Page 72 of Copper Script
“Housekeeping tips too.”
“I’m a man of many talents.”He took as deep a breath as he could manage in the circumstances.“And I would like to stay here as long as you’d have me, but...”
“But,” Aaron said.“I know.”
“What do we do?”
“The best thing for us both would be to get you well out of the way.If you can’t be used against me, that would be extremely helpful.Go somewhere, use an assumed name, keep your head down.Somewhere outside London, preferably a longish way.Do you have any friends you could visit?”
Joel’s entire acquaintance lived in London these days.“No, but I’ll go somewhere.For how long?”
“I don’t know.It could be some time.”
Some time, when he was already four quid in the hole and wouldn’t be able to earn without advertising.Out of the way, when Aaron was right here with his lonely eyes, and desperate, passionate handwriting, and a mouth that looked luscious with Joel’s cock in it.It wasn’t fair.
“If you say so,” he managed, like a sensible grown-up.“If that’s best.Can I contact you?How will I know when I can come back?”
Aaron hesitated.“That’s a good question.It depends on how vindictive Colthorne might be, and on—well, what happens here.”
Something clicked in Joel’s head.“Happens here?To you?”
“About all this.”
“And what will that be?”Joel enquired.“Does DDI Colthorne give up being mean to you if he can’t put the thumbscrews on me?”
“I doubt that.”
“Then what will my going achieve?Just that he’ll need to find a different way to sack or frame or murder you?Is that what you have in mind?Aaron Fowler, are you being a martyr?”
“I’m not—”
“Yes youare.Get off me.”Aaron half lifted; Joel squirmed furiously round.“You’re sending me off so you can sacrifice yourself, aren’t you?”
“For God’s sake, Joel, why should you be caught up in this?”
“Why shouldyoube?We haven’t done anything wrong!Except, you know—” He waved vaguely.“Why aren’t you fighting this?Firebrand Fowler might have been a martyr at home, but I never heard he turned down a scrap!”
“Because I don’t have anything to fight with!Do you not think I’ve tried?”
“No, I don’t!You haven’t talked to me till now, and you haven’t talked to anyone who might listen.Have you?”
“Who’s going to listen, still less help?The Commissioner won’t want to know, and Colthorne’s been setting me up as untrustworthy or unreliable for God knows how long.I can’t think of anyone I could safely talk to, in case they go back to him.There’s nobody I can trust.Christ, I’m a fool.”The words sounded like they hurt.“I’ve spent six years of my life in the Met.Six years, my father, so much lost time, and all for what?”
“For justice,” Joel said.“To stop bad people.That was what you joined for, that was what you wanted to do and good for you, so why don’t we do it now?”
“We?”
“You asked who’d help you.There’s me.”
“That is—something,” Aaron said carefully.“It means a very great deal, as an offer.But I don’t know what you can do.”
“Let’s sodding find out, shall we?”Joel was fizzing with something—rage, hope, a good fuck, who knew.“What do we have to lose?You’re fucked, and what am I supposed to do if I run away?Sit around wondering if your murderous boss has murdered you yet, and if he’ll come after me next?Change my name and find something completely new to do with my life, for the however-manyth time it is?I’ve started again so many times—after prison, after my hand, after being kicked out—and I’m bloody tired of it!”
Aaron winced.“I’m sorry.”
“I don’t need you to be sorry, I need you to be fighting!I want— Oh, bloody hell, I’m just going to say it.All I’ve been doing for so long is living with things.Keeping on with them, putting up with them.And then I met you and now this, you and me, it doesn’t feel like ‘living with’ at all.It’sliving.Actually having things that matter instead of the days just passing.I want more of that.I want all I can get, even if we can’t get much.”
Aaron’s lips had parted.Joel set his shoulders and pushed on.“I don’t know if you feel that too.Maybe you don’t, and we barely know each other really, and probably if we had longer, I’d annoy the hell out of you.But even so, I want more time with you, and if we have to fight for that, then let’s fight, all right?You’re a good copper, I’m a graphological genius, we can try.”
