Explicit Detail

by Scarlett Finn

  No doubt Whyte still wanted to watch Flick having sex, and Joey probably wanted to indulge with her too. If Rushe took his place as a part of their sex games, then they would all get to play with her, as they had believed they would through her relationship with Whyte. They weren’t easily thwarted.

  In picking her out, affirming his interest, Rushe gave this gang a vessel. Flick was a tool they could use to test Rushe and see if he would be open to playing along.

  ‘Doesn’t seem to me that new members of your group last long,’ Rushe said.

  ‘You are of the male variety, women tend to be more fickle,’ Galante said. Joey sniggered, but Whyte’s sinister enjoyment only increased.

  ‘I noticed. Lisa’s gone, Jeri too,’ Rushe said. Jeri was the woman Flick had seen talking to Davis in the club, the woman pulled from the dumpster in the newspaper article Eric had shown her. Rushe must have encountered Jeri previous to Flick’s awareness of what was happening. ‘You’ve lost at least one barmaid since I’ve been around...’

  ‘High turnaround,’ Galante said, without any good humour.

  ‘Been doing some investigating of your own?’ Joey asked.

  ‘Maybe,’ Rushe said. ‘If you knew my history, you’d know that’s not unusual. They pulled Jeri out a dumpster; I saw that in the paper. Nancy never made it to the Rich Room.’

  Flick wondered why he was being so open, why he was revealing details of their investigation.

  ‘I think you know a lot about it,’ Galante said.

  Her lover’s revelations were his attempt to divert the focus of their suspicion. ‘Stop talking, all of you,’ Flick said. ‘I just want to get out of here.’

  ‘I don’t give a fuck what you did to those bitches,’ Rushe said. ‘But you’re not touching my woman. No one touches what’s mine.’

  Rushe’s fist came up so fast that Flick never saw it. Blood exploded on Whyte’s face, and he howled, doubling his body as he clutched for his shattered nose. Whyte got punched, and Flick knew then that Rushe had been anticipating his chance to injure the man who had wounded her. The snarling gratification that spread on Rushe’s expression confirmed her supposition.

  ‘Got that off your chest?’

  Everyone swung around to see Rosa enter from the other side of the room. The narrow entrance she’d used was hidden as an optical illusion of the walls behind the corner podium. The hostess had a package tucked under one arm. In her other hand was a gun that she kept trained on Flick and Rushe.

  Rushe growled and Flick’s hand found his pocket. They were surrounded.

  ‘Over here!’ Rosa demanded. Rushe and Flick began to move, but Rosa spoke again. ‘Not you, just her.’

  Flick stepped away, but Rushe caught her hand, causing her to look back. Though his mask remained in place, Flick saw the turmoil rage behind it. All she could offer was a small smile, and Rushe squeezed her fingers, neither had a choice in their physical separation now.

  ‘You think about hitting anyone else, and I’ll shoot the sexy girl you’re so committed to rescuing.’

  Rushe remained in the middle of the room. Flick went to the corner podium, but averse to the idea of anyone else getting the chance to sneak up on her, she kept her back to the wall.

  ‘What you got?’ Galante asked.

  ‘You go over there,’ Rosa ordered Rushe, nodding to the opposite wall, near the door to the X-Lounge. When Rushe complied, Rosa tossed the bundle to the table. Joey and Galante went to look at it, but Whyte was still concerned with his nosebleed.

  ‘What is it?’ Galante asked.

  ‘Plenty of sex going on up there,’ Rosa said. ‘No rubbers, suggests a commitment.’

  Flick was outraged that Rosa had been snooping in their bedroom, but she shouldn’t be surprised. Anyone prying into their sex life was bad enough, but when Galante unwrapped the fabric from the bundle, Flick noted two things were present in it.

  One was the folder Liam had brought to her that day, containing the information on the sealed records. The other was an already filled syringe. Whatever drug was in it was ready to go. Rosa had rummaged through their room and prepared Flick’s lethal injection.

  Galante and Joey read through the file, but they didn’t have to go far. Except it wasn’t Flick they looked at, it was Rushe.

  ‘You knew about this?’ Galante asked, but Rushe remained silent. ‘Knowing your enemy?’

  ‘If I can find it, then someone else can,’ Rushe said.

