Chapter 16 #2
“Sorry, I’m late,” I said, coming over and getting a kiss on the cheek.
“That taxi firm is bloody useless.” Sonia was dressed nicely in a summery wrap dress of light blue and orange.
I felt a tad overdressed in a short-sleeved black shirt, which was ever so slightly transparent.
A tiny bit. But its capped sleeves made my arms look bigger and went well with black skinny jeans.
She nodded in agreement. “Always have been. One of the girls from work who doesn’t hate me gave me a ride from Compney on her way home. Maybe I’ll get Ade to give me a lift later on.”
I grinned at her. “Going well between you two, is it?”
She smiled coyly and sucked on her straw.
“I see. You okay for a drink? I’m going to head to the bar.”
“You have loads of money, so yes, I’ll have another,” she said.
Now I regretted my kind offer. The bar wasn’t too crowded yet, despite the pub being busy.
There was a stream of people heading back and forth to the gardens, where most of the patrons had grabbed tables.
It meant that the side of the bar for customers sitting indoors was a little quieter, and I was served quickly.
Once back with Sonia, I got her to talk about Ade.
“My Ade’s lovely. Honestly, Arden, I think we have a real future. Mum thinks he’s dead handsome and clever. He says all the right things to Dad about football.”
“And he’s a great shag, too,” I said, knowing it’d embarrass her.
“Arden!” she squealed. “But, yeah, he’s fabulous at all that.”
She lapsed into silence with a contented sigh. I cocked an eyebrow.
“Not to ruin your good mood, but what was the need for a drink about then?”
Her face fell. “Guess,” she said and then downed her cocktail.
“Your brother and Dhapinder?”
“Ding ding ding.” She used her straw to stir the ice in her drink for any leftover liquid. “They suspect something.”
My eyes shot to hers. “You’ve not said anything that could warrant them being suspicious, have you?”
“No, no. I’m playing it very cool. But I think they suspect that someone suspects them, not me, but someone in the company suspects. Or they suspect that we suspect that they suspect … that … I suspect … wow, how many of these have I had?”
“You were on your third when I got here.”
“That’d explain it. Let’s have another.”
“Okay,” I said, getting off my seat, knowing that meant I needed to buy them.
I wasn’t annoyed – I really was quite rich.
Even if my best friend, who kept calling me manic, was about to try and screw me out of my money to appease fucking Donal Callous.
Wow, okay, I really wanted another drink too now.
“But Son” – I turned back to her – “you’re being careful, yeah?
No silly buggers with this. You need to make sure you play this smart.
Only try and access the books when you know it’s safe, no risks. ”
She nodded. “I know, I know.”
I gave her another look and then went to get the drinks. We’d been there a while now, and the bar was starting to fill up. Tables and chairs were being moved out of the way, and not long after, the lights were dimmed and voilà, the Lucky Feather was now a club.
Some horrendous David Guetta song came on, and Sonia squealed. “Let’s dance!” she said and grabbed my hand, pulling me along.
“No, please, no. Come on, Son. I’m, like, ten years older than everyone else in here.”
“Yeah, but you’ve got all them fancy London moisturisers so you look dewy, my love, dewy.”
I gave in – begrudgingly – and let Sonia drag me onto the dancefloor surrounded by twenty-year-olds in outfits so cheap a single open flame near them could have the whole place ablaze.
Ah, provincial nightclubs. I remembered them well.
Actually, not at all. I never went to a single one in the shithole town I grew up in, as my mum needed me peeling potatoes in the kitchens of the pub, but I had heard of them.
We danced for several songs, and I hated to admit, I was having a great time. Sonia threw herself around to whichever Top 40 track came on, and I shimmied behind her, trying not to be the campest man on the dancefloor. Second campest was fine.
Eventually, a half-decent song that I quite liked came on. Sonia pulled a face. “Nipping to the loo while they play this rubbish,” she whisper-yelled in my ear and disappeared off in the direction of the ladies.
I made my way to the side of the floor. No one wants to be the guy dancing on his own in a place like this. As I leaned against the wall, toying with my phone, I looked around and saw a familiar shape.
Errol Mottley was cosying up to a very attractive young blond guy with muscles bigger than his head. Errol had his arms around the roid-rage twink’s neck and was pulling him close.
He must’ve been near twice the lad’s age, as there was no way the farm boy could have been older than twenty-one.
