I had a meeting set with Andreas for 1pm, and it was now 12. I was just finishing my lunch, going over my notes so far. Well, I was supposed to be. In reality, I was wrestling with the conflicting emotions that the case was bringing to the fore.

The more time I spent with Andreas, the more I was wondering how much he’d truly changed from the guy I knew, and had once crushed on, at school.

The guy who had betrayed me and my family.

Certainly he seemed remorseful. His eyes spoke of the pain he felt at those events in the past. But was he truly changed, or was he just playing me in the hopes that I would take on his case?

I guessed I’d find out.

First things first though - I knew I’d need more manpower. My first port of call had been Leonatus - or Nato, as we all called him. While my position was strictly security and protection, Nato would handle the investigative side of things. I would protect Dara, and he would work on finding out who was threatening her so we could bring them to justice.

But we were going to need more info from Andreas - he was going to have to tell us everything he knew; hence the interview that afternoon. I was nervously anticipating it. To be honest, it was becoming more and more difficult to maintain that anger I had initially felt upon seeing him again for the first time in years.

I knew that I couldn’t just forgive him for what he’d done. But by the same token, it was going to be impossible for me to get the job done if I was constantly sniping at him.

It was going to be a complicated job - but it wouldn’t be the first time, and I was certain it wouldn’t be the last. I was a professional, and I knew I could get this done.

I picked up my phone and dialled Sierra. “Sierra, is Nato around? Could you ask him to come to my office if he’s here?”

“Sure thing, Jake,” she replied. “I’m pretty sure he’s in the building.”

A few minutes later and Nato walked in, looking as cool and collected as ever. He was in his early 40’s, but kept himself in shape. He had curly dark hair cropped relatively short, and he was wearing a simple white button-up with dark slacks.

“Hey, Jake,” he greeted me. “Interesting new case you’ve got here from what I’ve been able to see.”

“Take a seat,” I replied. “Interesting is...one word for it. Andreas, my client, will be here shortly. I wanna sit down, just the three of us, and hammer out exactly where we stand and what he knows.”

Nato nodded. “Sure. I’m ready.”

I liked Nato. Ex-police, he’d been around the block, and he’s had a keen eye for detail. If there’s something I missed, I could always be sure he’d pick up on it. The two of us chatted for a little while, before Sierra poked her head around the door again.

“Mr. Weber’s here, Jake. Shall I send him in?”

“Sure, thanks, Sierra.”

Andreas walked in, and I couldn’t help but sit up a little straighter when I saw him. My heart beat just that little bit faster as he greeted us, and took his seat opposite my desk. I hated that he had this effect on me, but I’d have to come to terms with it.

“OK,” I began. “Today, we’re gonna need to find out everything there is to know about your situation, Andreas. Often, clients can feel uncomfortable with this process. But just know that everything we ask, it’s for a reason. We can’t protect you and your daughter unless we know everything. Is that clear? No question can be off limits.”

Andreas looked from Nato to me, tension in the line of his body. He looked as handsome as ever, but I could tell from the dark circles under his eyes that the whole thing had been taking its toll on him.

“Sure,” he said. “Fire away. I’m an open book.”

He looked meaningfully into my eyes as he said this line, and I felt a little shiver run through me at the intensity in his gaze.

Stay focused, Jake. Don’t let your personal feelings for him come between you and your work.

“First off,” I began, “we need to discuss what Dara knows.”

Andreas looked uncomfortable. “Well, she’s fourteen and smart. I’m sure she knows a lot more than she lets on. But I would prefer to keep her as insulated from all this as I possibly can. She’s just a kid.”

I shook my head. “That’s not gonna work, Andreas. She needs to be kept in the loop. Surely she’s intelligent enough to know that having her own private security detail means things are relatively serious. I can’t do my job effectively if I’m having to constantly shield her from the truth.”

He leaned toward me. “Sure, I get that. But...I want her to have a normal childhood, you understand? I don’t want her to always be looking over her shoulder, worrying that someone’s trying to hurt her.”

I felt for him - I felt the overwhelming urge to reach out and take his hand. But I didn’t. I couldn’t. Not yet.

“She needs to be prepared, Andreas,” Nato interjected. “She needs to be made aware of just how serious this whole thing is, so that if the proverbial does hit the fan, she’ll be ready.”

Andreas looked miserable, but he eventually nodded reluctantly.

“Don’t worry,” I told him. “We can handle that. Dara isn’t the first kid we’ve had to protect. We’ve got procedures.”

He nodded at me thankfully. “Thank you. I would appreciate that.”

“OK,” I said, flipping over a new sheet in my notepad. Some people like to take notes on their laptops, but I prefer the good old-fashioned solidity of pen and paper. “Now, we need to move on to exactly what has happened to get things to the point we’re currently at.” I cleared my throat. “First off - why did you testify against Esposito?”

Andreas leaned back, expression closing down. “Because I knew he was guilty. Because I didn’t want him to use his position of power to hurt any more women.”

I was struck by his sincerity. “How did you know he was guilty?” I asked, scribbling down his answers.

