With or Without Him (41 page)

He had to sit and wait another thirty minutes for Tyler to come out. Since he’d gone into an interview room at the same time, the longer it took for Tyler to emerge, the more worried Haris became. When his phone vibrated in his pocket, Haris checked who was calling and his heart beat even harder. He accepted the call and slipped outside the building.

“We are in Rome,” his father said. “The plane to Riyadh leaves in one hour.”

“How are things?” Haris asked.

“We’ve talked. Things have been said that should have been discussed a long time ago. Malik tells me Rashid had no family. Although in many ways that’s a relief, I feel sad his life ended in the way it did. There is no justice when a young man’s freedom is forfeit because of something he cannot help.”

That was a change in his father’s thinking.

“There’ll be no trouble here.” Haris checked he was unobserved before he continued. “No one has mentioned Malik’s name, no link has been made from me to Rashid.”

His father sighed. “Thank you. I know he doesn’t deserve it. I hope I can make him see sense before…well, I wish the circumstances had been different. I wish you happiness, my son. I only ever wanted that for you.”

Haris swallowed a lump in his throat. “Perhaps I could—”

“No. You must not come here. It’s too big a risk. Let us part like this while I’m still able to pretend I’m strong. Goodbye, Haris.”

“Goodbye, Baba.”

Haris stuffed the phone back in his pocket and clamped his teeth together. It was true that you didn’t realize what you had until you were in danger of it being taken away from you. He didn’t want to lose Tyler.

“Hey, I thought you’d left me.” Tyler came up behind him, carrying his bag, coat and guitar.

“Okay?”

“Fine.”

“What took so long?”

Tyler headed down the path. “Well, I was the victim. They wanted pictures and stuff. The blood test at the hospital showed I’d been given some sort of sedative. I think they want to make a case for Rashid being guilty, even though he’s never going to go on trial, just so that they don’t look as bad.”

“It’s over?”

“Yeah.” Tyler strode on ahead, avoiding his gaze.

Why did the uneasy feeling in his gut make him think Tyler was lying?

Chapter Twenty-Three

Tyler couldn’t remember having spent such a restful few days. His back was healing. The dressings were off and Haris wasn’t freaking out every time he accidentally touched him where it hurt. They’d decorated the tree with white wooden snowflakes and little red birds and it looked great, better than it had before. Haris had been right. His dissertation was flowing, he’d already written ten thousand words on Haris’s laptop. He’d composed two new songs and sent clips of himself playing them to Col, Des and Newt. Wilson had given him a few cooking lessons and last night, Tyler made a beef stroganoff that was actually tasty, though Wilson had shuddered when he’d seen how many pans he’d used and the amount of rice he’d spilled on the floor.

There were still unresolved issues between him and Haris. That fucking contract for a start. He wished he’d never signed the damn thing. If he and Haris had been out on a couple of dates, maybe he’d have asked him to move in anyway and that money wouldn’t be sitting there between them like some neon colored elephant.

Tyler was waiting too. Waiting for the words ‘I love you’ to spill from Haris’s lips. He didn’t want to say them and not have Haris say them back and yet he didn’t want Haris to just repeat them. Nor did he want to hear them when they were fucking. He wanted them said when Haris wasn’t caught up in the thrall of orgasm. Tyler couldn’t say them first because he couldn’t make himself that vulnerable. If the four month deadline passed, then he’d know. But until then, he’d wait. And hope.

Even so, these past evenings spent cuddled next to Haris on the couch had been pretty close to perfect. They couldn’t be next to each other without touching. Tyler smiled.

Then he stopped smiling because it was Saturday and he had something to do and Haris wasn’t going to like it.

What he hadn’t realized was how
much
Haris wasn’t going to like it.

“No,” Haris yelled. “You’re not to go.”

“I’m not actually going to fuck anyone.”

Haris shuddered. “Please don’t do this.”

