The Pleasure Room (37 page)

“I was supposed to tell you the same lie I told my editor. That the footage came to me anonymously and I ran with it.”

In spite of the circumstances, Alistair stifled a chuckle. “That was actually a very good lie. Why didn't you use it?”

“Because I believe in us, in what we have... of what we could have. I didn't want to lie to you. You can't build a relationship on that.” Another round of fresh tears poured from her eyes. “My friend Allison told  me to take the truth with me to my grave if I ever wanted to be with you... Looks like she was right,” Felicity said, brokenheartedly, her voice cracking mid-sentence.

Alistair looked at her, this time he didn't say anything. After a little more driving in silence, he pulled up in front of the Hyde Park movie
theater and Felicity climbed out, seeing Allison sitting in the lobby. She ran inside and hugged her friend as Alistair watched the two women from the car through the huge glass windows.
 

“Oh my God, what happened?” Felicity said, seeing the scratches, cuts and bruises on Allison's face, legs and arms.

“I had to fight my ass off to get away from two dirty cops, at least I think they were cops. We need someplace safe to go,” Allison said.

“Come on.” Felicity led her out of the theater and into Alistair's Maserati.

“Hi, and thank you so much for coming to get me,” Allison said after climbing into the backseat.

“No problem,” Alistair replied. He watched as Felicity slid back into the passenger side.

“Is he the guy?” Allison asked Felicity.

“Yes, Allie, this is him.”

“Good lord, you weren't lying when you said he was gorgeous.” Allison had to give Felicity credit, she really knew how to pick them.

Alistair tossed Allison a glance through the rear-view mirror, smirking slightly at the compliment. He shifted the car into gear and headed back to his home. “Are you all right?” he asked concerned after seeing her battered face.

“I am for the moment, but if we don't find a way to save our asses, none of us will be all right for long,” Allison said.

“That's what I need to know. Now that you're both in the car, maybe you could shed some light on what's going on?” He looked at Allison again in the mirror.

“That son of a bitch, ass motherfucking editor of ours told the mayor's murdering ass about us,” Allison blurted out.

Alistair raised an eyebrow at the string of obscenities that poured from her mouth.

“What?” Felicity asked, obviously used to Allison's language. “That bastard!”

“Girl, I had sent him the proof you told me to send him. I kid you the fuck not, about an hour and a half after I sent those photos and video, two dirty-ass cops come knocking on my door talking about they need to ask me some questions. I was like, 'about what?' and they were all secretive and didn't want to say shit, just wanted to come inside. So I was like fuck that, I ain't got time for dirty ass cops.  I told them to come back with a warrant if they wanted access into my apartment. When I tried to close the door, they reached inside and grabbed me. I fought, but one of them held me down while the other searched my apartment. Totally trashed it, that's okay though, 'cause I got their fucking badge numbers.”

“Oh God, I'm so happy you're alive,” Felicity said, exhaling a deep breath she didn't even know she was holding in. “They were looking for our proof?”

Allison looked at Alistair. “How much does he know?”

Felicity sighed. “Everything.”

Allison cocked an eyebrow. “
Everything
, everything?”

Felicity thought it best to guide Allison in the right direction on this. “He knows my real name. He knows that Dwight's Dominatrix and I worked together and that the footage wasn't sent to me without me knowing its origins. Everything.” She prayed that their close relationship would mean that Allison was picking up on her signals to leave Gregory out of it.

Allison nodded, catching on. “Okay, you really came clean. I told you not too. I can tell by the look on his face, he's pissed. Even from the back seat, that shit is palpable, I can taste it. Rage... it's bitter.”

Alistair huffed his annoyance at being the topic of discussion while sitting in the middle of it. “How about we leave me out of it for now and you continue with your story, like how did you get away from them?”

“That's that Dom in him, ain't it?” Allison asked Felicity.

Felicity half laughed and half cried, but she nodded. “Go on, Allie.”

Allison wasn't the least bit thrilled to see her friend so upset. Still, more important things to discuss at the moment than Felicity's love life.

“Like I said, they were trashing my damn apartment looking for the original video file and any pictures I may have made. His partner kept holding me as I struggled and I knew they were going to kill my ass the moment they thought they found what there were looking for. They told me they already killed the mayor's mistress. That's why I told you to call your source. I knew we were next, especially since I'd seen their faces, badges and shit. I've watched enough movies to know that some of that shit you see is real. So, I got clever fast as hell. Told them I had a file with more pictures and a jump drive with more footage in my bedroom. I said I'd give it to them if they let me live.”

“Did you?” Felicity asked.

“I don't have any hard copies of the video, but I do have that shit in my Google Drive. I can access it anywhere. They didn't know that, though. I managed to convince them to let me find the stuff for them. They both followed me into my bedroom. I went into my drawer by the window where I keep my unmentionables. I started tossing them around the room pretending that I was looking for the jump drive. I was like: 'Here it is!' and I turned around got one of the cops with my Taser.  The other guy attacked me, that's how I got this black eye. We fought and I mean, we
fought
like two hungry dogs over a bone. I'm talking about scratching, biting, hitting. I grabbed his nuts and squeezed those wrinkly motherfuckers like lemons.”

“Sheesh,” Alistair hissed, imagining the pain of having his nuts wring out by a desperate and enraged woman fearing for her life.

“If I could have ripped them off, I would have,” Allison said. “That move gave me enough time to get my ass out of there. I ran my ass off. My track and field past really came in handy. I almost got hit by this car that served to avoid me. But I ran and just kept running until I got someplace where there was a lot of people.”

