"Don't put me off my breakfast."

☆

“Two the works?” The lady in the small cafe causes Rio and Carlos to look up at her from their table, as she holds out two oval plates of fried breakfast. 

“Yes.” Carlos replies without hesitation. All eyes on the prize. He hadn't eaten properly for what felt like weeks. She sets down the plates and heads away, leaving the two men to tuck in. 

Rio glances up at Carlos who was still eyeing up his plate as if not knowing where to start. He smiles and adds. “Enjoy. I'm nearly all out of money now.” 

Carlos looks up at Rio and smiles back. “No money, no car, no home. Material things.” He picks up his fork and begins to eat, leaving Rio to question.

“Have you had a personality transplant?” 

“Maybe I have, or maybe I'm just hungry.” He pushes his fork into the food. 

Rio smiles once again, before beginning to eat. It was true that in that moment, the simplest pleasures were the best. A good night's sleep, a hot shower and now ‘the works’ at Ginny's cafe. Perhaps they had both inadvertently learned what was more important. “You know what you do have…”

“What?” Carlos questions, looking up. 

“Me.” Rio grins. All too aware of the cheesy line. And isn't at all surprised to receive an eye roll as a response. 

“Don't put me off my breakfast.” Carlos shakes his head but in truth rather enjoyed that thought. He had someone. Someone who despite the rocky introduction had seen him stripped bare, his vulnerability on show,  flaws out for all to see. Rio didn't see the Carlos Matheson persona. He saw Carlos Matheson the person. 

The moment between them goes silent as they focus on eating, with the sound of the café's small tv high up on a shelf to break the quiet. 

“This is a public appeal to help us locate 26 year old Carlos Matheson.  Brother of Millionaire business woman Chanelle Matheson, who we believe may be linked to the disappearance of another male 27 year old Rio Tenet. Mr Tenet, a taxi driver, was last seen driving down Usestar Street just after 10 pm two nights ago, when he disappeared. We have strong evidence to suggest Mr Matheson was a passenger in the taxi where gunfire was shot within the vehicle, before the taxi was found crashed and abandoned…”

The food in Carlos' throat feels like it suddenly cannot go down as he glances up at Rio. Who was looking back at him, with them both not uttering a single word. Rio slowly turns his head to look at the Tv screen. images of both their faces were displayed side by side, followed by grainy footage of Rio's taxi. “That is the worst picture of me. I knew I should have changed my profile picture.” He looks back at Carlos with a half smile,  the other male isn't laughing. 

“What's the matter with you?” He glances over his shoulder to check no one is watching them. “This isn't the time to joke. Do you know how many people Chanelle has under her thumb? The police are involved now and it seems the side she cannot control. The Matheson name is now going to be dragged through the mud. If my sister catches up with us first, Any chance of negotiation is long gone. Diamonds or no diamonds. We are fucked!” Carlos leans in closer to Rio. “Your sister did this. She said she would keep quiet.”

“My sister? Hang on. We are here because of you and your sister. Not mine. Remi may be a lot of things but she isn't a liar. If she said she was going to keep quiet then she would have…. Look.” Rio covertly gestures towards the screen again. “Is she on the screen making an appeal huh? No it's just that police woman.”  He looks back at Carlos. “We just need to get to where we need to be a little faster that's all.” He looks at the half eaten food before them. “Eat up, we have to get out of here before someone recognises us.” 

“Our choices.” Carlos mutters as he looks down at his plate. “We are in this together now. Your words.” 

“Ok. I'm sorry.” He reaches out, placing his hand over Carlos’ hand. “No one knows us right now. Look, the tv is on and no one is looking. No one cares about us.”

“We're so close to Rio.” Carlos takes Rio's hand in his. If we can just get there. I'll figure out what to do next. 

***

Chanelle heads to the ornate wooden desk. Her mind focused solely on the task to hand, which was topping up the small gun she held in her hand. Remi cautiously sits down on one of the large couches set one side of the room. She watches as Chanelle seems to look into a small glass square, before the sound of a catch releasing can be heard and the picture of that seascape, suddenly becomes an opening to a vault. Remi felt stupid,  to think Chanelle would hide anything so precious under a simple lock and key. Of course it would be idiot proof. She was an idiot. 

“He is your brother. Where would he take him?”  Chanelle questions Remi as the last of the bullets gets pushed into the empty barrel. 

“How should I know? He's a taxi driver. He's told where to go.” Remi looks up at Chanelle, wondering how the response would go down. The tactics from the night before are long gone. All Remi can do now is be herself. “How about Carlos? Do you even know him?” 

“I know he's a spoiled little shit.” Chanelle puts the gun on the desk, pulling a band from around her wrist to tie back her hair. “He has made no sacrifices for this family, whereas I…” she stops herself mid flow, aware she may just say too much. Remi had already tried to find a weakness, she was damned if she was going to offer one up. 

Remi watches, as the guard is dropped. Only for that split second, before her eyes drift back to the painting. “Do you have secrets behind every artefact in here? If I pull a book, will a door suddenly open?” 

“Don't be foolish.” Chanelle looks at the painting. “Everything here is precious, meaningful. Father's silly books about blood and vampires. This lamp.” Chanelle runs a finger down the base. “My Mother's, from Italy.” Chanelle's fingertips draw a line across the desk towards the gun. “My baby right here. “ 

“And Carlos?” Remi questions. 

Chanelle looks back at the painting. “This painting. We went here on holiday as children and we couldn't get him out of the sea. He loves the coast….” Chanelle again stops her words. Her mind casting back to when the detective had visited... "I'm thinking of taking a break..." Jojo had told her. Plain as day, but she had been blind. Jojo always does this to her. Clouds her judgement. Make her lose focus. “Fuck! How could I not see…” Chanelle bangs her fist on the desk, making the precious lamb wobble. 

“What is it?” Remi tenses in her seat. 

Chanelle looks at the woman opposite as she scoops up the gun. “I know where he's going.”