  ‘Protecting a friend, are you?’ Galante said, though he evidently didn’t know what to make of this unexpected revelation.

  ‘I don’t give a fuck what you do,’ Rushe said. ‘I like to know what I’m dealing with. He’s a sick fuck.’ Rushe nodded toward Whyte, who took enough notice to snatch for the file.

  ‘You can be bought,’ Galante said to Rushe, while relaxing back on the couch. ‘You can’t go to the law, you don’t work under the protection of it. You don’t testify; you never have.’

  ‘Right,’ Rushe said.

  ‘We don’t know enough about you,’ Galante said, turning his attention to Flick.

  While moving to take position at the back of the couch, behind Galante, Rosa kept the gun trained on Flick. She slid her other hand to his shoulder, and Galante took hold of it to kiss her palm.

  ‘I know, Rosie,’ Galante said, still kissing her hand.

  Flick hadn’t seen him so dedicated, or affectionate, with anyone. Galante wasn’t warm toward his child, and Flick had never seen him so much as talk to a date. But now he was enraptured.

  ‘Let Rosie have her fun,’ Joey said, sitting back to address his father, who rubbed his face on the back of Rosie’s hand as he spoke. ‘We were gonna off her anyway... gives me more time to play with Laurie.’

  Laurie must have been the next tagged victim. This new development altered their plans, and it was becoming clear that Flick was to be the next body discovered in an alley, another woman with an overdose to be reported in the newspaper tomorrow.

  ‘You want to drug me,’ Flick said.

  Her eyes flared when they landed on the syringe on the table. She’d never taken drugs and she didn’t know what substance was in that vial. She didn’t know if it would hurt. These thoughts darted through her head at the same time she lifted her attention to a scowling Rushe.

  Rosa grinned like a smug, spoiled child while Galante caressed her hand with his mouth. Joey watched the couple with an indistinct expression. Whyte was ignoring his bleeding nose to read the horrific details of his past. Ones that he’d tried to hide and deny for all these years, and that were now out there, in the public domain.

  ‘Is this what you did to Lisa?’ Flick asked, trying to swallow away her own fear.

  ‘Lisa was asking for it,’ Rosa snapped. ‘That girl thought she could be part of our family.’

  ‘Your family,’ Flick said, three men, one woman. ‘You don’t want there to be other women, do you? It’s you. You’re the one who doesn’t want these men forming attachments. You thought you could bring Rushe in, is that it?’

  ‘Rushe would have joined us anyway, but if you’d have stayed with Whyte then moved onto Joey like every other...’ Rosa forced herself to stop and take a breath. ‘Once he has joined us in this, then he will be part of our family.’

  ‘And you’ll have another man at your beck and call,’ Flick said. ‘You’ve got father and son, what about Whyte? Why is he here?’

  ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about,’ Whyte barked. ‘Someone shut her up, do it already.’

  Whyte slapped the folder closed but kept it nearest him on the table. Flick knew that information would be burned before the night was over.

  Galante took the gun from Rosa, who rounded the table to retrieve the syringe. ‘I’m not going to tell anyone anything,’ Flick said. ‘You can let me walk out of here, and I promise I’ll never—‘

  ‘Don’t need your promise,’ Rosa said. ‘One little prick, and our problem will have gone away.’
r />   ‘This is what you do when the women get too close, or when the men are bored with them,’ Flick said. ‘You drug them and dump their bodies, that’s why they show up dead in the alleys.’

  Flick was the problem that Rosa alluded to, and this group wanted to erase her. Once they injected her, she was as good as dead. Her options were gone. Rushe was stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea. If he tried to rush any of them, then Galante would shoot and she would be dead anyway.

  Whyte got to his feet as Rosa inched closer, Joey stood too, and they spread out, all eager to witness what was about to happen. This wasn’t a game, this wasn’t prolonged; someone had the fetish, someone was out of control. Murder was the ultimate control, the power over life and death, and someone enjoyed exercising that power.

  Rosa had these men behind her; Rosa held the needle. Flick hadn’t considered the possibility, until now. It wasn’t the men doing the deed; it was the men covering it up for the sake of Rosa.

  ‘Please, you don’t have to do this,’ Flick said, as they closed in around her. Rushe could walk out of here right now if he wanted to. No one was watching him, but with security features on the doors, he’d never be able to come back in, so she would be left alone.

