[Author's note: Eve has resolved to investigate why Jen's father is pushing the new laws that will change their lives. Jen takes matters into her own hands]
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BLOOD AND PAPER
Passing Tony on the door, Eve took a good look around the darkened space of the Lost and Found. It wasn't heaving with life, but it wasn't deserted either. She saw Adam sitting by the bar and gave him a small wave. He nodded back.
Eve brought her hands up to her face, like she was fixing her hair, and gestured.
- Where is she
Adam nodded over towards the back wall and signed back:
- Two together, white hair
- White or blonde
Eve smiled at him sweetly. Adam grinned and casually formed a circle with his finger and thumb. He poked the index finger of his other hand through the circle then pointed at her. She understood what he'd said and signed back:
- Later big boy
She saw the pair, despite Adam's woeful signing. The man was mid-to-late twenties, dressed up in a leather jacket and dark pants. He was wearing a collared shirt and his dark brown hair was cut and styled. He had obviously made an effort, but her attention switched to the woman sitting next to him. She had a long mane of dirty-blonde hair cascading down over bare shoulders. Her modest breasts were pushed up into voluptuous cleavage by a strapless leather bustier that stopped at her midriff, exposing creamy skin. Eve could see that she was wearing a matching tight leather micro-skirt. Her legs were enclosed in tight-fitting thigh-high boots in the same colour. The detail that drew Eve's attention was the little black collar fastened around her neck, and the thin leather leash attached to the metal circle in the centre of the collar. Her partner held the other end of the leash in a loose grip. There was a dark, knee-length jacket draped on the back of the seat next to her. He was drinking a beer, she had a glass of sparking water.
They both looked up as Eve approached, but then the woman broke eye contact and stared back down at the table.
Eve opened the conversation with, "Hi. I just had to ask, where did she get those boots?"
She was careful to address the man; she understood the protocol. He smiled and turned to his partner.
"Why don't you tell her?"
The blonde woman looked up at Eve and replied, "I don't actually know, they were a birthday gift from my wife."
Eve laughed, saying, "She has killer taste."
There was a pause in the conversation, but Eve made no move to leave. Eventually, she pressed on herself.
"Mind if I sit down?"
"Of course," the man replied and gestured to the seat opposite him.
As she sat down, she took the opportunity to introduce herself. "I'm Eve."
"Henry," the man replied. He didn't introduce his companion and didn't volunteer any more information.
Eve sensed the mood of the table, that she was intruding on a private night out. She was sitting close enough now that she could get a good look at the blonde woman: the hazel eyes, the elegant neck, the finely-toned, athletic body, the curve of the woman's stomach. For her part, the woman looked down at the table, shoulders slumped, waiting meekly while Henry dealt with the newcomer.
"I'm sorry to crash your night out," Eve began, "But I just thought you might be able to help me."
"Sure," Henry said, "Shoot."
Eve leaned forward, but the couple don't reciprocate. She noted the muted body language. Charm wasn't going to work here, she realised, so she might as well jump straight in.
"I'm looking for some information. I've been told you're the right people to ask."
"Information on what?"
"On whom, actually."
Henry leant forward. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched his blonde companion's body language change.
"Whom exactly?"
"Gerard Staunton."
She saw it instantly in Henry's face and she knew she had hit the mark.
"Can't say I can help you with that."
Eve was insistent. "Look, I knew you'd say that but please just give me a minute more."
The blonde woman seemed to shrink into herself, like she was attempting to make herself invisible. Henry was now doing all the talking.
"How about I give you ten seconds instead? Just about enough time to fuck off."
"I don't know who you think I am, but...."
"There's only one type of person who would come here, sit down at this table and throw out that name. So yeah, time to go."
Henry's eyes darted over her shoulder. He was looking for backup, maybe about to call Tony over.
"You don't have to do that. Anyway, Tony knows me better than he knows you. Just listen, please? I swear it's for a good reason."
Henry looked from Eve to his partner and appeared to be weighing up his choices. The blonde woman was staring rigidly down at the table, her leash dangling from her neck. Eve waited for Henry to make his decision.
"Ah fuck," Henry hissed as he reached over to his partner's throat. Eve watched his fingers at work behind her neck and the collar dropped away.
"There goes date night," he groaned.
The woman's eyes flicked up immediately, locking her in a cold stare.
"You must be Jen," Eve began but before she could get any further Jen interrupted her.
"Yeah, and who the fuck are you, Eve?" Jen replied, laying sarcastic emphasis on her name.
"Just got a question."
"Yeah, you said that twice already."
Eve was taken aback by the woman's sudden change of demeanour, put off-guard by her vitriol. Before she could recover, Jen hammered her with another broadside.
"You sit down here, you mention a name, you obviously already know about me. You tell me who the fuck you are first, Eve. Or is Eve really your name?" Jen hissed, leaning across the table until her face was only inches away from the other woman. "Let's start with that, let's find out something about you first."
Eve could see it in Jen's face, that she was about to lose her opportunity.
Henry grimaced, "You know what, we're outta here."
He began to coil up the leash.
"My name is Ava Choudhry," Eve confessed.
"And which shitpit rag do you work for Ava?" Henry asked.
"I don't."
Jen interjected, "Then why are you asking questions?"
"I'm a special investigative agent."
Henry rocked back in his seat, but Eve could see that Jen has already made the connection.
"So you're the cops," Jen said, her voice low, "And you're asking questions about my father."
There was silence. Eve knew it was now or never: she could see they were both waiting for her to speak.
"This seven pillars legislation," Eve began, treading carefully, "It's got a lot of people thinking. Talking. If your father manages to push it through, a lot of people are going to be on the wrong side of the law."
Jen snorted derisively, "So that's where you come in, hey? Doing a bit of reconnaissance? Identifying the guilty? You make me sick."
Eve spread her hands on the table, looking suddenly weary.
"No," she said at last. "The opposite. I'm one of the people who are caught up by all this. I'm as guilty as you are. A lot more guilty, in fact. Jen, I'm on your side of the fence."
The admission had an effect. Henry's body language softened and in response, Jen seemed to dial it down a notch.
"I'm just going to say it," Eve pressed on, "It seems that the man who's championing the legislation has a daughter in a relationship that is the antithesis of what he's looking to achieve. If that gets out, I imagine it would really hurt him."
