by Jack Parker
"Say no," Victor said, but he couldn't. Getting chased off would get him followed.
"Certainly," Emery decided. "My lady friend here was just on her way to the restroom, however, if you'd please excuse her."
"Of course," Garner acquiesced politely, stepping back.
Loretta looked worriedly at Emery before reluctantly standing. She shifted past Garner and paused, then reached forward and took Emery by the lapels, kissing him earnestly. Emery's back stiffened in surprise. Not counting the time he curiously snogged a feisty little French girl when he was fourteen after she'd snuck him a fair bit of wine, this was his only heterosexual experience and his brain completely failed to supply him with a convincing reaction. When she pulled back he stared at her shocked, then she turned over a shoulder at Garner, looking him up and down. "Don't distract my little crumpet here with talk of business. If you sour his romantic mood, you'll ruin a girl's night."
Garner gave an eerily knowing smirk and put a hand on his chest. "I wouldn't dream of it."
Loretta gave Emery one last concerned look in private before heading off down the stairs.
"Emery, make an excuse. Leave," Victor insisted.
"If he isn't out in sixty seconds I'm going in there myself," Kurt threatened.
"No, goddamnit Gabler, stay where you are. Emery, are you fucking hearing me?"
Garner watched Loretta go before looking back down at him. "Do you mind if I sit?"
Emery gestured to the chair. "Until my lady returns, certainly."
Garner sighed and slowly sat down across from him, crossing one leg over the other. "I didn't catch your name."
"Hammond," Emery lied easily.
"Well it's nice to meet you, Mr. Hammond."
Emery pushed a piece of salmon into his mouth. "Well I've got to be perfectly honest with you, Mr. Garner. I'm not entirely sure what's brought you to my table. I don't mean to be rude, but I'm in the middle of a date."
Garner snorted and looked away. "I see through you, you know. You're not as good at this as you think."
"Emery, get out," Victor repeated.
Emery took a drink and met Garner's eyes with challenge. "Is that right?"
"Yeah. That's right." Garner studied him for a moment before leaning his elbow over the back of his chair. "I've become very good at recognizing a front when I see one. You might say I'm…professionally paranoid. Or maybe I'm just smarter than I look. But you sure don't fool me."
Emery ran through his options. His escape route wasn't clear. There were too many people in the way if he decided to make a break for it, and Garner would likely pursue him. Plus Loretta was only halfway to her destination. He needed to buy time to make certain she got out of there. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."
Garner chuckled. "Sure you don't. A guy always looks mortified when being kissed by a pretty girl, right?"
Emery paused in confusion.
Garner went on. "I see this a lot. I've even been there myself when I was younger…and I get it. I do. You need to get the blue-blooded, uptight vultures to look away from you every now and then so you can breathe. No matter how careful you are about what you do in private, the truth gets out in rumors. What better way to get them off your back than investing in a woman like her?"
Emery slowly set his fork down. "I'm not sure I…"
"My point is that you're trying too hard. It's not convincing. You want to sell yourself as a straight man? Go for some shy, mousy girl with a sweet disposition. Drop dead knockouts are a huge red flag…even for guys as cute as you."
"Oh of all the stupid fucking horseshit…" Victor growled. "He's hitting on you."
Emery's tension began to dissipate and he suddenly had to struggle hard to keep from laughing in disbelief. "Uh…thanks."
"Don't mention it. I'd hate to see you crash and burn the same way I always did when I was your age."
"Well, it's not as desperate as all that," Emery said casually, lifting his glass to drink. "I was told to keep up appearances. I don't particularly care how much they like my performance—my parents, I mean. As long as I've got a girl on my arm they're satisfied enough."
Garner grinned. "Well lucky you. I guess we've all got our parts to play."
"Indeed we do." He stopped and tried to think for a moment about how to get out of this. "So, can I ask you something?"
"Sure. Ask away."
Emery leaned forward. "At your age…in your early thirties," He could see Garner happily receive this generously bad guess. "You don't…pretend anymore?"
Garner lidded his eyes. "On the contrary, Hammond. I pretend now more than ever. Just not about that."
