At the party they parked Richie’s bike next to an assortment of cars ranging from small tatty vehicles more than ten years old to brand new BMWs and a Ferrari. Viv took the time to drool over the better specimens as they wandered up to the front of the house. ‘Big house’ was right. Big and white with lots of windows, very classy. There were bouncers at the door, and they did indeed look everyone over for weapons, not actually frisking anyone but looking under coats and in hand bags. Once inside Rich saw a lot of antiques even his only semi experienced eye could tell must have cost a small fortune.

“So are those guys going to be checking people’s pockets on the way out too?” Rich joked.

Viv grinned. “Oh very probably, knowing M and his mates as they do. Mechanics don’t make enough that they wouldn’t be tempted. I mean, if I thought I could get away with it, I reckon some of this would look good in my place.” They headed towards the room the music was spilling out of as they talked. Amongst all this opulence the loud dance beat sounded rather incongruous.

“His uncle owns a place like this, and he pulls cars apart for a living?” Rich wondered.

Viv gave him a bit of a sharp look. “Marcus senior is the accountant, his brother sort of runs the whole thing. They like to think they’re up by the bootstraps working class made good sorts, so they make sure their lad can do the same. Course it was Marcus most senior and now departed who were that.” Viv shrugged as they stepped into the main room, a bar at one end and a professional DJ at the other. “Come on, if you start talking business someone will think it’s what you’re here for. Pick a cousin, any cousin. I’ll introduce you. They’re all dying to meet you.” Viv grinned, and indeed the two of them seemed to be getting a lot of attention. Rich wasn’t surprised, Vivianne’s outfit was the most outrageous in the room. His blue jeans and shirt more or less fitted in, but most of the women there were in expensive looking dresses. And some of them filled them quite nicely, he noted, looking at one blonde on the other side of the room in particular. Viv noticed him looking, and with a conspiratory smirk she strolled over to introduce the young lady in question.

She walked like she ruled the room, fully expecting everyone to watch her and get out of her way, and she was more or less right. As they wandered along she gave Richie a little running commentary on the people that smiled at them as they passed.

“Those three on the left, Rosalind, Samantha and Theresa, all my cousins, all M’s uncle’s daughters. Don’t mess with them unless you want to get on the old man’s bad side, which I don’t recommend. On the right in not enough red, Amelia, who is jail bait whatever she tells you. Plump girl in the ruffles, over there next to the one that looks like a stick wrapped in green, that’s Joanna and Jill. Both looking, both likely to take things rather seriously.”

“Both with relatives who’ll be pretty serious too? I think I see a pattern here...”

“Don’t worry, they aren’t all ultra catholic conservatives with homicidal parents. Convent school turns out two sorts, and I can practically guarantee all the bleached blondes are the other type. Just family parties like this are a mine field, so I point out the mines before you step on them, so to speak.” Viv said, half grinning but clearly meaning what she said.

“I get the picture. So..” Rich started to reply, but right then a tall blonde bloke waving around a half full pint mug yelled an enthusiastic greeting.

“Viv! Glad you could make it! This party needs some livening up. You know hardly anyone’s jumped in the pool yet?” The newcomer said, working his way over to them and taking the opportunity to throw a ‘friendly’ arm around Vivianne. “I have been missing you.”

“Since all of yesterday? I’m touched.” Viv shrugged the arm off.

Richie thought he recognised the guy from somewhere, but he couldn’t quite place him.

“So, who’s your friend?” the guy asked, looking at Richie for the first time, then blinking in surprise. “Richie Ryan?! what are you doing here? I didn’t know you knew Viv!”

“You know Richie?” Viv asked.

“Know him? We got half our juvie record together!” he crowed, like this was a personal triumph. He grabbed Richie’s arm and asked him “So how are you doing? Last I heard you were selling cars. Funny that, considering...”

The face finally clicked. Take off about a foot and a half of height and most of the muscle... “Steve Greener? Man, it’s been years! How are you doing?”

“Oh, same old same old. You’re the one that moved out. I hear you’ve been to Europe or something? Real world traveller. Me, I’m still on the same block I always was.”

“In the same job? What was it, acquisitions?”

“Same as you, Ryan. Nah, got out of that. Juvie time is a breeze, but who wants to risk prison?”

“No one with brains, Greener.” Viv said. “So we’ll be seeing you behind bars some time soon.”

Greener looked at her sharply, then seemed to notice someone else who had just come in and headed off to greet them just as enthusiastically.

“Wasn’t that a bit harsh, Viv?” Richie asked, curious.

“What, you knew him and you think I’m wrong? Forget it, the guy’s like some big puppy, if I don’t whap him every now and then he follows me around for hours. Come on, Phoebe et al await.” Viv replied, and crossed the rest of the room a bit more briskly. Rich half shrugged to himself and followed.