  The distance between Rushe and this group bent on violating her was too great for him to be physically effective. He’d never get all the way across the space to Flick’s position without the others noticing, and right now there was a gun and a syringe headed in her direction. They’d kill her before he got within arm’s reach.

  ‘Give it to me.’

  All the faces in the room turned to Rushe. ‘Why would we do that?’ Galante asked.

  ‘How do you think I’m going to react when you kill my woman? There’s only one threat to any of you in this room, and it’s not Flick.’

  Rushe’s question gave the cult something new to consider. As they did, the cruel ice of panic spread in Flick’s chest. The deep fingers of dread reached her throat, and Flick’s sinus didn’t get the chance to burn, tears were already streaming from her ducts.

  ‘No,’ she said, and she tried to move toward her lover but the bodies between them prevented her. ‘No, I won’t let you do it.’

  ‘Rosa, you want the women to die to maintain order in your pack, to maintain superiority,’ Rushe said. ‘Flick never threatened that, she left Whyte, and she didn’t touch Joey or Galante.’

  The hostess relaxed in a way that told Flick she was considering Rushe’s words. ‘But she knows now,’ Rosa said. ‘She knows what we have done.’

  ‘No one will believe her, what’s she gonna do?’ Rushe asked. ‘She has no connections, no money, nothing. You checked her out for yourself; you didn’t turn up anything that would threaten you.’

  Flick had never asked Rushe if there was further history connected to that social security number. Knowing him as she did, it wouldn’t surprise her to learn there was a false credit history, or even a faux family tree, traceable through it. He’d go to any lengths to ensure her safety, and he was nothing if not thorough.

  ‘You can be a part of our family,’ Rosa said, with an emerging seductive intonation.

  ‘You want to have control over these men. They keep your secret proving their loyalty to you, but I won’t be loyal to you. I will not be a part of your family, I’ll destroy it.’

  ‘No. We can still work together,’ Galante said.

  ‘Work?’ Rushe growled, lowering his chin. The storm clouds around him echoed with thunder. ‘If you hurt her, I swear I’ll make every single one of you pay. You’ll die slow and it’ll hurt. I promise you.’

  ‘No,’ Flick said again, but Galante stepped up.

  ‘I know your reputation,’ Galante said to Rushe. ‘I know how dangerous you are.’

  ‘It’s why you wanted me on your team. You told me that being on the receiving end of my talents would be worse than dining with the devil at your last supper.’

  ‘Yes,’ Galante said, and glanced from Whyte to Rosa. ‘Have you been in cahoots this entire time? Or has she seduced you in these last few days?’

  ‘It doesn’t matter,’ Rushe said. ‘She’s useless on her own... I’m not... You hurt my woman, what do you think I’ll do to yours?’

  ‘Fine,’ Galante said. ‘We’ll let her go.’

  ‘No!’ Flick exclaimed.

  ‘If he refuses to join us, then we can kill them both,’ Rosa said.

  But Galante looked Rushe square in the eye, recognising a kindred spirit. ‘You would sacrifice yourself for this woman?’

  ‘As you would for yours,’ Rushe replied.

  ‘No! Rushe!’ Flick tried to run to her love, but Whyte lifted her from her feet. Kicking free, she heard Joey curse. Flick barged her way through the others, but Rosa got between her and Rushe in the last few feet.

  ‘I won’t let you do this,’ Flick wailed. ‘I don’t want you to do this!’

  ‘There’s nothing you can do to stop me,’ Rushe said. ‘Do as you’re told, Kitten.’

  Flick shook her head and tried to shove Rosa aside, but the woman fought back. The edge of the capped needle made contact with Flick’s skin, reminding her of the threat at the same time Joey hooked his arms around hers to pull her back away from Rosa until he got her up off her feet.

  ‘Enough!’ Rushe bellowed, stalling everyone in their actions. Joey relaxed somewhat, letting Flick stand. ‘Go on, Kitten, get.’

  ‘No! I will not let you hurt me like this! You would never hurt me! I need you!’

  ‘Turn around and walk away,’ Rushe said. ‘Do not look back.’

  Flick couldn’t believe that this was real. Rushe would stand there and let these crooks do anything they damn well pleased to him, just to save her.