"Never?"
He shook his head. "It never suits me. Lying about my sexuality means I don't get what I want. And I like getting what I want." His eyes scanned Emery with obvious intent. "I like it a lot."
Emery rubbed his thumb along the rim of his wine glass and looked up at him coyly from under his lashes. "Is that why you came over to my table, then? To get what you want?"
Garner stared at him for a long moment. Then he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a writing pad, which he flipped open and scrawled something down on before tearing it out and sliding it across the table. "I'm not going to ruin your date. If you want to keep up appearances, keep them up. But when you drop your pretty little beard off for the night, maybe you'd like to swing around my place and let me remind you what it's like to be honest."
"Aggghh, gross," Victor groaned. "This guy looks like a wax figure. Please get out of there before I drown in my own puke."
Emery smiled. "That's very forward, Mr. Garner."
"These are progressive times. Forward is better than backward," Garner replied, standing. He let a hand rest on Emery's shoulder as he moved by, leaning down. "Take me up on my offer, kiddo. I guarantee you've never been fucked by a daddy dirtier than me."
Emery's fist clenched around the knife and he forced down the bile in his throat. It took all of his willpower and then some not to drive the blade into Garner's neck. "Perhaps we'll see," he ground out instead. He remained completely rigid until Garner's footsteps faded away, then he let out a shuddering breath. "Christ I feel unclean."
"I think we all need a shower after that," Victor agreed with disgust. "But nicely done. Now head back to the exit and let's get the fuck out of this creep-filled shithole."
Emery stood up on somewhat wobbly legs to catch a man being dragged off by security staff as he twisted and winced away from a woman, presumably his wife, who was screaming at him and smacking him with her palms. That must have been Georgie's handsy admirer. He was able to catch the words "philandering, cock-brained bastard" as he slipped down the stairs and behind the gawping crowd to head back into the kitchens.
"Ludkov, are you coming or what?" Victor asked over the audio feed.
"The valet has my car. I must leave the way I came in. We will regroup in thirty minutes."
"Okay. Kurt, is our path clear?"
"Affirmative."
Emery made it to the kitchen doors to meet Georgie and they both slipped inside. "That nearly went tits up," she remarked.
"Nearly is my favorite sort of tits up. I'd say it went rather well."
Loretta was not far ahead of them and breathed a large sigh of relief as she spotted Emery, hand to her clavicle. "My god was I worried. That was bloody terrifying."
Emery held up a hand apologetically. "It'll be the last of the madness I ask you to participate in, Loretta. I promise. You'll be paid handsomely for that one."
"Sod the money. Are you alright?"
Emery smiled at her, affectionately patting Kurt's chest on the way out the door into the alleyway. "Never you worry. Come on."
Kurt looked around once more before sliding out after them and they quickly made their way back to Victor's nearby van. As soon as they did, Victor hopped out, slapping Emery on the shoulder and looking everyone else over. "I got it all. It's transferred to my PC and the van's already wiped. We've just gotta drop
it off and hand the evidence to Hennessey. In theory, at least."
"Assuming he's as good as his word, you mean," Georgie said, combing her fingers through her hair. "I truly hope this is enough to spark that cantankerous temper of his. Without it we'll be stranded."
"At least now we've got a fighting chance." Victor held up his laptop before sliding it into a pouch in the satchel he'd adorned. He wiped under his nose and gave Emery a look. "So…you gonna take Garner up on his nightcap?"
Emery made a nauseous face and a slight chuckle went through the group. "I'm currently thanking every god in existence that no one's going to hold me to that."
Victor shook his head and began plucking off Georgie's microphone.
Emery turned to Kurt and smiled shyly. "I'm sorry I had to do that all but in front of you."
Kurt pinched his ear playfully and Emery snorted with laughter, shooing his hand away. "Come off it. You love the act."
Victor fiddled with Georgie's microphone for another second before huffing in frustration and waving a hand. "Fuck it, let's just go. We'll worry about this shit later."
