Page 4 of Rhythm Of Redemption
“Shall we find a table?” He pointed to the roped-off VIP area reserved for his more elite clientele.
She threw back her head and finished what was left in her glass. “Or we could just go back to your place.”
Chapter three
It had never occurred to Lou to ask Dani the name of Sofia’s dad’s restaurant, and it had taken some detective work to find out which one was his.
Of course, the problem would never have arisen if Dani hadn’t left her rescue inhaler behind. Or if she’d bothered to answer her phone or reply to the dozen or so messages and voicemails she’d left.
She rarely ventured into this part of town, let alone knew who owned what bar. A quick call to one of her ex’s friends had given her the name of a place he thought was the one she wanted.
She’d only met Sofia a handful of times, but she’d always been immaculately turned out in the latest clothes and brands that Dani could only dream about.
There hadn’t been any one thing that had particularly bothered her about the girl per se, it was just a few comments she’d made about Dani’s outfit, the cracked floor tiles in the kitchen, and the patches of bare stone in the hallway where the plaster had fallen off. Lou had smiled through gritted teeth and explained that they were in the process of renovating the property and guest houses, but she could see the embarrassment written all over her daughter’s face when Lou had offered Sofia an inferior brand of cola instead of the real thing.
Okay, so they didn’t live in a palace and couldn’t afford branded cola, but so what? That didn’t make them bad people, did it? The way Dani had gone on and on about it after her friend had left, anyone would have thought they were a pair of troglodytes living in a smelly underground cave.
The restaurant wasn’t hard to find. Obviously, named after his daughter, Sofia’s stood out from all the tacky establishments lining the street, offering cheap booze and thrills, like a diamond in the rough. She approached with trepidation, painfully aware that her cargo pants and ninety-nice cents flip-flops wouldn’t normally get her passed the door in a place like this, but she wasn’t here as a paying customer, she just wanted to speak with Dani for a couple of minutes.
A group of diners got up to leave, and Lou, seizing her chance, slipped in unnoticed as they exited. Careful not to draw any attention to herself and possibly get Dani into trouble, she skirted around the perimeter as she tried to locate her daughter. “I’m looking for Dani,” she asked one of the waiting staff. “I need to speak to her.” The young man frowned, his crinkled forehead forcing down his brows into a straight line. He shuffled nervously, his eyes darting anxiously between her and something over her left shoulder. Lou turned and saw a smartly dressed man standing behind her.
“Can I help you, madam?” he asked in a tone that reminded her of the refined BBC accents from the old black-and-white films she’d watched with her grandmother.
She didn’t know what irritated her more, that the condescending prick had addressed her as madam or the scornful look spreading across his smug face as his eyes travelled from her lime green flip-flops, all the way up to the mass of dark hair piled loosely on top of her head. “I’m looking for Dani.” She stuck out her chin defiantly, determined not to show how much his cold, steely glare intimidated her.
“Dani? Never heard of her,” he replied nonchalantly, slipping into a London barrow boy accent.
“My daughter, Dani, she said she was working here tonight.”
“Sorry, love, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“She’s friends with your daughter, Sofia.”
“Ah.” He nodded with understanding. “Pretty little thing, blonde hair?”
Lou’s fists balled at her side. “Yes.” She wasn’t sure she trusted herself to say anything more.
“They’ve probably gone clubbing.”
He said it as if it was the most natural thing in the world. They were fifteen, for God’s sake. Dani was so grounded for this. “Which one?”
“How should I know?” He turned to leave, already done with this conversation.
She placed a hand on his arm to stop him from escaping. He might be done, but she wasn’t. “Isn’t it your job to know where your daughter is?” His eyes rested on her hand before fixing her with an icy stare that made her blood run cold. Her hand dropped to her side.
“Listen, darling, there’s no point in getting your knickers in a twist. My Sofia can take care of herself. If you can’t keep tabs on your daughter, then don’t come down here, to my place of business and accuse me of being a shit parent.” He took a step towards her. “Okay?”
Her insides had turned to jelly, but she’d be damned if she was going to show him how much he’d rattled her.
“You know where the door is.”
She tried to compose herself. There was no point trying to reason with an arsehole like him, she realised, but what now? She turned to leave. “Your daughter?” a server asked in a low voice as she cleared a nearby table. “She’s been in here with Sofia a few times?”
Had she? Lou had no idea, but if the girl had something to say, then she wanted to hear it.
“Try Manik,” she said quietly. “Sofia’s boyfriend works there.”
“That’s a club. They’re only fifteen. What the hell are they doing there?”