Sinbound

(38) The Auction

"It's the fucking truth John Boy, rich women, all they want these days is working class cock," Arthur states, as they walk to get the horse just after Tommy had a conversation with a posh horse trainer.

"Charming as always, Arthur," Alex responds.

"Maybe she's what I had the bad feeling about, Tommy," Curly says.

"She looks alright to me, Curly," John chuckles.

"I dare you to repeat those words in front of Esmé," Alex states, raising an eyebrow at her brother, "if you wouldn't say that in front of your wife, don't say it in front of me."

"It's a contact in the racing world, that's all," Tommy says, chucking the keys to Michael, "you can drive."

"Alexandra Shelby," the man sat on the desk in the middle of the room states, reaching for his revolver.

"It's Alexandria, not Alexandra, at least get it fucking right," Alex groans, as he fires a bullet at her, the shot penetrating her torso, causing her to stumble slightly, falling against the railing, a hand against her stomach.

Bentley was at her side, removing his jacket, folding it up and holding it to the wound, "you need to keep pressure on it."

"You need to get it out of me, it's the solar plexus," Alex breathes.

"I don't know what that means," Bentley responds.

"It's part of the sympathetic nervous system, it controls the functioning of my stomach, kidneys, liver, and adrenal glands," Alex states, as Tommy pulls Arthur off the man that had fired the shot.

"You need to get it out of me," Alex says.

"You've just described what seems to be a vital part of your functioning, one wrong move and you're gone, you need a professional," Bentley responds.

"I won't make it to the car before my organs stop functioning, Ben," Alex says, her vision slightly blurry, as she then falls to the floor, weakly muttering, "Elis was a doctor, he can do it."

"We need to get out of here," Tommy states, glancing down at his sister, who had blood pouring through her shirt, and seeping from her mouth.

"Elis! Elis get over here!" Bentley shouts, and the Welsh man was at his side.

"There's a flask in my pocket," Alex mumbles, knowing Elis would need some form of disinfectant.

Elis reaches into his jacket pocket, he carries a lock picking set, which had some tweezers in it as Bentley grabs the flask.

Elis douses the tweezers in the liquor, as Bentley unbuttons the lower half of Alex's shirt, rolling it up so the wound was on show, the rest of the group now crowding round anxiously as Elis places a hand next to the bullet wound, going into the wound with precision, and removing the bullet in seconds.

Bentley pours some more alcohol onto the wound, as Alex hisses in pain, Elis placing the jacket back on the wound firmly.

"She's stable for now but she needs a hospital, I don't have the stuff to keep her in a stable condition," Elis states.

"Charlie, Curly, you get the horse down to the yard," Tommy orders, as Elis and Bentley help Alex off the floor, keeping a hand on the jacket, which was now stained red.

-

"Where is she?" Polly demands as she enters the hospital waiting room, "I need to see her."

"Not right now, Pol," Tommy says, blocking Polly from entering the room that Alex was being operated on in, "if you want to see her alive, you need to let them do their jobs."

"What happened?" Polly asks.

"Sabini had a man there," John states, glancing over Pollys shoulder, his jaw tightening, "get the fuck out of here."

"She's my daughter," Vanessa responds, shooting a pointed look at Polly, "at least I have the guts to admit that."

"What are you on about?" Polly asks.

"She hasn't told you, has she?" Vanessa responds, in a malicious tone.

"Told me what?" Polly questions.

"It doesn't matter," Tommy interjects, standing in between the two women, looking at Vanessa, "you need to go."

"She came to see me willingly," Vanessa says, purposely getting on Pollys nerves, "I opened my door and there she was. She even called me Mum."

"Well that's a fucking lie," Amari states, walking into the waiting room, remnants of tear stains down her cheeks.

"What do you know?" Vanessa cackles, "you're just one of her play things, she'll dispose of you once she's had her fun, darkie, it's how she is. It runs in her blood."

The room was silent for a minute, trying to process what Vanessa had just said, and as it seemed like everyone was about to start shouting at her. The sound of someone's hand hitting her cheek rings through the room.

To everyone's surprise, Melanie was stood in front of her, shaking with anger, "she'll kill you for saying that, and I will be happy to wash your blood out of her clothes when she does. Now leave."

"If you're even thinking about laying a hand on my little sister, you might want to start running, because the bullets in my gun travel at over two hundred and fifty metres per second," Bentley threatens.

That seemed to do it for Vanessa, she turned around and stormed out of the hospital, as Melanie turns to wrap her arms around Amari.

"Alex went to see her?" Polly asks Tommy quietly.

Tommy stays silent, still staring at the door Vanessa had just left through.

"When, Thomas?" Polly demands.

"What day do you think, Polly?" Tommy responds, "because you'd be correct to think it was that day."

-

"Don't listen to what Vanessa said," Arthur sighs, taking a seat beside Amari, "especially in regards to Lex, she's not going to leave you, you're not one of her play things, Ari."

"I know that," Amari nods.

"Good, that's good," Arthur says, "you can't tell her I told you this."

"Should you really be telling me then?" Amari asks.

"I just thinks it's something you need to hear," Arthur shrugs, offering her a gentle smile, "she was off her rocker the other day at the pub, very drunk, she turns to me and says that you're like the sun, you keep her world spinning, you're the reason she wakes up in the morning, you're her light in the dark. She told me that without you it's like darkness, but she knows that when she sees you, her day will be all that much brighter."

"Are you trying to make me cry, Arthur?" Amari says, tears in her eyes, "because you're on the right tracks."

"No, no, of course not, I'm just trying to reassure you that, even though she can be frustrating, annoying, oblivious to her own actions, a downright bitch. That there will never be anybody on this earth who cares more for other people than themselves," Arthur states, "people may say they do, but when it comes down to it, none of them would even think about doing what Alex does for people. She sticks to her word, she is honest even when you don't want her to be, and so when she says something, you know she means it."

Arthur passes her a handkerchief, "she told me that nothing on this earth would stop her from being with you, she'll make it through this."

"Thank you, Arthur," Amari says, wiping her tears away.

"I don't like seeing you upset," Arthur states, "you're not just her girlfriend, Ari, you're a major part of the family."