Emery turned towards the van when suddenly the sound of rushed footsteps caught their attention. He froze, whipping around to see two men emerging from the alleyway behind the club. Their clothes made it obvious they were staff. The crew all stopped in their tracks, none of them willing to make a move as they looked on at their pursuers.
"None of you move," the closest guard ordered, gun trained on Emery.
"Easy now," Emery said. "We were just leaving."
"Nobody leaves. Who are you? What in the hell are you doing here?" the man gestured towards the van with his gun.
Victor slowly held up his hands with a wince. "Uhhh, I'm the…electrician?"
"On your knees," the guard demanded.
Fuck. Emery watched as Victor got down to his knees, followed by Georgie, Loretta, and lastly Kurt with an obstinate glare. Emery slowly bent down himself, hands on his head. "We're not here to cause any trouble," he said.
One of the security staff stood behind Victor, holding his gun on him as he began searching him for arms. The other kept his weapon on Emery. "I saw the lot of you leave the premises, but I presume you're not members."
"So kick us out," Victor suggested. For this he received a clout to the back of the head and he cursed resentfully.
"This isn't legal," Emery said. "You can have us removed, but you can't hold us hostage."
"You're still on private property and I can shoot you all if I like. Tell me what I want to know and I'll just call the police instead. What are you doing here, and who were you spying on?"
No one said anything for a long moment and the man held his gun up against Loretta's head. She cowered down but he grabbed her by the hair. Emery clenched his teeth. "Stop. Leave her be."
"For each time I have to repeat my question, one of your mates is going to die. Starting with her."
"Don't be such a fucking pussy," Victor snapped. "Get your goddamn hands off her. Shoot me first."
"Quiet." The man closest to him struck him in the head again.
Victor was knocked forward before straightening back up. "Fuck you! You wanna shut me up? Then shut me up, tough guy! You don't have the balls to shoot a man?"
The other guard shook his head. "Kill him."
"Wait!" Emery snapped. "I'll tell you what you bloody want."
"Then do it."
Emery licked his lips. "We were following a man named Garner. He's a traitor. We were hired to prove it."
The guard straightened up, lips parting. Then he set his mouth in a firm line. "By who?"
"Aaron Hennessey."
The guards exchanged looks and the first sighed, shaking his head. "Hennessey is blacklisted, and so are his men. Kill them. Start with that one," he gestured to Victor.
The man held his gun up. Just as he did so, however, the back door to the van suddenly swung open, striking the gunman hard and sending him to the ground where he dropped his gun. None other than Dave jumped out, looking dumbstruck. He then looked down and quickly kicked the gun away from the downed man's grasp, but the other guard reacted fast. He fired his gun twice. One bullet hit the van's rear tire. The other hit Dave in the gut.
Kurt launched off of his knees and tackled the shooter around the middle, sending him crashing to the asphalt where he was mercilessly pummeled. Victor grabbed the other man on the ground while Emery threw himself on the strewn gun. A moment later he was up, planting a bullet in that one's head. Kurt had the other man in a headlock, who was fast suffocating. Georgie grabbed that one's gun away from his reaching hands and jerked back as Kurt's strong arms snapped his neck.
"Dave!" Emery cried, scrambling to his side where he'd fallen to the ground against the van siding with a smear of blood. He was blinking wide-eyed at his crimson hand. Emery crouched down and tried to get a look at the wound. "Oh bloody hell mate, what did you do that for?"
"Th-th-they was gonna kill you, I…" Dave stammered.
"Fuck. Victor!" Emery shouted.
Victor was already there, ripping the section of shirt away and staring at the injury. He clamped his hands over it and swore, making Dave yelp in pain. "Shit. Ah, shit, you idiot," Victor panted.
"It'll be alright, Dave," Emery said, patting his head roughly. "We've got to get him out of here."
The others crowded around but Victor motioned for them to get back. "No."
Emery blinked at him in shock. "What do you mean no?"
"I-I mean I can't fix this, Em."
"Yes you can. Yes you can—you fixed Kurt and that was worse."
Victor shook his head. "He wasn't hit in the stomach. Even then he almost died. I can't fix this."
"You've got to!"
