her into his arms where she could feel his heart beating hard and fast against her cheek.

"Alfie, you promise you're telling me the truth, aren't you?" she looked up at him, not even noticing or caring about the men who were lingering out in the hallway awaiting orders from Alfie.

"Course I am," he frowned, stroking her cheek gently. "I just overreacted to somethin' that I should have known was Sabini tryin' to wind me up, but all I could think about was you, you know. You're enough to make me lose my senses, woman."

"I could say the same for you," Niamh smiled.

"Well what a pair we are, eh?"

"I wouldn't change us though."

"Nah me neither," he murmured, brushing his lips against hers. "Listen, why don't you go up and run a nice bath while I sort the lads out, yeah? Then when I come up I can join you in it? You love it when I wash your hair for you."

"Is that a euphemism for something else?" Niamh smirked playfully.

"Dirty madam," Alfie forced out a chuckle. "Go on, up you go, love."

Alfie's eyes followed Niamh as she walked out into the hallway, making a point of saying 'hello' to each of the boys before climbing the staircase. It was only once she had disappeared out of sight that the soft smile on Alfie's face fell and he looked at his men with unabashed rage.

"How is that 'e managed to get someone to sneak in 'ere without anyone seein'?" he demanded through gritted teeth. "The fellas what were meant to be watchin' the house, where are they?"

"We don't know, Mr Solomons," one of the lads shrugged. "No sign of them anywhere."

"Fuck," Alfie hissed, and an air of unease rippled through the hallway as his men waited for him to erupt. Instead his eyes flickered momentarily up the staircase where Niamh had just gone and he let out a sigh. "Find them, yeah? And find out what the fuck has happened to my lads what are meant to be watchin' Janowicz as well 'cause I aint heard from them since this mornin'."

"Of course, Mr Solomons," the men answered immediately, his silence more unnerving than the anger they had expected and were quite frankly used to. "And should we have more men guarding the house tonight?"

"Yeah," he nodded curtly. "Front and back of the house, alright? And fix that bloody door an' all."

Alfie waited to join Niamh upstairs only once he was satisfied that his men were where they should be and that the danger had passed for now. It was odd really because the Alfie of just a few months ago would have been in the car and on the way to Liverpool with as many men as he could muster, ready to wage war on someone who had threatened him and his, but all he cared about now was Niamh. She was alive and she was safe and he just wanted to be with her; to feel her and to reassure himself that she hadn't gone anywhere.

The scent of the lavender salts that Niamh sprinkled liberally into the bath hit him the very second he opened the bathroom door, and through the steam he could see her lying in the bathtub with her hair piled on top of her head. She turned and gave him a lazy smile, and it amazed him that she could be so calm after what had just happened but then the look in her eyes told him something that she didn't need to say in words. She trusted him. She trusted him to keep her safe and to protect her, and that knowledge both humbled and terrified him in equal measures.

His eyes never left her as he yanked off his clothes; his murky sea coloured orbs darkening as they traced the delicate curve of her neck and followed a path down to the bath water where her dusky pink nipples were peeking out from beneath the surface slightly, begging for his attention. Climbing into the bath, Niamh scooted down slightly so that Alfie could settle down behind her, his long legs splayed out either side of her body and as she leaned back against him his hands found their own way to her breasts, thumbs brushing over her nipples and watching as they puckered into hard points.

"Alfie," she breathed, her neck arching against his chest when his fingers pinched and his mouth fastened onto her exposed skin, sucking and licking until he pulled back to see the red mark forming there.

Kissing the possessive brand softly, he trailed one of his hands down her stomach, loving that it wasn't completely flat and when he made a point of squeezing the small handful of extra weight there, Niamh let out a giggle. Tugging her earlobe between his teeth, Alfie's eyes were open, glancing between Niamh's closed eyes and parted mouth and his finger rubbing a slow circle against the swollen pearl that made Niamh cry out. Her hips were moving, bucking against him in desperation as he breathed warm air against her neck while he played with her breasts in turn before moving back down between her legs.

"Please Alfie," she whimpered when he slid two fingers inside of her slowly.

"You gonna cum all over my fingers, love?" he murmured, watching her chest heave.

He grazed one of her nipples with the back of his hand before pinching it hard and leaning over her shoulder slightly to blow onto the sensitive flesh. His fingers moved in and out of her leisurely, stopping with every movement of her hips, warning her silently to behave herself. Alfie took one of her hands in his own and pressed it to her bundle of nerves, humming in approval when she used her fingers to pleasure herself there in tandem with his own.

"You got any idea what it does to me seein' you get yourself off like that?"

His fingers continued their rhythmic dance in and out of her while his mouth uttered filthy words of enjoyment and his free hand wrapped itself around Niamh's neck, squeezing and feeling her pulse race against his thumb. Niamh swallowed when he squeezed harder and the heaving of her chest and the noises coming from her parted mouth told Alfie she was close.

"Come on, love," he ordered, his cock twitching against her bottom when he felt her clenching around his fingers and he watched a rapturous release take over her body. Softening his grip around her neck, he turned her face and kissed her hard, forcing his tongue inside of her mouth and continuing to kiss her until neither of them could breathe.

He needed her. He needed to be inside of her. He needed to be close to her; to reassure himself that she was really here and that she wasn't going anywhere. Standing up, he dragged Niamh up to her feet and picked her up, both of them dripping wet, and carried her down the hallway and into their bedroom.

"Alfie, the bed's gonna get wet," Niamh protested when he threw her down upon it, his eyes roving her naked form hungrily. "Let me at least get dry first."

"What's the point?" he grinned, pulling a nipple into his mouth and tugging while his eyes met hers with dark lust. "'Cause it's gonna be wet either way by the time I'm done with you, love. And that's a promise"