Falling Free

-Twenty Four-

Alfie was attempting to digest Niamh's words. To hear her say she didn't think she would ever be able to trust him again hurt more than anything else in his life ever had. What hurt even more was knowing that he only had himself to blame.

He should have told her the truth from the beginning. He should have told her that he made a mistake and that he was trying to fix it. He should have told her that Levi Janowicz had somehow managed to get the better of him and that he would sort it out, but instead he'd convinced himself that he was protecting her by lying. Or deep down was it that his ego wouldn't allow him to tell his woman that he was certain he had found someone he couldn't stop?

Before Alfie had the chance to think more on that humbling realisation, there was an almighty bang as the front door downstairs burst open suddenly and shouts and footsteps tore through the house. Alfie reached for Niamh, shoving her behind him as she reached for the baby in the bassinet just as the bedroom door was kicked down and a flurry of uniformed bodies entered the room.

"Alfie!" Niamh screamed as the baby was yanked out of her hands and she was grabbed by two policemen; one either side of her and another coming to grab onto her legs as she tried to kick her way out of their hold.

But it was futile. There were too many of them and they overpowered both her and Alfie easily, carrying Niamh down the stairs as Alfie roared threats and obscenities that didn't deter the men restraining him. In fact they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

The household was in complete and utter chaos. The children were screaming and crying as Ollie tried to comfort them while Karina, who was cradling the baby who had been handed to her with disdain by one of the policemen, sobbed in horror; and Ishmael, who had been waiting for Alfie in the car, was being restrained alongside his boss.

If Alfie had been wild and unhinged earlier on when he had beaten his young and innocent employee to death, it was nothing compared to the ferocity with which he fought against his human restraints now, barely even pausing when the police holding him hit him in the stomach or the face with their fists. It wasn't that they hurt him to restrain him, more that they just wanted the amusement of laying a hand on the great Alfie Solomons as well as taunting him as he listened to his wife screaming and shouting for him to help her as she was carried off into the night wearing nothing more than a thin night dress.

"Dirty fucking kike," one of the men spat in Alfie's face.

"The mighty Alfie Solomons really aint so mighty any more is he? Maybe we ought to show Mrs Solomons what a real man can do," another chortled.

"Don't you fuckin' touch her!" Alfie hollered, opening his mouth for another angry tirade that was swiftly cut off when one of the policemen punched him so hard again in the stomach that it knocked the breath right out of him.

"We'll take extra good care of your wife," the policeman chuckled and then they were all gone, leaving Alfie feeling more helpless than he ever had in his entire life.

As the sound of the cars disappeared, Ollie finally let go of his children, who immediately made a move to run to their mother, and moved over to Alfie, who was on all fours on the floor staring at the door as though he was praying to see Niamh walking through it again any moment.

"I'll get Friedman on the phone," Ollie put a hand on Alfie's shoulder.

Alfie's lawyer, a small but formidable man, would know exactly how to get Niamh out as quickly as possible.

"Alfie," Ollie squeezed Alfie's shoulder, forcing his attention on him finally. "We'll get her out, I promise."

... ... ... ...