“That was resourceful,” Alistair commented, admiring Allison's survival skills.

“I'm so happy you're alive. This is all my fault--” Felicity said, feeling guilty.

“--Just wait right there. This isn't all your fault. I had my name on that story, too. Besides, this is all that asshole's fault. If he wasn't a greedy fucking cheat with a God complex the size of Texas, none of this would be happening. It's obvious he needs to be exposed about a lot of shit he's doing that's shady,” Allison said.

Alistair listened as the two women spoke. The more he heard, the more he was finding himself agreeing. “Did they find what they were looking for?” he asked.

“They destroyed my laptop, but they wanted the camcorder. I told them I didn't have it and if anything happened to me, they'd never get it. I think the only reason I lived as long as I did was because I told them that. Speaking of your source, did you ever get in contact with him?”

“Not yet I haven't. He's still not answering and I've called over a dozen times. If it's true what they told you about killing the mayor's dominatrix, Jason may be in trouble too. I never knew what relationship he had with her, but it had to be something serious. He came to me with the story because he knew I worked for the
Chicago Word
. He was also very concerned about her getting free of Dwight,” Felicity said.

“I know Dwight's Mistress. We should call her just in case they were lying to you. Felicity call  Mistress Veronica Daily. She also has another number under: Mistress V,” Alistair said.

Felicity took the cell phone he handed her and began to scan through his phone's contact list until she came upon her name. It was in a list of many “mistresses and masters”. She started the call. The phone rang several times until her voicemail picked up. Again, Felicity called both numbers, and again then she left messages on the last attempt. A simple one, just for her to contact Alistair as soon as possible.

“She's not answering either,” Felicity said.

“They're cleaning house, you think? Anyone who would know about the mayor?” Allison asked.

“If that's the case, they'll be coming for you,” Felicity said, looking at Alistair. “We can't go back to your house and you need to get Bernard out of there.”

Alistair's head shot towards her, his brows creased as he registered the ever increasing seriousness of their combined situation. “Call my home, now.”

Felicity did just that, calling the main number. The telephone ranged repeatedly until the voicemail  picked up. She hung up and dialed again, still nothing.

“Call his cell,” Alistair said.

Felicity dialed that number, too and someone answered, but it wasn't Bernard. “Hello, Alistair,” said a male voice.

“This isn't Alistair,” Felicity said.

Alistair looked at Felicity, noting her terrified expression, then gestured for her to put it on speaker phone. She did. He pulled the car over on the shoulder.

“Who is this?” the male voice asked. “Where's Alistair.”

“Who am I speaking with and where's Bernard?” Alistair said.

“I'll be asking the questions,” said the man.

“Where's Bernard?” Alistair demanded.

“He's here, can't say that he's doing very well right now, don't think he'll last the night unless you do as I say.”

“What did you do to him?”

“Like I said, I'll be asking the questions.”

“Not without answering a few of mine, that is how this will go,” Alistair said.

Allison's eyebrows shot up as she watched him negotiate with a possible hit-man.
He's not a man easily manipulated. He stays in control. I see how he swept Felicity off her feet
, she thought.

“Now, what did you do to Bernard?” Alistair asked.

“He's in pretty bad shape. Didn't want to tell me where you keep the files on your clients. He's pretty loyal.”

“That's because he doesn't know, only I have that information. Killing him won't help you, so just let him go.”

“Now, how does letting him go help me? He's seen my face and letting him live poses a great risk to me. What are you willing to offer to sweeten that kind of deal?” the mystery man plotted.

“What guarantee do I have that you'll let him or even me live once you have what you want?”

“None, I guess we have to trust each other.”

Alistair sighed. “That's just it, I don't trust you.”

“Well, this stalemate just won't do.”

“I need to speak with him, let me hear his voice first,” Alistair demanded.

“Sure, I can arrange that,” the man said.

There was the unmistakable sound of a bullet leaving a silencer and the last groans of a dying man. All three of them jerked, their eyes bulging as they looked at one another. Felicity covered her mouth to stifle the scream that nearly erupted when she realized that Bernard was dead.  

“Is that good enough for you?” the stranger asked. “Now, answer my fucking question before I decide to visit that club of yours and terminate some of your employees. Or maybe I'll even start  subtracting members off your client list. How many more lives are going to be lost this night while you pretend you're still in control?”

Alistair was silent as he thought about his butler laying murdered in his home as a result of Felicity and Allison's actions and one man's ruthless desperation to keep his secret hidden. He had no doubt that he would be killed... he already knew too much. Alistair also knew Felicity and Allison be next, even if he did give up the files, they'd come after all of them. He found himself growing angrier by the second. “Hang up,” he told Felicity knowing any information he gave wouldn't bring Bernard back. “Call 9-1-1.”

Felicity dialed the number, keeping the phone on speaker. When the dispatcher answered, Alistair began reporting the crime and Victoria's disappearance. He answered what questions he could and he did imply the killer or killers may be dressed as policemen. He gave them the information Allison provided about their badge numbers. He also said, his life was in danger and he was not going home.

“Hang up and remove the battery and SIM card,” he told Felicity, wanting to end the call before any more questions could be asked. She did. “Allison, did he sound like either of the men who attacked you?”

Allison shook her head slowly, still in shock. “No, that voice was completely different. Huskier. The cops who attacked me had more baritone voices.”

“So now we know there's at least three people out there looking to kill us,” Felicity said.

“Where are we going to go for safety, now?” Allison asked.

“To a hotel downtown,” Alistair replied. His voice was leveled in his rage, hands gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.