Page 85 of The Vampire and the Barista

“Well done, Jamie. Now try again,” Rickon said, holding out another arrow. “Try it with the finger guards. Use them like this.” He demonstrated and then handed them to Jamie.

Jamie grinned, took the arrow, put the finger guards on, centred himself and shot his second arrow. Again, it hit dead centre.

“I did it again. I’m liking archery.”

“We can set up regular sessions for you if you want,” Rickon offered.

“Yes, please, thank you,” Jamie said happily.

Kitty grinned. “We can all have them. This is fun.”

“It really is,” he agreed. Jamie looked at Rickon. “Thank you, Rickon.”

“Anytime, Jamie. We can set up something permanent for all of you.” He looked at the children. “Just make sure an adult is with you when you practice.”

“We will,” they promise.

“Now I need to go, have fun. Thanks, Rickon,” Jamie said, handing the bow back and taking off the arm and finger guards and handing them over.

“Anytime, Jamie.”

“Knock knock,” Jamie said, standing by the office door.

Ivan looked up and grinned. “Hey, sweetheart.”

“Hi. Hey Gavin, Olly,” he said, walking in and over to Ivan.

“What have you been up to?” Ivan asked.

Jamie leant on the edge of Ivan’s table. “I’ve just been having an archery lesson and have now found my new favourite sport.”

“Nice,” Olly said, before Ivan could.

“Karl and Kitty like it as well. Before that, Dave and I researched the parents. It turns out one side of my mum’s family came from money. It was written in my grandfather’s will that my mother would get five thousand a month for each child under eighteen living under his roof.”

Olly whistled.

“So that’s why he wants them back,” Ivan commented.

“I’ve emailed the solicitor’s office to make contact with whoever is looking after the payments. I want them to stop paying my father, because I can guarantee my father won’t tell them that neither Karl nor Kitty lives with him anymore. I’ve also asked why, when my parents were divorced, did they keep sending my dad money.”

“That was good thinking,” Ivan says.

“So what are you guys up to?”

“Gavin and I are researching a long list of names I found.”

“And I’m going through the traffic cameras to see if I can find what Derrick did to your father,” Olly adds.

They heard Gavin knock on the desk, and they all looked at him as he signed. “You should delete any footage of Jamie coming in contact with his father or leaving the alley looking beaten up.”

“That’s good thinking,” Ivan agreed.

“What did Gavin say? Sorry, Gavin, I’m still on the basics.”

Gavin smiled at him.

“Gavin said, Olly should delete any footage of you having contact with your dad, or looking beaten up,” Ivan told him.