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Louisa
“Mum, from what I hear, things are getting just as crazy at all the HF sites. I’m thinking about asking Dino if he’ll take me back if things go pear-shaped. Do you think he will?”
“If things go pear-shaped, he’ll need someone like you, Jake. Ask him.”
The kettle clicked as it boiled; the sound filled the brief silence.
Jake turned to Arabella. “Are things any better at your place?”
Arabella’s eyes flicked to the window as if listening for news on the street.
“A drone crashed into a group of old-age pensioners today.”
A cold prickle ran down my spine; I pictured the smoke and the sirens.
When’s this craziness going to end? It’s unbelievable!
“Eventually a crowd gathered and threatened to wreck the whole place, so eventually NT said it’d pay for their hospital expenses. The staff were absolutely shitting it. What a laugh!”
“Arabella!”
Arabella’s face hardened; for a second, she looked much older than her years.
“Well, they deserve it. Heartless, that’s what they are. Heartless monsters!”
“Listen, before I forget. I think there could be a huge opportunity soon, so if there’s anything you don’t know about at work, find out about it as soon as possible.”
My pulse sped up. This was the part that mattered; my hands felt clammy. I was agitated. This was important, but I wasn’t sure they were up to it.
I rubbed my temples and tried to force my thoughts into order.
“Names, phone numbers or whatever: steal them, copy them, anything. We need them. If you steal them, don’t get caught! OK?”
“OK, Mum,” they said in unison.
Their togetherness made my chest ache; part pride, part worry.
“Anything about suppliers would be useful too.”
“Yes, Mum,” they said together again.
*****
Sometimes it felt like we actually had an army. That night, that army showed up; angry, loud, and fed up with the factions.
*****
Major Winfrew
“We want our money!” chanted the crowd surrounding the HF checkpoint cafe office.
They pushed and shoved and tried to get into the office, but to no avail. Then a loudhailer:
“Disperse now, or we’ll fire!”
“Disperse now! Go home! Anyone who does not will be taken and tortured!”
“You have until 20!
“1… 2… 3… 4…”
The crowd wavered, a ripple of panic. Relief flickered in me; the power still worked. But underneath, I thought I felt something colder: they weren’t afraid of me. They were afraid of what came after.
I stood and watched as the crowd of women pushed and shoved to get away as quickly as they could. They had all heard stories of the torture room.
After the weekend storm, this had become the norm at HF and NT faction checkpoints. Business had crashed. Soldiers were tense, some unpaid. Income was nonexistent.
I wasn’t tense. I was desperate. I knew exactly how bad things were and had even taken the unprecedented step of contacting my opposite number at New Tomorrow.
We agreed it was probably the Return behind any coordinated action. We also agreed that we needed money and needed it fast. We were soldiers, not businessmen.
This meeting should pave the way to recovering some of our losses, but it was essential that a deal was struck and implemented.
I had spelled out the issues to my superiors in case they tried to con Dino Delfino. He could step away, and they would be left to answer to the National Assembly.
Sitting at the table were Dino, Louisa, and me.
Dino continued, “… and so what I’m really saying is that I can take over the running of HF’s sites and still make a profit. We also think HF needs to re-establish the public’s trust, so we should all sign an NDA agreeing that Heritage Front is not at fault, and I am praised for my business acumen for taking over the running of the operation.”
I nodded. “My superiors will be only too happy to agree.” This was going to be easier than I expected.
Louisa said, “We should go over all the figures; I have them here.”
“Not now, Louisa,” said Dino, waving her suggestion away.
She didn’t seem too happy at how Dino had spoken to her. It was as if she had just come to the end of her tether. It was a shame; she was the brains in some ways.
They also thought I didn’t know they’d had a similar meeting with a New Tomorrow major earlier that morning. Their generals were coming to the signing too. As long as it happened quickly and we all escaped this mess, that would be fine; I’d still get my bonus.
If the factions didn’t sign, everything would collapse and Rosehaven, like the rest of the country, would spiral out of control and into chaos. I think it had something to do with finance.
It was my ass on the line.
Two weeks later, Dino and Louisa met with the regional generals from both factions in a local hotel conference centre. I was there too, to carry the can if need be.
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The stakes were high, and everyone felt them differently. Some braced for confrontation, others for compromise.
*****
Louisa
I was just finishing, so I went through the main points regarding commissions, the NDAs, and PR agreements before asking for questions. There were none. The papers were signed, and then we all went to a very fine lunch at Dino’s expense.
