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A burst of laughter escaped her and I couldn't help but join in. The craziness of it was hilarious. Except, I didn't know enough about the weird society and whether the men had used their position of power to abuse those who were vulnerable. That last secret wasn't something I wanted to share with Elissa, not yet anyway. I had to speak to Joe to try and understand. Except, I wasn't sure I wanted to do that either. I was afraid of his answers and the chance that my knight in a shiny suit fantasy could come crashing down.
“Seriously though,” I said, “I'm really confused.”
Elissa stopped laughing and tilted her head to the side. “Wait, when did this attack happen?”
I glanced at the door, trying to keep my head from spinning at the reminder of what had unfolded in my office. “This evening.”
“Shit.” Lunging forward, Elissa wrapped me in her arms again. “And you're here alone? Why haven't you called the police? Sorry, I'm so easily distracted, I forgot to follow up on that serious question.”
“Call the police and implicate my boyfriend in a serious assault?” I cringed, “I can't do that.”
Sitting back, she pursed her lips. “Ah, yeah. Still, the bastard should be off the streets if he's attacking women.”
“That's the thing,” I said, “I don't know where to go next... with any of it.”
I followed her with my gaze as she got up from her seat and started to pace the room. “Maybe you need to report the incident once you've worked out an alibi for Joe. You can say that Finley left when you fought him off and you don't know what happened from there.”
“I'll speak to Joe,” I replied, knowing full well that he wouldn't agree with me talking to the police.
There was something about the wording of the article, and the conversation I'd heard at the club, that made me believe that the men in this so-called society abided by their own laws. Maybe Finley had belonged to the club too, which was why Joe had lost his temper so badly.
“Let's have something to eat,” Elissa said, picking up her bag of shopping and taking out a bottle of wine. “And a drink. We seriously need a fucking drink.”
Chapter Twenty One
Joseph
Lola had palmed me off one too many times over the last two days, it was time I paid her a visit. The heater in the car blew as hot as the fire in my veins. When I'd tried to contact Lola the night of the attack, she'd only spoken briefly, claiming she was going to bed. Fine, I got it. The first night, she would’ve been in shock. However, I should've never let her go home without me. I'd protected her against that dangerous wanker, but I'd also shown her my true colours. She'd seen a darker side of me, a side that I'd intended to introduce to her slowly. I wanted her to understand that my demons needed her light. That they were ready to drive out her own darkness in order to be enlightened. But it may have been too late.
The bluetooth burst into action as I turned into the junction of Lola's road. The parking was atrocious in this part of London, but I managed to reverse between two cars.
Pressing the answer button, I sighed. ”Yes, Chase?”
“My friend,” he spoke slowly, “I hear that Finley is in hospital with terrible injuries.”
Scoffing, I shrugged, even though he couldn't see me. “So, the bastard's still alive?”
“I wondered if it had something to do with you.” His voice was heavy. “What happened?”
Scratching the stubble on my chin, I glanced at my reflection in the mirror. My blue eyes caught the sun and I blinked, almost not recognising myself. The slight crow’s feet around the edge of them made me look away. I was not a young man any longer. And yet, I was vigorous and raring to go, ready to build a new life with Lola.
“He tried to rape Lola in her office,” I said through clenched teeth. “I only just got there in time, otherwise he would've... I have it on CCTV if you need proof.”
His sigh was drawn out. “Yeah, I’ll need to see the evidence so I can shut down the arguments from his friends. Once they know what he did, they'll leave it alone.”
“Do you think the society has got out of control?” I glanced in the rearview mirror as the car behind me started to reverse.
My Land Rover was worth a hundred K. If the bastards dared to even breathe on it, I would... what? Beat the shit out of them? Cuss them out? I had more than enough money to fix the fucking car, there were more important things to worry about… like Chase's long pause.
“I understand if you've lost interest in the cause and the fun that comes along with it.” Chase's chair squeaked in the background. “We've been doing this for twenty odd years and sometimes the passion runs out. Maybe you're ready for a change?”
A bark of hilarity burst from my lips. “You’re talking about me settling down with a wife and kids?”
There was a tiny voice in my mind, which I'd often drowned out, who whispered a yes. I almost laughed at myself as I imagined a baby bawling and shitting while I was trying to concentrate on my designs. It had never appealed before due to my only example of parents. They hadn't exactly been glorious.
“No,” Chase muttered with an amused tone, “not at all. You're too tied to this way of life. But, sometimes, a break or a change does us good. Think about it. And in the meantime, stay away from Finley.”
He hung up before I could reply, leaving the beep of the call end echoing in my brain. Lola had been ignoring me, not even bothering to answer my texts now. The heat of annoyance that bubbled under my skin was burning me up inside.