After introducing him to the rather shapely Phoebe and her friends, Viv left him to it and headed for the bar. She grabbed two pints and wandered back towards Rich a bit more slowly, talking to people she knew as she went. Richie noticed a lot of guys seemed happy to speak to her, and a lot of the women they were with looked daggers at her back as she passed. He got the impression Vivianne knew too, and was basking in the attention.

By the time Viv got back to him, she had already had half her first beer. She handed him his pint and he used her return as an excuse to disentagle himself from Phoebe and her gaggle of friends. She was pretty enough, but she and her friends had a habit of giggling that just reminded him too much of high school girls. It was a big party, there were plenty of other people to meet.

The next person Viv bumped into was Marcus.

“And here he is, the birthday boy himself, holding court I see.” Viv said as she walked up, gesturing at some of the people that had just walked off. Indeed people did seem to be queuing up for a word with him.

“Vivianne, glad you could make it. And Richard Ryan. Has she worn you out yet?” M asked, smirking.

Viv replied quickly. “Honestly M, it is possible to hang around with a member of the opposite sex and not be shagging them.”

“So you constantly remind me. It’s not half as much fun though.” M said, looking her up and down suggestively. The exchange had a different tone to the last time Richie had seen them together. Here on his own turf at a party in his honour M seemed to feel he was top dog, and managed to give the impression everyone else there was beneath him. Rich found himself beginning to not like the guy.

“Well, I’m just saying hi. And don’t expect a present, I’m skint this month and next.”

“Oh, I can think of presents that wouldn’t cost you anything.”

Viv snorted and frowned. “Sure you can. I’d better go, your adoring public all want a word.” she turned and walked off.

Rich made to follow but M stopped him with a hand on his arm. “I see you kept her in one piece. Very wise. We are watching out for her, don’t forget that.”

“Watching out for, or just watching?” Rich shrugged the hand off. “Viv can look after herself. Against anyone. Now if you’ll excuse me..?” M stepped back and, after a moment, turned to speak to the next nearest person. Richie wandered off after Viv.

She introduced him to a few more people and then went to get another pint of beer. The evening progressed and it turned into a pretty good party, Richie’s smile having about the same impact on the female half of the room as Viv’s outfit had on the men. As he circulated Rich realised there were several people there he recognised from the old neighbourhood, not friends, more business acquaintances. They all seemed to know Marcus. Richie was starting to get a rather bad feeling about what M’s, and therefore Viv’s, line of work might be. Worked on cars? Yeah, right. Maybe not in acquisitions, but he wouldn’t bet on it.

At some point late in the evening when the room had become rather smoky and seemingly half the guests had gone out the double doors to the pool Richie became aware he could no longer sense Viv. He wasn’t worried, but since he hadn’t met anyone particularly interesting he decided to wander out and see if he could find her. They probably needed to talk.

Outside it was only marginally quieter, as the quieter music was more than made up for by the splashing and shrieking. He picked a direction at random and wandered along. Around the corner he felt Viv’s buzz just before he heard voices arguing.

“Marcus, get your hands off me!” Viv said, angry, and Richie hurried over to where the voices were coming from, no longer thinking about questions raised.

“Oh, come on, Viv. We both know why you came out here.” Marcus wheedled.

“To get away from the noise and the herd. Remove your hands or I will, at the wrist.”

“You really wouldn’t want to do that. I have connections, remember? I’m a good guy to be on the good side of. You wouldn’t want to get on my bad side.”

“Marcus, one last time...”

“Oh, drop the act Viv..”

The bushes shook and Richie decided he had heard more than enough. He stepped round the corner, grabbed M’s shoulder and pulled him away.

“The lady said no. I think that’s clear enough.” Richie said, glaring at M. He stepped back, looked at Viv, then back at Richie.

“Bad move, Ryan. Very bad move.” He said, then turned and stomped away.

Rich watched him leave then turned back to check Vivianne was okay. “Are you alright?”

“Fine. There wasn’t any problem, I could have handled him. He’s just drunk.” Viv replied, shoving her hands in her pockets and pulling her leathers tighter around her. “This is really not my scene. Brainless little morons. I used to think it was small towns made small attitudes, but it’s just small brains.”

“If you want, we could go. I mean, I was just thinking of leaving anyway.” Richie offered.

Viv just shrugged, then nodded. “Yeah, let’s go. We’ll only miss the part where they all start chucking up in the plant pots anyway.” she said dismissively, then stalked off back through the house leaving Richie to grab his coat and meet her back at the bike.

They didn’t say much as Rich drove Viv back to her place, just directions and where to stop. She lived in a surprisingly nice place, luxury apartments with a video intercom system. Beyond what Rich had figured she could afford, which reminded him of his earlier suspicions.

“Rich... I’ll see you tomorrow?” Viv said, sounding unsure. He nodded, and she turned and started walking to her door. Then she turned back to face him again. “Thanks. For before. Thanks for being there.” she mumbled, then turned away again.

“That’s what friends are for.” Richie replied, and decided any questions could wait. He watched her until she was safely inside, then rode off again. Back to the dojo to pick up his sword.