“The police asked. I said I would. They can bring Prescott down.”

“They can do it without you. You told the guy you’d finished with him, so isn’t he going to be suspicious if you turn up?”

“Lu said me going on Saturday was Prescott’s price for him helping me. Prescott thinks I’m desperate for money.”

Haris paced across the living room. “What’s the plan?”

“I go up to the apartment with an undercover cop and tell Prescott he’s a replacement for Jeremy. After the guests arrive, the police are going to raid the party.”

“Why do you need to be there?”

“I have to get the undercover cop in the apartment to see money changing hands, to hear Prescott giving orders, playing the pimp. Then it’s evidence from more than one source. I don’t know how many of the other…men like me will speak out.”

Haris stopped pacing. “You’re not like that.”

Yes I am. You offered to pay me, didn’t you?

“Will you be wired?”

Tyler shuffled his feet. “We’re naked.”

“Oh Christ.” Haris dragged his fingers through his hair.

Tyler jumped up and hugged him from behind. He tightened his hold when Haris tried to push him away.

“I’m not going to do anything other than take my kit off. You know how much I love taking my kit off.” He nuzzled into Haris’s back. “When we first met, I promised you I wouldn’t be with anyone else for the four months we were together and I won’t break my word.”

He’d have to do something in the elevator just to convince Prescott the cop was gay, but apart from that, he didn’t intend to let anyone touch him. The police had said it should only take a few minutes.

“I don’t want you to…oh hell.” Haris sagged in his arms and Tyler moved round to stand in front of him.

“I don’t want Prescott and Gerald to get away with this,” Tyler said.

Haris’s sad eyes made his gut twist. “Not so long ago you were relying on Prescott’s parties to pay off your debt. It’s okay for me to let my brother go free and yet you want to bring down this guy?”

“That was your decision. This is mine. Jeremy was raped by one of Prescott’s guests. Prescott threatened me. Gerald threatened me. Lu mistreated me. If Jeremy won’t tell the police about Gerald, then at least tonight’s raid will stop Prescott. It’s something.”

“I’m coming with you.”

“You can’t.”

“Why not?”

“You…you’re too old.”

The muscles twitched in Haris’s cheek. “I can be a guest.”

Tyler shook his head. “He invites them himself. You won’t be allowed in.”

“Then how are the police going to get in?”

“How the fuck do I know? Abseil from the roof? Blow out the door? They aren’t going to tell me the whole plan.”

Haris caught Tyler’s chin with his hand. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I won’t be. Even Prescott has rules. No one’s forced into anything while they’re in that apartment. Too many witnesses. I can be choosy and just sit around.”
Unless Prescott decides he wants to teach me a lesson.

“I’m still coming. I’ll wait outside in the car.”

“I’d like that. Then we can go for fish and chips.”

Haris laughed, as Tyler knew he would. “It’s impossible to be mad with you.”

Tyler wasn’t so sure about that.

Haris drove him to Canary Wharf and parked a few streets away from the apartment building. Tyler called the number he’d been given by the police and then the pair of them sat in awkward silence until there was a tap on the window. Haris leapt out of the car before Tyler.

“This is Steve,” Tyler said. “Steve, this is Haris. We met when I did the police interview.”

Steve had fair hair and wore skin tight jeans and a leather jacket. His tongue was pierced and so was his left ear. He looked younger than Tyler and he was pretty. Haris growled, climbed back into the car and slammed the door.

Tyler bit back his snigger. He bent down and leaned through from the passenger side to kiss him. “I’ll be good.”

Haris’s tongue slid into his mouth and when Tyler let his slip against it, Haris nipped him.

“Ouch.”

“One hour and I’m coming to get you,” Haris whispered.

Tyler walked away with Steve, feeling Haris watching him every step of the way. It was a novel experience having someone to care about him, having someone to care about. But love? Did Haris love him?

“You okay?” Steve asked.

“Yeah, are you?”

