Chapter Three

"And what made you change your mind?" Brendan asked. He poured himself a whiskey, watching it glugged over the ice with a quick, satisfied twist of a smile in Ste's direction. Without asking, he opened Ste a beer and although he refused, he pushed it at him anyway.

"If you wanna do business with me, you'll drink with me."

Brendan pressed him again for his motive.

"Money," Ste replied glumly, refusing to look Brendan in the eye. His fingernails scratched the surface of the bottle's label. "Me kids,"

Brendan's expression sobered in understanding. For men like them, it was always the kids – keeping them safe, feeding them – it was a way of life. It had been like that for all his, and he knew when it came to it, Stephen wasn't all that different. He could pout and frown and point to the rule book all he liked, but he wouldn't see his kids suffer.

Ste found himself waffling about Leah, about Mr Snozzle (and berated Brendan's bemusement at the bear's name and demise) and how utterly hopeless he felt with not even a spare tenner to buy her a crappy replacement.

"Here," Brendan said, reaching into the back pocket of his black jeans, "Just take an advance on your wages,"

"No. No," Ste said, "I don't wanna owe anything. To anyone. I'll work for it. I'll help you win at the poker. I'll feed you the others' hands but no favours, no loans."

"As you wish Stephen," Brendan replied with an amused puzzlement at Ste's sense of pride.

It was then Ste felt detached from the moment and his brain caught up with his mouth and he realised he hadn't intended to be this honest and open at all. A steely reserve took hold again and he emptied his beer and zipped up his jacket.

"Another?" Brendan offered.

Ste tip-toed over the thin line between holding onto his stand against Brendan's games and being civil enough to get the money he needed.

"No," he stated, jumping from the bar stool and fixing Brendan with a false bravo. "I'm going home to my boyfriend, he's cooking for me."

Brendan smirked. "And your boyfriend," he said, in a tone that mimicked Ste's, "he knows all about our special arrangement does he?"

Ste swallowed, his gaze diverted with guilt.

Brendan hummed in amusement. "Interesting,"

"Let's keep it that way," Ste said and then in a moment's hesitation realised he needed to change tact. "Please,"

Brendan motioned a zip across his mouth. "My lips are sealed Stephen. Sworn to secrecy,"

Ste tried to ignore the clench of doubt in his stomach and the glint of satisfaction in Brendan's eye and with one final glance at him, turned and left the club.

Ste was quite grateful when there was a knock on the door the next morning; there was only so long he could push the cardboard grey muesli, which Noah had made especially for him, before he noticed Ste had barely touched it.

It was a delivery guy at the door which surprised Ste as it was barely eight and their post barely arrived before midday usually. The man had a reflective coat pulled up to his chin and he spoke only in grunts as he asked Ste to sign.

"Are you sure this is for me?" Ste asked.

"Stephen Hay?" the man said with a rolling-eyes annoyance.

"Yeah,"

"Well it's yours," he said pushing the box into his hand, "Special delivery."

When Ste re-entered the flat, using a pair of scissors to slice open the box, he saw Noah had already tipped his uneaten breakfast in the bin in annoyance.

"What happened to my food?" Ste asked, tearing into the top flap of cardboard.

"It's obvious you don't like it Ste. You only had to say," he said. "What's in the box?"

"I don't know,"

But when Ste's eyes fell upon the pink, furry contents of the box, new Mr Snozzle's face smiling up at him, his stomach tightened and colour torched his face.

"Well?" Noah pushed.

"It's…" Ste hooked the teddy from the box and held it up – an identical twin of Leah's favourite bear. "It's for Leah…I got her a replacement for the one that got ruined,"

"Oh," Noah said, "Sweet,"

His interest disappeared quickly and he headed for the shower, leaving Ste sitting alone at the table. It was obvious who was behind this, who had managed to get it bought and delivered in a matter of hours, who had remembered glimpses of the bear Ste's child had held so tightly.

Ste dialled his number.

"What do you think you're playing at?" Ste said, keeping his voice quiet and his temper as measured as possible. This wasn't an ordinary act of kindness – this was Brendan, this was another way to snake into his life.

Brendan sighed on the other end of the phone. He was hardly out of bed, but it was never too early for him to play the game. "Let me know when you're ready to stop talking in riddles Stephen,"

"The teddy bear you sent to my flat this morning,"

"What about it?"

Ste scoffed, "You know what! I told you – no favours, no loans. I don't want anything from you,"

"But you'll stay after hours – you'll lie about staying late – to help me cheat at poker, to whisper secrets in my ear, but you won't accept a gift for your daughter," Brendan said, "Don't you think Stephen, that's a little selfish? You've got a brand new toy for Leah sitting in your hand but she can't have it because of your pride?" Brendan tutted.

Ste slammed his fist on the table, a fork jangled against a glass.

"I'll see you tonight at eleven," Brendan said, ending the call without a response.