All sides heaved an enormous sigh of relief.
Dino had had a few glasses of wine, so he was in full flow.
After he’d been talking for 15 minutes, the generals made their excuses and headed back to their respective headquarters to file their reports.
Major Winfrew looked Dino in the eye, clicked his heels, saluted, then shook his hand. Dino winced. “Thank you very much, Mr. Delfino. You’ve been extremely useful to us throughout this whole affair.”
Dino was caught unawares; it was yet another thing that hadn’t occurred to him. Unbelievable.
After they’d all left, I turned off the cameras and voice recorders I had installed before the meeting. If we didn’t need the footage, I was sure The Return would be interested in studying the generals and their tells.
Dino told me he couldn’t have been so successful, and he couldn’t have done all this without me and the kids.
Even so, I was feeling bitter, unappreciated and sick to the back teeth of clearing up after someone else’s brilliance.
“Whatever, Dino; maybe you’ve drunk too much. But by far the most important thing is that you have what you’ve always wanted and have come out of this with a reputable business and a bright future ahead of you.”
Even sarcasm went over his head.
*****
With the meeting behind us and everything apparently in order, a quiet unease lingered…
*****
Dino
Over the next six months, it became obvious that Louisa’s predictions were accurate. Heritage Front and New Tomorrow were keeping their word, and my reputation had soared. Everyone thought I was a genius for convincing the factions to sell when they had.
I asked Louisa about that month’s figures.
“As forecast, stable. Not sure about us, though.”
I blinked, trying to process the words; my stomach tightened.
What?
She continued, “Oh, and I forgot to tell you. New Tomorrow’s offered to train Arabella in marketing and public relations, so it doesn’t look like she’ll be working for you anymore.”
My chest sank; I felt my heart skip a beat.
“What about Jake?”
I leaned back in my chair, trying to steady my thoughts.
“I talked to him last night, and he really wants to stay. He sees you as a mentor and believes you can teach him ten times more than he could learn on any course. Can you believe that?”
“Not really, to be honest. It never really occurred to me that either of them would leave.”
“Well, it wouldn’t, would it, Dino?”
A pang of unease shot through me, sharp and sudden.
Something’s wrong.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I don’t think a lot of things occur to you, Dino. Do they?”
My jaw tightened as her words sank in.
“You just seem to take me and the kids for granted.”
..…
“You have your big success story; what about us?”
Where did that come from?
I stared at her, speechless, the room spinning slightly.
“But the three of you are a part of it, Louisa. We make a great team, don’t we?”
“I understand what happened with your last partner, Dino.”
A shiver ran down my spine; guilt prickled sharply.
..…
“I get that, Dino. But I’m not that guy.”
My hands fell limply to my lap; the weight of her stare pinned me down.
..…
Just like you’re not my ex, but you’re making me feel invisible, just like he did.”
My chest sank; a hollow ache spread through me.
“Do I?”
“Yes, especially recently,” she said, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Oh no!
My hands trembled slightly as reality hit me.
She sobbed, “I can’t let that happen again, Dino. I’ve enjoyed everything we’ve done
together, but I think it’s time I moved on.”
The sound of her tears filled the room; I couldn’t look away.
..…
“Don’t worry; you know where we live, and Jake’ll still be here with you.”
“But…”
Words failed me; the silence was deafening.
There was a quick knock on the door, and Arabella appeared.
“You ready, Mum?”
Arabella’s voice trembled slightly; the room felt unbearably still.
“I’m coming,” she said.
“I can’t do it again, Dino. I’m getting too old to keep getting ignored by men. Goodbye.”
Louisa stood.
The silence stretched.
Then she walked out without looking back.
Arabella avoided my eyes as she closed the door.
I stared at the closed door, unable to move, breath shallow.
I was dumbstruck.
When had this started?
*****
Checkpoint users focused on muffins, coffee and minor perks, while the express strip search always had customers but was never as popular as before. That was fine.
The factions were happy, the customers were happy, and I was happy until I met with my suppliers.
“Hi Dino, where’s Louisa?”
“Louisa used to do it that way, Dino. It was much better. Is she on holiday? Tell her to get in touch when she gets back.”
“I’ll wait until she’s back.”
The calls went on and on.
I’d had enough.
I reached for the phone, but…
I didn’t know her anymore.
A tear slipped out.
Time for a mirror pep talk.
The entrepreneur extraordinaire was gone.
There was just a hollowed-out shell of a man staring back at me.
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