“Fine.”

“Remember what we have to do?”

“Yep. Can you tell me the rest of the plan?” Tyler asked.

“No. Just stay out of the way when my colleagues come in. If you’re with the others, Prescott’s not going to know it was you who blew the whistle.”

“Not until the court case.”

“They can hide your identity from the press.”

But Prescott would know. Tyler began to feel more and more uneasy. What happened when Prescott got out of jail? What happened if he didn’t even go to jail? What if he knew the police were planning this raid?

“Do you have our story straight?” Steve asked.

“We were at a care home in Surrey from when we were eleven until we were fourteen. I went to stay with you after Jeremy had been stabbed in my flat. You need money and you like sex so I suggested you come with me tonight.”

“What’s my surname?”

“Davies.”

“Birthday?”

“September, same as mine. Don’t remember the date.”

“Brothers, sisters?” Steve asked.

“No. And mine are dead.”

“Don’t give any more information than you’re asked for. That’s the way people get caught out.”

They turned the corner and the entrance to Prescott’s building lay across the road.

“Have you done this often then? Worked undercover?”

“No, it’s my first time. Now shut up and remember we need to show them some action in the elevator.”

Tyler wondered where the police were hiding to watch them. Maybe they were already inside the building. His heart pounded so hard he felt sick. The security guard waved to Tyler in recognition as he led Steve to the elevator. He felt even worse when it was ascending and Steve made his move. He slid his hand over Tyler’s crotch, where his dick was currently smaller than a mini wiener and still shrinking, and put his mouth on Tyler’s. Tyler kissed him and felt—nothing. Well, nothing except acute fear and the piercing in his tongue. But he put his arms around Steve and pretended and they were still kissing when the elevator ground to a halt.
Shit, I forgot to face the camera.

The doors slid open and they stepped out into the foyer.

“Hey, those are cool,” Steve said and flicked the metal mobile with his finger making it clang and vibrate.

The doors slid closed behind them and the door to the apartment opened.

Tyler slapped a smile on his face. “Hi, Prescott.”

“Who’s your friend?”

Steve slouched at Tyler’s side. “I’m Steve Davies.”

“I thought you might like him to replace Jeremy. You heard he’d been stabbed?”

Prescott frowned. “Who’s Jeremy?”

In that instant, everything fell apart.

“I’m having a little dinner party. Come in.” Prescott moved back.

Fly. Spider’s web. Fucking great big tarantula waiting to gobble me up.
But Tyler felt he had no choice. What he hadn’t expected was that Prescott would block Steve’s path.

“I’m sorry. Invited guests only.” Prescott closed the door, locked it, put the key in his pocket and turned to look at a monitor next to the door.

Tyler watched Steve shrug before he stepped back into the elevator and the doors closed.
Oh fuck.

Prescott slapped his face so hard that Tyler staggered into the wall and hurt his back.

“You fucking little prick,” Prescott barked. “What do you think you’re playing at?”

“What the hell’s the matter? What have I done?”
Please don’t know.

“I have a fucking senior policeman who comes here. You think you can land me in the shit and me not know?” Flecks of spittle hit Tyler’s face. “Well, that’s exactly where you’re going to end up after I’ve cut out your heart. You’ve cost me a fucking fortune. I have to leave this place and find somewhere else and everyone’s going to be wary now.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Lu! Mex!”

Tyler yelled for help and struggled, but the three of them overpowered him so quickly he found himself bound and gagged in seconds.

“Service elevator,” Prescott said and unlocked the door.

Tyler hoped to see a group of policemen, but there was no one outside the apartment. They manhandled him through double doors he’d always thought were a closet, and on into a much larger elevator than the other that Prescott started with a key. Lu held Tyler behind Prescott, keeping him tight against his body and facing him rather than the doors. Mex pressed up behind him, rubbing against his healing wounds and Tyler could feel his erection against his butt.
Oh fuck.