Unfortunately, Errol saw me at exactly the same time, I realised I’d been staring and made to avert my eyes and disappear into the …
well, nothing in this part of the world was technically a crowd, but near enough.
The scowl on his face was enough to tell me he wasn’t going to be asking for a repeat performance.
I did what any sane coward would do, and I skedaddled. I made it to the terrace outside, where it was crowded with groups sitting at every table, but slightly quieter after the ruckus inside. Errol was right behind me.
“Forrest!”
“Oh, hello, Errol. Didn’t see you there,” I said innocently, turning to look at him.
He came up to me. “What the hell are you playing at?”
I hesitated. “I’m here with my friend … she’s in the loo. I live around here, remember? I do go out. Occasionally.”
“Stop being obtuse,” he snapped. He looked around and then grabbed my arm and took me further down the terrace so he could presumably argue with me in semi-privacy. Or kill me. Or leak my nude photos. Did I have any nudes on my phone? I must do.
He got in my face and waved his finger. “Telling the detectives we were together that night was a big mistake.”
I was confused. He wasn’t thinking I’d been stalking him? Oh, that was a bonus … oh, no wait. “Excuse me? Of course I told them. They asked me who I’d been with.”
“Yeah, and dropped me right in it. They came knocking that afternoon when I was at a campaign event with Suzy. She was furious when she found out that we’d fucked. I got warnings and reprimands from higher-ups. A whole shebang.”
“That’s not my fault!” I snapped back. “What did you want me to do? Say, no officer, I have no alibi. Because that wouldn’t have been weird or suspicious. Especially when they eventually found out the truth. Besides, you’re not a candidate – what does it matter who you let screw you at weekends?”
Errol looked at me like I was a moron. Perhaps I was. I’d thought he was charming that night. He was anything but.
“Because … you’re you. You weirdo. With your” – he gestured at me – “fucked up life. The guy with the paedo brother and the killer ex.”
“Fine.” I paused. “I’m sorry that telling the police the truth was so inconvenient for you and that you got in trouble for having such poor taste in hook ups.
And I’m sorry your rather unremarkable performance in bed has been such a headache.
So you can go back to the little farmhand you’ve picked up and let him do you at a bus stop until you forget all about it. ”
Errol sneered. “You fucking prick. Do you have any idea what people say about you?”
“Is it like what I’ve said about you? Big dick, no idea how to use it, and uses way too much teeth when he gives head?”
I walked off. It’s not often I get the last word.
Of course, I didn’t. Errol grabbed my arm. His finger was back in my face. “You watch yourself, yeah. I’m not above taking care of you if you get in my way.” He stormed off.
I gulped and tried to make my legs work. Sonia was waiting for me at the other end of the terrace when I eventually arrived. “What was all that about?” she asked.
“Errol has buyer’s remorse,” I snapped. “And he only rented for the evening.”
Sonia narrowed her eyes and thought for a second. “Oh, I get it now. You’re the thing what he bought. He was renting you.”
“It was a joke, Sonia. Please don’t start telling people he actually rented me.” Not with what he was already saying about me.
She nodded. “I’m quite drunk. I should call Ade.”
I agreed. She spent several minutes trying to call Ade, but seemed to be ringing everyone else in her phone instead.
Eventually, I called a taxi, which miraculously turned up on time. I poured her in. “45 Summer Breeze Gardens, Compney,” I told the driver and handed him a ￡20 note as I took my seat beside Son, who promptly leaned on my shoulder.
Sonia yelled at the driver to turn the radio up as she loved that song. I frowned. The radio wasn’t on.
We arrived at her house ten minutes later, and she woozily walked up the path to her front door. I made the driver wait until I saw the door close before I let him drive off.
Once home, I stripped off, made a fuss of Kennedy for half an hour, then showered and ate cereal in my boxers. As I ate, sitting on the kitchen floor, I threw a ball for Kenny.
People said things about me? I was the weirdo?
How?
The next morning, my head had a construction crew living in it, and they were on a deadline.
Work harder, and louder seemed to be their motto. I stumbled into the kitchen in a fog of regret and let Kennedy out for his morning run around the garden. Then I tried to decide on a course of action. A cat miaowed at me from near my foot.
“Hush, beast of an animal,” I whispered.
It miaowed again. “Cruel villain,” I snapped and poured some biscuits into its already overflowing bowl.
I looked up. There was a man at my kitchen window.
I gave a deep exhale and steadied my nerves.