‘I won’t say a dicky bird . . . I know I’m just a kid really compared to you, but can I ask ya something? I wouldn’t mind working for ya, if you’d take me on?’

Zara raised her eyebrow. ‘Oh yeah? Well, that depends on what you can bring to the table, love. Let me have a think about it. In the meantime, are you still up for working in the restaurant? I like strong people on my books who I can trust.’

Tiffany blushed. ‘Well, yeah, sure. I’ll be ready if those bullies turn up again.’

The men surrounding Zara relaxed their shoulders at last. The cheek of the young waitress had definitely released the tension, and Tiffany had given them a good laugh to boot.

‘Anyway, what the fuck happened? I got the text, so we came hammering down and . . . ’

Neil was shaking his head. ‘They must have hidden behind the wall, and as soon as Tiffany went to leave, they grabbed her. I thought we were fecked for a minute. The sly bastards. Did you see the fecking size of ’em? Jesus, all three were huge. The one with the knife was a colossus.’

‘Yeah, but did ya see the bandage around his wrist? He’s already been in a war,’ said Tiffany, joining in, acting as though she was already part of the firm.

‘What? He had a bandage wrapped around his wrist?’

Tiffany enthusiastically responded. ‘Yeah, and he was wearing Joop! aftershave. And he had a gold ring on his little finger.’

Zara grinned. ‘Work for me, eh? You could get a job as a detective.’

Tiffany chuckled. What a day it had been.

***

When the house was quiet, Poppy crept into Brooke’s bedroom. ‘Hey, we need to talk, but I really don’t want to upset you. How strong are you feeling?’

Brooke beckoned her sister in.

Poppy sat on the edge of the bed. ‘Are you feeling any better?’

‘Yeah, I am, thanks to you. Who’d have thought it, me and you becoming friends?’

Poppy gave Brooke a weak smile. ‘You were always my friend. I just think our mother controlled us so much we didn’t even have a chance to be buddies. But, listen. I want to talk about our father.’

With a frown furrowing Brooke’s brow, she sat up straighter. ‘What about him?’

Poppy fiddled with the edge of the bed cover. ‘Do you ever get the feeling he’s not part of us as a family? It’s hard to explain. It’s like he’s not interested. I mean, I feel I don’t even know him. Do you, or is it just me?’

Brooke stared off into the distance, and her face dropped in sadness. ‘I thought it was just me, Poppy. I honestly thought he never loved me.’