Chapter 14

A week later, Daniela sat opposite Meylan in a Brazilian BBQ Grill restaurant. They had stuffed themselves with good food and wine. Now they were just talking and enjoying each other's company.

"I never really appreciated life at its simplest and honestly it was just freakin' adorable." Daniela said with a brilliant smile as she regaled Meylan with how a biker covered in tattoos and a long beard looking fierce as can be allowed his five year old daughter to order them drinks. So of course, the two drank the vibrant pink strawberry milkshakes with unicorn cupcakes.

Meylan smiled as he topped up their wine glasses. "I like the simpler life, the innocence is charming." He said in reflective manner.

"So you'd eat unicorn cupcakes with your child?" Daniela asked, she knew her father would never do such a thing. He didn't do anything childlike or play with her as she'd seen many parents do with their kids. She loved the idea of being involved a child's life and to escape in their version of how life was.

"Yeah, anything for kids. There's a real joy in being around children as they see the world so differently from us. I once dressed as a ballerina fairy with a sparkly tiara and drank imaginary tea in a very tiny playhouse for my niece." He added, Daniela smiled at the imagery as Meylan was not a small man. It was endearing to hear that he was close to his family.

"I bet you wore it well." Daniela teased.

"Damn right I did. I'll have you know Lilac is my colour." he replied mockingly seriously before they both laughed.

"Where is she now?" Daniela asked him.

"She alive, living with my mother and father in San Diego. My brother and sister in law perished in the pandemic." Meylan said wistfully.

"I'm so sorry, do you get to see your family often?" Daniela asked.

"Not as much as I like but that's life." Meylan said with a shrug as there wasn't much he could do about it.

"It's a shame but true, now if you'll excuse me have to go powder my nose. I do want to see the desserts menu." Daniela informed him in a charming manner as she went off in the direction of the restroom with her clutch under her arm.

Tom listened to the phone ring on the other end. He closed his eyes and took a deep inhale forcing himself not to hang up phone. He'd already done that twice, the first time was immediately after he dialled the last digit and the second time was after the second ring.

"Hello?" A familiar voice said on the line. Tom's heart zinged and ached at the same time as he could hear the kids laughing in the background with a barking dog.

"Andrea," Tom said, he cleared his throat as he didn't know what to expect.

"Tom?" Andrea asked sounding not so surprised to hear from him but confirming it was him.

"Is it a bad time?" he asked her.

"No, not at all. How are you?" Andrea asked him.

"I'm ok, I assume Mike told you everything?" Tom asked as he wondered how he would have to share. Wondering how much Andrea judged him, if it was right of him to even be calling.

"Yes, I'm glad you made it back." Andrea told him.

"How are you all?" He asked her, he didn't want to leave her out of the question given she had put her career on hold to look after his kids.

"We are good, the kids missed you terribly. Do you want to talk to them?" She asked.

"Please, and thank you Andrea. Thank you for being there for them." Tom told her.

"It's what family does for one another. I'll get Ashley." Andrea told him, he listened as she called out. A few seconds Ashley's voice carried across the line.

"Daddy?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah it's me."Tom said gruffly, it was so good to hear her voice.

"Are you ok?" She asked.

"I am. How are you and Sammy?" he asked, his emotions were all over the map as he remembered his self hatred at being a junkie and that he'd convinced himself his kids and everyone he knew were better off without him. The kids sounded happy when Andrea had picked up the phone. The demons that rode him on a daily basis

"We're ok. Where were you?" She asked him, Tom didn't know why but the question sounded like an accusation. But he pushed the thought away and focussed on his daughter and getting her to talk.

"A horrible place but I'm home now and that's all that matter." Tom told her, he wasn't ready to get into the gritty details. "I missed you both so much." He told her.

"We missed you too." Ashley said in a soft voice.

"Tell me what I've missed. I want to hear everything." He told her.

Daniela reapplied her lipstick and inspected herself in the mirror, enjoying the music of the ladies room when the door opened. She didn't really pay attention to the woman who came in until she sidled up next to her in the mirror. Daniela's eyes grew wide in amused surprise as she recognised her.

"Daniela," the woman said, her peroxide blonde hair immaculately quaffed and dressed in the most expensive clothing, make up and jewellery that money could buy. She looked like eurotrash even though she was Mexican by birth. But one would never be able to tell from how she dressed or spoke given she had a very upper class snooty British accent from years of elocution.

"Yasmin, oh my god, you look good." Daniela said sizing up her old friend. She used the term 'friend' loosely given Yasmin was a backstabbing harpy on the best of days.

"Thank you, I wish I could say the same. Poverty does not suit you." Yasmin drawled looking Daniela's simple cobalt blue body con dress. A dress she borrowed from Sasha which she promised not to have sex in. Something she felt she was going to have to lie to Sasha about. Daniela's hair was up in a messy do with tendrils framing her face.

"Hmm, maybe but it has its perks. Why do I feel like you're not here to use the facilities?" Daniela asked rhetorically, she knew her past week of poking her nose in Red Circle business would get her.

"Because I'm here to see you. I heard you were looking for a couple townhouses." Yasmin said as the door to the bathroom opened and woman came in. She moved to the mirror and started to fix her make up which was immaculate and not in need of care.

"Sure am. I saw the listings in cafes for a while. Have they been sold?" Daniela asked, she knew they were talking about Mike's daughters.

"Not yet. You want to buy them?" Yasmin asked.

"I was thinking you could give me a deal two for one given you owe me for Brazil. And the fact that you're still operating, I was away for four years." Daniela told her, inferring that her silence while in prison had merit. It was true, Daniela could easily have told her wardens everything she knew and take down all her friends. But she knew her silence was worth more.

