CHAPTER 8 - Vince

It was over three weeks before Vince showed up on the doorstep, arm in a sling, swollen as shit. He smiled when I opened the door and instantly pulled me in to a hug.

"Guys Vince is here" I called happily. They all came rushing from the kitchen where they were making breakfast.

They all hugged him and said their hellos.

He had come in a blacked out Nissan (one of Hectors I thought). Brian got out of the car and looked over at me.

"What the hell is he doing here?" I asked pushing Vince out of the way.

"Dom don't" Vince said following me. Brian began walking backwards down the path away from. "Dom don't he's cool" Vince called after me "he's cool man"

"What?" I asked turning to look at Vince. I couldn't believe he had actually just said that. Vince was the first one to air his hatred of Brian so why was he sticking up for him?

"He's cool Dom, he's not a cop anymore, he's one of us. He got me here he got the heat off" Vince informed me.

"I took the heat man. They took my badge, my licence, my house, everything man" Brian told me.

I allowed Brian to enter the house with Vince. He sat wearily on a chair in the kitchen I think he was waiting for me to fly across the table and land my fist in his jaw. I wanted to–god-I really wanted to but Mia was glowing sitting beside him and I didn't want to take that away from her. She hadn't smiled since she arrived here and I wasn't going to ruin that.

No one knew what to say when Brian had explained what had happened to him. They had taken his badge, money, house, car, phone, everything he was basically on the street; Mia looked directly at me when Brian said he had no place to go. I knew what she was getting at.

"It ain't my house," I announced looking at her. "You will have to ask Stacey," I told her. Stacey was at work. So she couldn't ask her yet. There was no room for Vince let alone Brian so I didn't know what we were going to do or where they were going to sleep.

When Stacey got home and saw Vince she immediately dropped her bag and ran in to his arms. "Ah god I've been so worried about you," she said

"Stace I've missed you too but your hurting me" he said trying to pry her arms from his neck.

"Sorry" she said letting go of him. "And that must be Brian" she said looking at him and Mia through the kitchen window. They had been out there for a while talking.

"Yeah" I sighed.

"Where's Junior?" she asked

"He's asleep. Been spark out for a few hours now." I explained "He kept coughing so I gave him some cough medicine"

"I'll go check on him in a minute"

"Er… Vince and Brian need somewhere to stay…" I began

"I know, I've sorted it." She interrupted "Junior and Me are gonna go stay with Mark just until we figure out some more permanent arrangements" she finished looking at me dead square in my eyes.

"What have you told Mark?" I asked trying not to let my anger show "like why you're going?"

"I fed him some bullshit about playing happy families" she explained walking over to the freezer and opening the door.

"You're taking my son to go play happy families with another man?" I asked my anger-clearing showing.

"DON'T YOU DARE DOM!" she screamed standing up and slamming the freezer door. "YOUR AROUND 5 MINUTES, MAKE HIM LUNCH AND PLAY WITH HIM AND YOU THINK IT MAKES YOU HIS FATHER?"

"NO BUT IT'S NOT MY FAULT THAT I HAVENT BEEN AROUND IS IT?" I bellowed back.

"DON'T YOU TRHOW THAT BACK AT ME. MARK HAS BEEN MORE OF A DAD TO HIM THAN YOU WILL EVER BE" she yelled before storming up the stairs.

That really hurt. I really thought Junior and me were getting close, getting to know one another but she was probably right. I was just someone to play with he didn't know who I was, I was just some tall guy that babysat him.

AUTHOR NOTE: FINALLY I KNOW WHERE IM TAKING THIS STORY. I CANT WAIT TO FINSIH IT SO YOU CAN ALL READ AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK. I PROMISE ITS GOING TO BE GOOD.

IF ANY OF YOU COULD WRITE A BETTER SUMMARY FOR IT I WOULD REALLY APPRICIATE IT.