Sweetheart Mafia ✔️

Chapter 32

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As we pull up to the restaurant, I smile. Dad's having a great time in the front seat, he's very excited about driving this car and it's adorable to watch. He's still a kid at heart - it's one of my favourite things about him.

We enter the building and instantly a waiter is there to greet us. They take us to our table. It's a circular table with a bottle of wine waiting. We all occupy a corner each. I'm sat between Mum and Kaiser, leaving Kaiser sat between me and my dad but him and Dad get on great, so there is nothing to worry about. We are currently making small chatter whilst we look eagerly through the dessert menu.

"So how did the business come about?" Mum asks, pouring herself some more wine whilst quizzing Kaiser on his life story.

"Well, my Grandad and his mates were tough lads. It started out as just pubs and clubs on the doors and stuff until one of the club owners asked them to come for backup to a meeting they were having." He answers. It's like everything he's saying he's thought through so he doesn't tell them about the shootings, the killings etc. "Grandad retired in 1994 when he was 50. Spent his whole life working and only managed to enjoy retirement for 13 years before he died in 2007 of cancer."

"Oh I'm sorry love." Mum says, squeezing his hand from across the table. "Did your Dad take over it then?"

"Yeah." He answers, taking a sip of his wine to quench his thirst. "He's 50 now but refuses to give up. Unlike my Grandad he's invested money here and there which has given us what we have today. He says he loves what he does too much to retire." He grins. "But also it's kinda become tradition I guess that the business isn't taken over by the heir until they've met somebody." He looks at me and reaches out for my hand.

I grin back and place my hand in his. "I'm glad your Dad saved me."

"Me too." He replies.

"So, was it more illegal when your Grandad had it?" Dad asks.

"I guess. I mean he was pretty tight with the Kray lads down in London. Helped them out here and there on light jobs. But nowadays, it's better." He replies.

"Better how?" Mum asks, tensely staring at him.

"Well we don't often get involved unless it's personal - for example April. Dad saved her and immediately I was fond of her and didn't trust anyone really to look after her the way I could. As to them she's just a client whereas to me she's everything."

"So it's kind of like you own your own FBI thing?" Dad asks again, my Mum eagerly watching us.

He laughs. "Nowadays it is I guess. After my Grandad retired it was in pretty bad shape with drugs and gangs and stuff like that and immediately my Dad wanted to better that and be a good guy not a bad one. So any protection we do we do of the victim. We don't want to protect the people doing the bad things."

"Are you ready to order dessert?" The waiter asks us, book and pen in hand ready.

"Yes," My Dad starts. "I'll have the tiramisu." He replies.

"The rose petal panna cotta with the damson and lavender short bread please." Mum orders.

"Just a sundae for me."

"Me too please!" I say after Kaiser.

The meal so far has been beautiful. For starters, we shared a seafood platter of things like clams, mussels, calamari etc. Dad and Kaiser had a fillet steak each for their main course. Mum had the sea bass, and I had a chilli and prawn linguine. It was delicious.