  ‘Stockholm,’ she whispered, and Rushe’s chin came up slightly. ‘I want you to stop what you’re doing. I don’t consent to this.’

  The fervour of the moment tumbled down her cheeks in constant, unyielding tears, and that flicker of pain crossed Rushe’s expression. Nevertheless, the use of their sexual safe word didn’t change things. He couldn’t get them both out of this, and neither could she. Only one of them had the chance to walk away, and Rushe was making that choice for both of them.

  Rushe’s hand came up to the top of her head, and he stroked downward once. Walking away from him had never been easy for her. In the past, when she objected to his command to do so, he’d often been cruel in pointing out that she was embarrassing herself. But it wasn’t like that anymore.

  Joey pulled Flick backward, and then suddenly Rushe lunged out. Rosa screamed when he got a hold of her, and everyone in the room pounced to attention. All focus landed on Rushe, who had his arms around Rosa, her back to his front, with one of his forearms squeezed around her throat.

  ‘Let her go!’ Galante demanded, taking a stride toward Flick. ‘I’ll shoot her now.’

  ‘And I’ll snap her neck,’ Rushe growled. ‘I lose my woman, you’ll lose yours. I told you not to cross me. I warned you.’

  ‘Shoot her!’ Joey demanded, hauling Flick toward his father.

  ‘He’ll kill Rosie!’

  The stalemate wouldn’t be easily broken. Flick struggled in an attempt to liberate herself from Joey, but Whyte came over to do his part in restraining her.

  ‘Enough!’ Rushe declared. ‘You let her go.’

  ‘Release Rosa.’

  ‘I let go of this bitch, and you’ll kill us both.’

  ‘We’ll kill you anyway,’ Rosa said, trying to wriggle, but Rushe used the motion to get his back to the wall, and he began to move toward the club door.

  ‘No, no,’ Galante said. ‘We’ll let her go, we’ll let Felicity go, you have my word.’

  ‘Means squat to me,’ Rushe said. ‘Empty the gun.’

  ‘But—‘

  ‘You empty it now!’

  Flick’s whole body trembled like she was coated with frost that radiated from her core. Galante fumbled with the gun, and Joey yanked her back, tight. Wh
yte stood against her feet, keeping her immobilised. She knew that black veil around Rushe was in place to keep him cool, it was the same reason he wouldn’t look at her, and Flick didn’t want to distract him.

  But she wanted to scream, she wanted reassurance, she wanted to reach out to him. It might appear to all the world as though he was in control, but this was why he resented their love. Because in his mind this wasn’t control, this was desperation.

  Two factions, two women, each side had something the other wanted, and she knew Rushe wouldn’t relent; he’d do anything for her. But the idea of hurting a woman to achieve his goal would pose an impossible dilemma for him.

  Bullets scattered across the floor when Galante popped them from the weapon. They rolled toward the centre of the room, under the couch, and into the air vents. When the clatter of metal in the passages ceased, everyone looked to Rushe.

  ‘The one in the chamber too,’ Rushe growled, and Galante sagged but complied. ‘Send her out.’

  ‘No!’

  ‘Get her out of here,’ Rushe said, nodding toward Flick.

  ‘No!’ Flick exclaimed.

  ‘Be a good girl... get,’ Rushe said without looking at Flick.

  Unable to walk out of here, she wouldn’t walk away from the man she loved; Flick couldn’t endure his noble betrayal. Rushe was using his life to prolong hers, and it was wrong. But the decision was taken from her when Joey got her off the floor. This time he raised her high enough that Whyte could grab her legs and the two of them carried her toward the door.

  ‘No!’ Flick exclaimed, still trying to fight. ‘No, Rushe! Please, Baby! Please! I love you!’

  Something plastic popped, and Flick noticed that Rosa had managed to work the cap off the needle without breaking it. Just as everyone else detected the accomplishment, Rosa lifted her arm and stabbed the needle back into Rushe’s thigh, then drove in the plunger, sending the liquid coursing into his veins.

  ‘No!’ Flick wailed.

  The imitation ice that flooded her followed the same path that the poison would in her love’s body. The atmosphere around the hostess sparkled with subdued glee, but it wasn’t sustained. Whether Rushe was startled or not, he didn’t show it, he remained rigid. The tension in his arm increased the pressure around Rosa’s neck so suddenly that his muscles strained and she squawked out.