"He needs a real fucking doctor, Em!" Victor snapped. "We have to leave him."
"Am I gonna die?" Dave croaked.
Emery floundered as the sound of sirens began blaring in the distance. "No. You're not going to die."
"Oh god. Oh god. Th-there's bits of me everywhere," Dave began to ramble, turning white.
"Stop! You're not dying!" Emery yelled.
"We have to go, Em," Victor said, moving back as if to stand.
Emery snatched his arm. "We are not leaving him!"
"We don't have a choice!"
"No!"
"Em!" Victor grabbed his shoulders. "You hear those fucking sirens? They're his only goddamn hope. Do you get me? We cannot be here when they come for him, or we're all dead."
"Emery," Kurt said above him, grabbing gently at his arm.
Emery jerked away. "W-we can't, we can't just…"
"Please don't go," Dave whimpered, reaching for Victor with a bloody hand. "I don't wanna die alone. I don't wanna die here. I-I don't wanna die…"
"Dave, you shouldn't've done it…" Emery clutched at his hair and bit his lip as he looked down at the pooling blood. "You just shouldn't've done it."
"M'sorry," Dave sobbed painfully, coughing once and lining his lip with blood. "I just cock everything up…"
"You didn't cock up, Dave," Victor said solemnly. "You fucking saved all of our lives. And in turn we're gonna get yours saved too, but you have to grow a damn big pair here, okay? Can you do that?"
Dave sniffed hard, grimacing in pain. "I dunno, Mr. Victor. I…I…"
Kurt's hand again slid under Emery's arm but he smacked it away. "Fuck off, then! All of you go—I'm not leaving him to bleed out in some grubby bloody back alley like a dog!"
"They're getting closer," Georgie noted.
Kurt reached down again, this time taking Emery forcefully. "Emery," he said firmly.
"No! Get off!" Emery demanded, trying to pull away, but Kurt dragged him back.
"I'll stay with him," Loretta said, kneeling by his side and taking the blood-covered hand that was not pressed into his wound. "I'll give them a story. You lot go on. Get out of here while you still can."
Victor gripped her shoulder and nodded gratefully.
"My mum won't love me no more if she finds out how I died," Dave panted weakly, his eyes closing. "P-please don't tell her…tell her…tell her I was mugged or somethin'…please…"
"Dave…" Emery uttered helplessly.
"Emery love," Kurt said softly, tugging him back.
"No," Emery responded automatically, stumbling as he was pulled.
"Hush precious, you're alright," Loretta said, petting Dave's head. She huddled up against his side and looked to Emery meaningfully. "All of you, go. Go on. Hurry."
Victor stood, backing away with Georgie in tow. After a moment he turned, helping Kurt to corral Emery away from where he stood numb. "Come on. Come on, we have to go."
Emery tried weakly to pull away again, but Kurt used his superior strength to haul him none too kindly off as they rushed from the scene. They vanished into the shadows of the adjacent alley just as the flashing of the lights could be seen in the distance.
Chapter 26
Emery couldn't seem to stop himself from pacing. He continued his back and forth, eyes angry, and his mouth wouldn't stop whispering curses. Kurt had tried to stop him at the start but quickly realized it was a wasted effort. Now he merely stood looking on with trepidation. He knew that this incident was going to put a new fissure in Emery's already cracked psyche. One more reason to find fault with himself.
"Emery, you've got to calm down," Georgie said where she stood next to Ludkov leaning against the back of the couch.
"Don't tell me to calm down," he replied tersely.
"I understand that you're upset, but this isn't doing us any good. We got what we set out to get. It wasn't ideal, but it was a success."
"Success?" he asked, turning to face her. "Is that what we're calling it?"
"Emery," Kurt tried again, but was snubbed.
"I don't want to talk. Just shut it. Leave me be," he grated. He snatched the glasses off and whipped them aside, scrubbing his hands over his face.
There were a few minutes of heavy silence as they regarded him when the door to the flat reopened and Victor slipped back inside. Emery immediately jumped to attention, but Victor didn't look to be the bearer of good news at the moment.