"I heard and I appreciated the silence." Yasmin told her.

"If you did then you'd give me a very low and reasonable price for the townhouses. That way you get a profit and I get out of your hair." Daniela told her.

"$1 million" Yasmin said smugly. Daniela scoffed at her.

"Please, it's in a dodgy neighbourhood riddled with drug houses. I'm sure the walls are filled with meth, which is a huge depreciative value on the houses. I'll have to tear them down and start from scratch. So how about you turn a quick profit?" Daniela asked her, she had no idea what condition the girls were in but she did know it was common practise to drug unruly girls into submission and control them by using their addiction against them.

"$800,000" Yasmin countered.

"$300,000" Daniela told her.

"You're not making it easy." Yasmin teased, Daniela just smiled at her.

"Ok, $450 000 but I won't go any higher. The banks won't lend anything over $500 000 even if you have the capital to back it up." Daniela said leaning against the sink and folding her arms across her chest.

"Then $500, 000 it is. Once the bank clears the transfer, the houses are yours." Yasmin said.

"Fabulous," Daniela told her, even though it was not exactly something she could afford. But she could get the loan for it. She knew it would be laundered through a real estate company as cash was hard to source these days. But Banks were happy to give out loans.

"Here is the business card for my top agent. He'll give you all the details you need." Yasmin said as she pulled a business card from her purse. Daniela took the card and looked down at the name.

"Thank you. It was good seeing you." Daniela told her.

"You too, but let's not meet again. I don't like to be seen with the greater unwashed." Yasmin said scathingly, Daniela smiled not offended at all.

"Ruins your image." Daniela mused in agreement.

"Exactly, take care Daniela and heed my warning. Stay out of my territory. So, you best leave within the hour or things could become dangerous for you." Yasmin warned her. Daniela watched her leave and waited a moment before leaving.

"So, he's like two years old and we adopted him from the pound. You'll really like him Dad." Sammy said excitedly as he'd spent the last fifteen minutes describing his life in St louis; school, soccer and his dog Bruno. A very energetic chocolate brown labradoodle, the barking and snuffling noises in the background was anything to go by.

"I'm sure I will." Tom said.

"When will you coming home?" Sammy asked, an innocent question but one laden with so many issues he didn't know where to start.

"I still need some time to recover but how about I'll visit you guys next weekend and we'll talk about it." Tom told him.

"Yeah and you and meet Bruno." Sammy said, he sounded excited at the notion. Tom smiled at the simplicity of Sammy's enthusiasm and wished he could feel the same. He yearned to be with his kids but was riddled with anxiety of everything that could go wrong.

"You took a while." Meylan remarked. "Everything ok?" he asked with concern, Daniela couldn't help but feel touched by his sincerity. She was still finding the concept of kindness and consideration new to her.

"I'm well, and sorry, I ran into an old friend from boarding school." Daniela said as she sat down at the table again and picked up the menu. She wanted to tell him everything, but she kept her tongue as she was afraid of what he'd think or worse collapse what was going to be a simple transaction that would get Mike his daughter's back. She did know one thing, she would have to stop searching for people as she couldn't afford to do it any longer.

"Really?" Meylan asked with half a smile and interest.

"Yes, she still believes I actually have some semblance of power so she wanted to piss on her borders." Daniela told him with a shrug as she perused the menu. She inhaled deeply and exhaled the slight anxiety she felt as she really had no standing like she used to. There was a fine line she had to tread to stay alive and out of prison.

"Wow, that's a thing?" Meylan asked surprised, he really didn't envy the company Daniela kept in her past life. But he also didn't expect such territorial behaviour which in his mind was concerning.

"Oh yeah, she runs Red Circle. I won't ever be able to go anywhere in South Norfolk within the next hour. I promise, I'm not doing anything illegal or dangerous." She half lied, she hated it but right now she was closer to getting Mike's kids back than she could ever be.

"Some friend." Meylan remarked dryly, he couldn't help but see how shaken she was by the meeting. It made him wonder if she was in trouble. But he didn't pry, as he knew it was better to keep an eye on her and let her come to him for help. But he did know that they were on the outskirts of St Louis and if he knew something about gangs, the borders were blurry.

"I use the term loosely but I do have better friends these days. Ones that teach me where to bargain shop and find really good drug store make up. Not to mention I've developed quite a fancy for $4 cleanskin wines." Daniela said with a smile. He returned the smile with his own as he believed her.

"I'm not worried, if you wanted to go back to your previous lifestyle then you would have found a way. But it seems to me, that you're having more fun with us than your old friends." Meylan said confidently.

"I am with you." she said with a smile that made Meylan feel special. It slipped though, "Um, Wolf told me that you dating me would be a problem for your career. Are you sure about us, you know dating?" she asked, Meylan took a sip of his wine and placed the glass back down.

"Yes, I am. Just understand that I sometimes can't go into details about work. It's easier for me to keep my personal life separate from my work in that regard. It something that won't change." Meylan said, he wanted to make sure she understood as he had his reasons which had nothing to do with her past.

"I completely understand, to be honest I prefer remaining ignorant on high level information given how I spent the last four years." Daniela remarked in amused manner but there was an unusual edge to her demeanour. A raw vulnerability, Meylan had only vaguely seen when she had been drunk.

"If you ever want to talk about-" he started to offer that he'd listen but she waved a dismissive hand at him.

"It's ok, really." She assured him as he didn't look convinced. "I'm glad to be free and leave it at that but I appreciate the offer." She added with a warm smile.

"Ok," he said letting it go as he didn't blame her for not wanting to share. "Well I was thinking Sonho de Cremes to go. As I know a great place outside of Red Circle territory. What do you think?" he asked her.

"Sounds perfect." Daniela told him.