Gang reunion

'What're you gonna be drinkin'?'

'Nothing alcoholic, that's for certain. That would be bad for the baby.'

'Knowin' this place, they'd probably still serve you anyway. Ain't like they discriminate.'

'Oh yes. Drunks, children, you name it.'

'Oh, hey, Seth!'

'Alright Stan?'

'Yeah man, I'm good. What about you? I ain't seen you for ages.'

'Been a bit chaotic, mate. Ain't seen you for a while either, Roza. Bump's coming along well.'

'It is fortunate that I'm pregnant and haven't just gained weight!'

'Nah, I knew you were. Not much stays secret round here. Heard Stan's cousin is the dad too?'

'Yeah, man. Nari, the manwhore.'

'Hope he's gonna do his bit for you and the baby.'

'Oh yes, Seth, I will make sure of that, otherwise he could lose his bits. Who's the girl you're with, anyway? She looks a little young for you.'

'Fucking hell Roza, it ain't like that! She works for me.'

'I've got a boyfriend anyway.'

'Ain't you Charon's girlfriend? Thought you were still in school.'

'Yeah, I am. It's just for a bit of extra cash on the side.'

'She'll be leaving when she finishes school and heads off to uni.'

'Ah, okay. You went on the same holiday as Nyla, right? What's your name?'

'Jude. Uh huh, I was there to see Carmella and the others.'

'Right. I woulda gone too, but I don't know them as well as the rest of you. Besides, I couldn't really leave the store.'

'I heard about the holiday from Nyla. I'm jealous, it sounded nice. But I too had to stay here to take care of business.'

'How long you planning on going on for? Seems like it'll be harder once you've got a baby.'

'We will see. I might need to delegate.'

'Do you know if you're having a boy or a girl yet?'

'Yes, I had a scan not long ago. She's a girl.'

'Aww.'

'Look, I hate to ruin the mood by bringin' this up, but there's shit on my mind. Was wonderin' if you'd be able to help out, Seth.'

'Okay? What's up?'

'It's Nyla's ex. He's back on the scene. Fucker turned up at her place lookin' for a fight. I don't know how he fuckin' found her. It's a good job I was there, otherwise it coulda turned nasty. He was violent to her before.'

'Well, shit. She alright?'

'Yeah. She got herself a restrainin' order now, but I don't think I trust the asshole to stay away. I was wonderin' if you might know him. He's a dealer, ain't been in the area long. Thought maybe he's one of your guys.'

'What's his name?'

'Austin Donovan.'

'...'

'Oh yeah, rings a bell. He's one of Blake's men.'

'What's up with you? You look like you've seen a ghost.'

'...I know him too. He's my mum's boyfriend...'

'Wait, what? The one who hit you?'

'Hang on, he fuckin' hit you?'

'What a fucking prick!'

'Yeah. It's okay, I hit him back.'

'Why the fuck didn't you say it was him?'

'I didn't know you knew him too! I didn't think it was relevant.'

'Well fuck, that don't matter now. What does matter is that he's back, and he's been hurtin' more women. I got a friend whose ma is one of his clients, and when she couldn't pay him, he beat her up too.'

'Yeah, Charon told me about that...'

'Are you safe, Jude?'

'Yeah, what she said. You can't stick around there if he's gonna hit you again. What about your ma? Has he hurt her yet?'

'Honestly, I'm fine. Like I said, I fought back. Trust me, he won't wanna try it with me again. And no, he hasn't hit Mum yet.'

'That's good, but with men like him it's only a matter of time. We gotta get her safe. Does she know 'bout what he did to you?'

'Yup. She saw me hit him back, and didn't believe he started it.'

'Shit...'

'I'm gonna work on it. You know how these things can be. Some women are in denial, and it takes them longer to leave.'

'I think things would be easier if we just dealt with Austin ourselves.'

'Right, well, I know how to find him and he ain't had any run ins with me, so he ain't suspicious of me. If nothing else, I can try and find out how he knew where to find Nyla. Maybe ask him what he's doing in Sunset Valley, whether he came here just for her or there's another reason, shit like that.'

'When I said deal with him, I didn't mean talk to him.'

'Yeah, I know perfectly well what you meant, Roza. You know how much I fucking hate woman beaters. I'd love to teach him a lesson, but it's better to get info from him first, if we can. Then someone can kick his arse.'

'Sounds like a plan. Thanks, man. I appreciate it.'

'No problem.'

'Jude, you look out for yourself, okay? You tell Seth if Austin does anythin' else. He's got your back, and we do too.'

'Thanks. I will.'