“You know we were friends,” Andreas said. “Had been for a long time. Theo’s cousin is one of the investors in my restaurants, and Theo himself spent a lot of time in my downtown branch. I’d often be there at the same time as him.” He looked uncomfortable, as if dredging up events he’d rather have forgotten.

“He’d changed...a lot. From the kid I used to be friends with, I mean. Ever since he got into politics, he got this sorta...hard edge about him. Like he’d do anything to get where he wanted to be. My staff used to hate having him come in - they’d say him and his goons were rude, and would make lewd comments. On more than one occasion I had to step in and say something to him...and he didn’t like that one little bit.”

He sighed and ran a distracted hand through his dark hair. “Theo thought that our past, our friendship, meant that he could do whatever he liked. That I should just stand back and let him get on with it, because we were part of some brotherhood. And for a while, to my great shame, I did. I ignored the protests of my staff, and I told myself that Theo couldn’t have been as bad as they were saying.”

He paused for a moment, taking a sip of water. He looked anguished, wracked with guilt, and despite everything, I couldn’t help but feel for him.

“But then the rumors started...and not just from my place. Rumors of rape, sexual assault, far more serious stuff than what was happening in my restaurant. Everything was pointing in one direction, but I was too stubborn to listen to my heart.”

His voice was cracking now, but I let him talk, let him get it all out.

“Until one evening, I came in late. Theo had eaten dinner with his guys, but they were refusing to leave. I’d gotten a call from the manager, asking me to come help with them. She was locked in the back office, terrified. When I got there, Theo had one of my waitresses in the store cupboard, and was attempting to force himself on her.”

He shook his head, as if trying to get rid of an image he didn’t want to see. “I hit him...I beat him bloody. Told him to get the fuck out, and never come back. He didn’t like that, not one little bit. Told me I’d broken the code, that friends should always look out for one another, no matter what.”

Andreas looked at me, guilt written across his features. “Once upon a time, I believed that. But I decided, enough was enough. Not any longer. I would sacrifice my friendship, if it meant that not one more girl ever had to be hurt by that pig.”

He was shaking now, with anger and guilt and shame. “So...when I was called as a witness in the court case, I readily accepted. I testified against him, and told them everything I knew. I accepted that it wouldn’t be easy for me...but I didn’t think it would come to...this. How could I have been so naive?”

He sounded anguished, and I wanted to go over to him and pull him into a hug, tell him that everything was going to be OK. He looked like a broken man.

“So who do you believe is behind the threats, Andreas?” Nato asks quietly. “And why?”

Andreas pursed his mouth, and sighed. “I wish I knew. Someone connected with Theo, obviously. But that leaves a lot of suspects - he was very well-connected. There are many people that we both know, many ways in which we are connected, even financially.”

Nato’s ears prick up at this detail. “Please tell me what you mean by that.”

“Some of Theo’s cousins are investors in my businesses. I have tried to cut those ties...but it’s a multimillion dollar enterprise. With shell companies and silent investors, I have no way of knowing who owns what equity.”

Nato is scribbling furiously on his own notepad. “That’s very interesting,” he said. “That gives me something to go on right away. They have the motive, they have the means.”

Andreas looked miserable. “It’s all a huge mess. A mess I have no idea how to fix. I mean...I don’t have anything against those guys, and I don’t want to believe that they would threaten me and my family. They would never…”

His voice trailed off, and I picked up the theme.

“One thing that I’ve found in this line of work,” I said, “is that you can never really be sure that you know someone. The answer is usually closer to home than you might think.”

He stared at me silently for a few moments, his soulful eyes betraying what he couldn’t say out loud.

He knew.

Nato stood and excused himself. “I’ve got enough here to make a start. Thanks for your help Andreas. May I get in touch if I need any further information from you?”

“Of course,” Andreas replied. “Anything.”

Nodding to me, Nato left, leaving just the two of us. There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments as we stared at one another. Andreas looked vulnerable, like a man who was baring his soul.

“Jake,” he murmured. “I’m not the same person I was. I hope you can see that.”

I didn’t say anything. He continued speaking.

“Your sister was in my mind when I agreed to testify against Theo. I...at the time, I wanted to believe in my friends. I thought they could do no wrong. But Theo showed me that loyalty has limits...how could I look my daughter in the eyes if I let him get away with what he was doing?”

He looked down at the floor. “I only wish I’d had that courage before.”

“That makes two of us,” I replied. “I can’t say more than that right now. I hope you understand that.”

Andreas stood and nodded. “Of course.”

His eyes were full of pain and guilt…but I also saw hope there. Hope that I could forgive him for the events that stained our past.

I didn’t know if I could, not yet anyway. It was all still too raw.

“If there’s nothing else…” he said softly.

“No, not for now,” I said. “Thank you for your candor. I’ll be in touch.”

He turned to leave, but there was a lingering moment where our eyes met, and I felt such a strong yearning there that it shocked me. How could these emotions come back so strong after all this time, after all that had happened?

And then he was gone, closing the door softly behind him. Alone, I sat there and pondered. He had changed, anyone could see that. He was no longer willing defend wrongdoing for the sake of loyalty.

But was that enough to absolve him of the sins of his past?