Hi!
Thanks so much for the reviews. I wish I could send you all cookies except you're pretend Internet people. :p Ok, I haven't updated this in a pretty long time, because of two other fanfics I have on the go but I'm going to focus more on this for a while. Also I've had to redo Chapter 3 because I decided I had to much happening in one chapter, and I kept reading through it and couldn't make myself like it and if I'd carried on writing the story post-that chapter I probably would've ended up getting mad at all the characters and killing them off or something. It might, however, be quite a long time before I update this again because I actually have almost no idea what's going to happen in it and it sort of keeps changing so yeah. But I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Thanks for reading. =]
Miss Muffin
***
The next evening Danny was alone in Eddie's Bar. Ash and Stacie had gone to see a friend of the crew, who dealt in fake paintings, and Albert was out at one of his card games.
He walked in confidently, going over to the bar and landing swiftly on a stool.
"Hey, Danny. On your own?" Eddie asked, pouring ice into a glass.
"Yeah, they're coming later."
"Right," the barman said, sliding the now filled glass across the counter. "That's £2.50."
"Ok, sure," Danny replied. He started to open his wallet, and then paused suddenly. "Wait – have you got any crisps?"
"Yeah, what d'you want?"
"Salt and vinegar please, Eddie, three packets. I missed lunch," he said, as the barman raised an eyebrow questioningly.
He started to place the three packets on the bar, wondering what he was up to. Eddie did not trust Danny Blue, who was now happily taking a sip of his drink as he tore open a packet of crisps.
"£3.75," Eddie said, gesturing to the wallet in his hand.
"Coming up."
Danny took out a five pound note from his wallet, and then paused again. "Oh, and can I have two G and Ts as well, Eddie? It's just, Ash and Stacie are coming any minute, and…"
Eddie sighed, and took out two glasses filling them with ice.
"Thanks, Eddie."
He didn't smile.
From the second the glass clinked against the bar, Danny mentally started counting down in his head. 3, 2, 1…
The sound of ringing made Eddie jump slightly. He watched as Danny answered the slim silver phone in his pocked, then walked to the other side of the bar, lifting his index finger in Eddie's direction and giving him a friendly smile. He watched Danny as he spoke, curious. His face changed from a fading grin to a worried expression. He watched his lips mouth 'Okay.'
He hung up and went over to the bar.
"Eddie I've got to go… my Nan's in hospital…"
He grabbed his jacked and swiftly strode out of the room. Behind him, the barman looked confusedly at the mess of empty crisp wrappers and vacant glasses in front of him.
Outside of the bar, Danny's frown turned into a grin. He placed his wallet back in his pocket and lifted a hand for a taxi, feeling a little bad for having to use his Nan like that.
***
He met Ash and Stacie at a wine bar in Soho.
They were going to the launch for a new art gallery, one that their current mark was opening. What they were selling was supposedly the original of a very famous modern art painting. What they were actually selling was a forgery painting that had been rustled up in three days by a friend of Albert's, who owed him a favour. Danny made a mental note to ask him why he owed him a favour. After all, everybody loved Albert's stories.
Danny arrived there at eight sharp. He met up with the other two outside the wine bar, as planned. Ash was dressed in a posh navy suit; Stacie looked amazing in a figure hugging dress, knee length dress that was charcoal grey. Her hair was in a messy bun and her eyes were lined with kohl.
"You're late," Ash complained as Danny approached them, ducking under a shop doorway to escape the rain.
"Well I got hold up!" he protested.
"Held up where?"
"Eddie's," Danny mumbled, almost inaudibly.
The other two laughed, as they walked in through the huge doors of the art gallery.
The room was filled with music and people. The three of them gladly took glasses of champagne from a passing waiter's tray. Ash leant inwards towards Danny and Stacie.
"Ok, the mark's over there."
Ash indicated towards a tall man, Danny would have said he was about thirty. He had short dark hair and was wearing an expensive suit. He had a look of someone who was slightly evil, or even slightly insane. One of his hands held a glass of champagne, the other was hooked through the arm of a young woman, who seemed to be in her early twenties. Her hair was unrealistically blonde, her eyes a muddy brown.
"Samuel Perry. Used to be a lawyer, resigned three months ago around the same time as his divorce, when he took most of his wife's savings and left the country."
"Remind you of someone? Stacie said, looking upwards in thought sarcastically.
It always surprised Danny when Stacie joked about Jake, or even just talked to him, casually, in a conversation like this one. He was sure if that had happened to him, he wouldn't just be able to mention it in such a relaxed way, or even mentioned it at all. Stacie's husband was a topic that was usually tactfully left out of conversations by him, Ash, and Albert, though Stacie didn't seem to care so much, he thought. For a while after they'd conned Jake, she'd seemed pretty upset but once she was over him then, it wasn't really an issue anymore. Danny hadn't ever really been in a serious relationship before, but he figured getting over someone wasn't easy.
Yet here she was, acting as if what she'd just said didn't matter at all.
"So I'm going over there to talk to him now and I'll signal you over in two minutes, ok?" Ash said, and then downed his champagne.
"Right," Danny replied.
Him and Stacie watched as the fixer confidently went over to the mark. They watched the two men laughing, then Samuel Perry appear to explain something to Ash, and he listened intently. A few seconds later, behind Ash's back he put his thumb up in the other two's direction.
"Ready?" Danny asked.
"Yep."
Danny offered Stacie his arm, and she slid her own through his gladly. They walked together across the huge lobby of the art gallery and up three steps, where Ash was stood.
"Jason!"
Danny turned to Ash, acting as if he'd just seen him.
"Jason, this is Samuel Perry, this is the man I was telling you about, Mr Perry this is a client of mine, Jason Walker."
"Mr Perry," "Jason" said, offering his hand.
"Mr Walker." He took it, and they shook hands. "Mr Edwards here's told me a lot about you."
"This is my fiancée, Vanessa Moore," Danny said, indicating towards Stacie.
She lifted a hand ever so slightly, that smile appearing across her lips. Danny could tell that Samuel Perry was instantly charmed. Every man in the room was instantly charmed. Including Danny. No, especially Danny.
"Pleased to meet you, Miss Moore." Samuel Perry lifted a hand. He was looking at Stacie like she was something to eat. It sort of made Danny want to punch him.
"Mr Perry," she shook his hand. Danny wondered how she could stand his eyes on her like that.
"So, have you done business with him before?" Danny asked.
"No, we only met a few days ago. Have you?"
Ash and Stacie began to each other, disappearing towards the bar.
"Yeah, Philip's virtually family. I own a small gallery just near here, you know, so…"
Danny was suddenly interrupted by his phone going off in his pocket.
"Excuse me," he said, lifting the phone to his ear and heading round the corner. He frowned a little as he saw the caller ID. He was out of earshot.
"Mick, not now ok? Sort of in the middle of something…"
"Danny, I need your help. I'm in prison."