The Formidable

2

Three hours after Jase finished at the gym, he was joined by the boys at his apartment for an evening of poker.

"The amount of shit she brought back is unreal," Sam said, shaking his head. Jase, Kieran and Tommy laughed.

"Like what?" Jase questioned as he dealt the cards with expert precision, watching them glide gracefully across the glass tabletop and land in front of the players.

"Fucking fridge magnets, key rings, bracelets and flip flops for all the girls," Sam replied. Jase chuckled. It was typical of Janine. Since everything had changed and she was no longer working, she'd turned into a sort of den mother for all the house girls, offering them advice, a friend and a shoulder to cry on whenever they needed it. Not that they were really house girls anymore. They could come and go as they pleased, the house simply supplied beds for their services. It was all rather professional these days. "So now there are about thirty Valencia magnets on the fridge falling off every time I go to get a beer," Sam finished in a shrill tone as if fridge magnets were the bane of his existence and the worst thing he'd ever endured. Though they all knew that Sam would never voice his thoughts to Janine, he worshipped the ground she walked on and no longer had to hide it. A few fridge magnets was a very small price to pay after what she'd put up with over the years. A very small price indeed.

"Did you at least have a nice holiday?" Tommy asked. Sam nodded, grinning.

"Yeah, it was great. Janine's never been out of the country so she was a bit anxious on the plane there, took a couple of Bacardi and cokes just to get her to loosen her grip on my hand, but she was fine coming back. Hot out there though, high twenties most days." He looked over to Kieran, "How was the house? I heard Ella was using?"

"Yeah, I told her she had to leave today."

"She kick up much fuss?" Jase questioned, taking a mouthful of non-alcoholic beer. Kieran just rolled his shoulders.

"Not really, I think she knew it was coming. Janine said she'd talk to her but I told her the order was from you and she kind of hummed and shrugged it off."

"I think she's slowly trying to get the girls out of the house anyway. Since we've been back, she's been going through loads of different types of accommodation and flatshares and stuff for them," Sam said, lifting the corner of his cards and then looking down at the flop laid in front of them. He pursed his lips - a tell that all the boys knew reflected Sam having a shit hand. "She's really trying to encourage them to stand on their own two feet but you know what those girls are like. If it ain't easy, it ain't for them."

"Why?" Tommy asked. Sam looked at Jase with a nervous smile. Whatever he was going to come out with, Jase probably wasn't going to be the biggest fan.

"I don't know, she's not getting any younger or anything," he said hesitantly. Jase rolled his eyes, never one to like people beating around the bush.

"Why does Janine want all the girls out of the house, Sam?" he pressed on, urging him to tell the truth. Sam sighed, quickly defeated. There was no use hiding it from Jase, he would have to tell him eventually.

"She wants me to quit." The boys looked at him sharply, then to Jase so they could form their reactions from his response. The fact that Sam didn't seem opposed to the idea told Jase that it wasn't only Janine that wanted him to quit. And to be fair, it had only been a matter of time before someone dropped out of the business. None of them were getting any younger and as the police clamped down, it was getting harder to get away with all the operations they had running. For now, they were safer than they used to be because they were no longer trafficking girls but it was still five years just for carrying a gun and that was without prior convictions. He just hadn't expected Sam to be the first one to go, his money had been on Kieran.

"Why does she want you to quit? She's never had much of a problem with it before," Tommy said. Jase smiled at Sam's discomfort.

"She wants a kid," Jase said, sliding a twenty into the pot at the centre of the table with the rest of the cash. Sam's brows furrowed.

"How do you know?"

"She's got maternal instincts around the girls, she's not getting any younger, wants everyone out of the house and you to quit. Sounds like she wants a kid," he replied casually, turning the fourth card on the table. Kieran folded.

"Do you think you're ready for a kid?" Tommy asked.

"Is anyone ever ready for a kid?" Sam sighed, "But yes, she wants a kid."

"What are you planning to do when you quit?" Jase asked. Sam puffed his cheeks, shaking his head.

"Probably work at the garage full time, if that's cool with you?" The room fell silent. What Sam was really looking for was Jase's blessing. They'd been in everything together for so long that it seemed like the most respectful thing to do.

"If that's what you want to do, mate. Janine's done her time, she deserves some happiness." Sam was over the moon and trying to play it off but the smile was contagious. The last time he'd felt this kind of relief was when Jase had told Sam to tell Janine she no longer had to work and she'd cried into his arms for hours at the prospect of freedom.

"Thanks, man. She'll be buzzing to hear this." Jase was happy for them, but he couldn't help but feel a sense of loss at the fact that things were changing again, even his best mate was taking a different path. It wouldn't be long until he would have to throw in the towel himself and he had no idea what he'd do then. Hell, the only reason he still ran everything was to busy himself so he didn't lose his mind.

The boys left a few hours later and Jase tidied up, wiping the sides down and binning all the beer bottles. The flat was eerily quiet, the faint buzz of electronics vibrating through the walls. He looked around at his home that still lacked personality two years down the line.

It was lonely.

He was lonely.