Page 67 of The Question of Us
Lee.Finally. Dressed in fitted white trousers that left little to the imagination and a shocking pink-and-orange floral shirt open to the waist, revealing a white leather harness. The harness matched the white leather choker, or maybe dog collar, buckled around his throat, its bulky silver ornaments dangling down his long, slender neck.
As Lee barged through a throng of intoxicated dancers, who parted before him like the Red Sea, their curious eyes tracking his progress, I fired Mads another text.
Eyes on Lee heading for Marty.
I’d barely pushed send when Freddie appeared in pursuit of Lee, making a grab for the younger man’s arm. Lee jerked himself free without even a glance and kept going. He was spitting mad about something, and it wasn’t hard to guess what.If I’d been right about Aaron, and after what Lee had told Mads in the supermarket, then Lee wouldn’t be at all happy seeing his tipsy brother in the company of one of Marty’s friends. Maybe even the same man Marty had warned wasinterestedin Aaron.
Dammit.Our plan was about to go to hell in a fucking handbasket. We needed Lee thinking straight and free to move around the party. What we didn’t need was him causing a scene that would likely get him banished from the party and shut down any chance of getting him alone.
With Lee’s arrival imminent, Jacob nudged Marty, who did a slow turn to greet his ‘boyfriend’, arms out. But Lee didn’t slow. He got right up in Marty’s face and started shouting and gesticulating wildly. From a distance, I caught the angry tone but could only guess at the words.
In contrast to Lee, Marty’s expression remained cold and vaguely threatening, his displeasure evident in the curled lip and menacing expression. It sent a chill up my spine. If Lee didn’t get out of this place tonight, he’d be facing some kind of punishment for this infraction, for sure. Marty wouldn’t stand for being embarrassed in front of his guests.
Not getting the answers he was clearly looking for, Lee took a look around the group. His gaze lingered on Gazza, and my heart almost stopped in my chest. Then he stabbed a finger Gazza’s way and started going off at Marty once again.
Shit. Shit. Shit.Had Lee recognised Gazza? Was that what he was telling Marty? I glanced around the patio and wondered how in the hell I was going to get us out of there. It wasn’t like there were a lot of options.
Samuel’s words of advice echoed in my head.If things go to shit, get Mads to call me or the police. Everyone keeps their phone at the ready. Always. If you’re at risk of being caught and have time, call the cops and try to keep the line open so whatever happens is taped and makes any aggressors thinktwice. Keep in public view. Don’t let yourselves be taken away.I thought about his advice and how best to implement it.Stay in public view. I could keep an open line to the police and go down to the party. Simply lead Gazza away. Make a scene so everyone sees me. So the police hear me. Then they can’t do anything, right? Don’t go inside the house. Don’t go inside the house. Leave through the garden or up to the turnaround. Get Mads to meet us there.
But Samuel wasn’t counting on the party being complicit with Marty. Or who these men actually were. Would a scene really save us? Did I have a choice?
Not really.
I began to inch forward through the garden to see if I could catch anything of the conversation. Even just a few words above the music. But I hadn’t taken more than a few steps when Marty cupped Gazza’s face and kissed him full-on the lips, right in front of Lee.
Gazza’s eyes widened and he appeared to sway backward, his knees crumbling. Marty caught him, the kiss lingering for a long time until Marty finally pulled away, leaving Gazza reaching for Jacob’s arm, seemingly to steady himself.
Lee had stopped talking in the wake of the kiss and was staring at Marty, clearly confused. Not jealous. Not that. More like this wasn’t going the way he’d expected. For his part, Marty simply stared back, the look on his face challenging Lee to do something about what he’d just seen. Like he was itching for a fight, and I imagined he was. Abusers look for any excuse to lay into their victims. I knew that firsthand.
The other men watched on in silence, amused if anything.
Eventually, Lee shook his head and said something that turned Marty’s expression to ice. Lee reached for his brother’s arm, but Jacob drew Aaron away. Lee lunged again and thistime Marty caught his hand, pulling Lee around the side of the marquee and out of sight.
I ran my fingers through my short hair.This was not going to end well.
Aaron swayed in Jacob’s hold as he watched his brother being unceremoniously led away. There was a confused expression on his face, like he didn’t understand what was happening, and it struck me in that moment that Aaron was possibly drugged and not drunk at all. Or maybe both.
Drugged.The thought percolated in my brain for a few seconds beforemygaze shot back to Gazza. With a chill, I remembered the champagne Marty had personally delivered even though he had a ton of wait staff to do it for him. Gazza’s empty glass was dangling from his hand like he’d forgotten it was even there. The sway. The reaching for Jacob’s arm.
I raised my phone and texted Gazza a warning.Get out now. ?spiked drink.
Gazza raised his free hand to his brow and shook his head like he was trying to clear it. What he didn’t do was reach for his phone.
Come on, Gazza, I silently urged.Check your phone. Check your phone.
But Gazza was staring blankly around him, like he was trying to get his bearings, or maybe he was looking for me. As I watched, he took a step toward the house and almost tripped over his feet. Freddie was at his side in a second, his arm sliding around Gazza’s waist as he whispered something in his ear. Gazza nodded but it didn’t feel right. He wouldn’t let that arsehole hold him like that if he was okay. What the fuck was going on?
Freddie then turned and said something to Jacob. The older man gave a lecherous grin and began to half-walk, half-carry Aaron toward the house. It wasn’t fucking rocket science to workout what was happening. If this wasn’t stopped soon, things weren’t going to end well for Lee’s brother.
I barely had time to digest that troubling fact when I realised Freddie was steering Gazza in the same direction and Gazza was going willingly. Was he acting? Was this some kind of subterfuge? I didn’t fucking know. Or had he truly been drugged?
A few guests offered sympathetic smiles as Freddie passed, and I could only imagine the back-and-forth commiseration over the universal problem of guests who drank too much. Or maybe the attendees knew exactly what was happening. A part of me couldn’t shake the feeling that they did.
In no time at all, the four men were back inside the house and the party closed around them like nothing had happened. Not a single person cast a curious eye back toward the house.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Do what you think is right.
