Page 22 of Beyond the Darkness (Basic Instincts #3)

Savage Streets

The meal was fantastic. Hudson and Luke followed the main course by sharing the house signature tiramisu dessert. By the time they’d finished, Hudson was still in no mood to return to the apartment.

“Let’s grab a nightcap somewhere,” he suggested after Luke insisted on paying the bill.

“Okay. The New Inn isn’t far from here. I’m not sure what’s on there tonight, but it’s probably the best option.”

“I’ll defer to your expertise.”

Hudson was feeling pleasantly buzzed after finishing the bottle of wine.

As the meal had progressed and he’d adjusted to the idea of Robbie Wiseman spending the night in a police station cell, a sense of peace had descended on him.

Why not make the most of it and enjoy the rest of the evening?

By this time tomorrow, Robbie would likely be back on the streets, and he’d have his guard up again.

“I don’t really feel dressed for going out,” Luke admitted as they walked from the restaurant. “I’ve been wearing these clothes for work all day.”

“That makes two of us,” Hudson said. “We can have a shower when we get back to the apartment. Besides, you’re hot, whatever you wear. I’m sure you’ll still be the best-looking guy in this pub.”

Luke laughed. “You already know you’re onto a sure thing, right?”

“Can’t I give you a compliment without having an ulterior meaning?”

“Oh, I’ll take the compliment gladly. Don’t worry about that.”

The New Inn was just about dead when they arrived. There were seven other customers and a bored-looking older man behind the bar. Madonna’s Deeper and Deeper played on the jukebox.

“Whoa. It’s the land that time forgot,” Hudson whispered.

“I warned you,” Luke said. “It will be livelier along at Sash, or The Viaduct, but I can’t say I’m in the mood for either of those tonight.”

“Me neither. Let’s have one drink here then we can head to bed.”

They ordered two glasses of red wine and took a table.

Hudson grimaced when he sniffed the wine. It was a big come-down from what they’d had in the restaurant.

“This place gets pretty lively at the end of the week,” Luke said. “Live DJs, cabaret, drag queens. Mondays are deathly just about everywhere.”

“We should make a date to go back to The Blue Pearl,” Hudson suggested. “I loved that place. The music, the atmosphere, the food.”

“What about tomorrow night? We can go straight there from rehearsals. I’ll work through lunch to make sure I don’t have to go back to the office afterwards.”

Hudson patted his thigh. “You have got yourself a date, Mr Kamal.”

Luke leaned in and pecked him on the lips. “I’ll have to get up early in the morning though. I need to go home for a change of clothes. I am not wearing these two days running.”

“Maybe we should. If we both turn up wearing these tomorrow, it will look like we’re doing the walk of shame. Give them something to gossip about.”

“And Corman and Amber will have something else to put in their podcast.”

“Ugh. Shit, I’d just about managed to forget about them. You’re right. Fresh clothes it is.”

The wine tasted almost as bad as it smelled.

A Girls Aloud song replaced Madonna on the jukebox. Another oldie, but not that old.

A man in his thirties sitting at the bar adjusted his chair while Hudson and Luke were taking.

Facing them, he pretended to be reading messages on his phone, but from the angle and direction he was pointing, Hudson suspected he was filming.

The asshole had obviously recognised him from the recent news coverage.

No doubt his footage would be shared on social media in the next few minutes.

And possibly picked up by any reporters in the area.

“Ah, stuff this.” Hudson put down the awful wine. “I can’t drink that. How about we head back and take that shower? I’ve got something much better to drink for a nightcap.”

Luke’s eyes flicked to the guy at the bar, catching on to what he was doing. “Great idea. Let’s go.”

They turned their backs to the intrusive camera and left.

The night was still and warm outside. There was a dark blue cast to the not yet dark sky.

“Can you believe that dickhead?” Luke said. “It was clear as day what he was doing.”

“I’ve seen worse. Experienced worse. Someone people just shove their phones straight at you. At least he was attempting to be discreet.”

“Hmm. I once saw Sir Ian McKellen having a drink with friends during the interval of a show. People were just standing around him filming and taking photos, like he was some exhibit at a zoo. I can’t believe how little they respected his privacy.”

The streets were quiet as they walked deeper into the gay village.

A single car came past in the opposite direction. Hudson looked up just in time to see two faces at the passenger side windows staring directly at him. Oh, shit. Surely that guy’s video can’t have alerted the press already.

The car drove past them, followed by the screech of tires as it braked.

“Let’s pick up the pace,” he said to Luke. “I think we’ve been spotted.”

Luke glanced backwards. “Yep. They’re turning around.”

They quickened their steps.

The car pulled alongside, kerb crawling. It had pulled onto the wrong side of the road to get closer to them. Hudson’s danger senses prickled. He walked even faster.

The driver’s window was down. “What’s up, ladies?”

“Fuck,” Luke muttered. “It’s not the press. Ignore them and keep moving.”

“Nice night for it, isn’t it, girls?” the driver called.

“Cruising for cock, are you?”

Hudson couldn’t stop himself from looking at them. The driver was a mean-looking bastard, all steroids and tattoos. In the seat behind sat a gingery blond with a full beard.

“Ooh, I think the old queen likes you,” the driver called to the man behind.

Hudson simmered with anger and frustration. He knew the best thing to do was ignore them and get to the safety of the apartment. They just needed to reach the end of the block, turn the corner and they would almost be there.

“Hey,” the guy in the back seat yelled. “Don’t be so stuck up. We’re only trying to be friendly. Why don’t you stop and say hello?”

“Leave us alone,” Hudson snapped, regretting the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. The last thing he should do was engage with these assholes.

“What’s that?” the driver shouted. “American. We’ve found ourselves a real Yankie faggot tonight. Jackpot, guys.”

“The other one doesn’t look much like a Yank to me,” a third voice from inside the car said. “More like an immigrant. Fresh off the small boats, I don’t doubt.”

“I think they both need to be taught a lesson and sent back where they came from.”

“What the fuck is this?” Hudson hissed.

Luke grabbed his arm. “Just run.”

They shot off together, racing for the corner.

As another car turned into the road, there was a screech of brakes as they tried to avoid the obstruction.

Two of the men were already out of the car and chasing after them. The blond guy from the rear seat and the side passenger, who was short and squat. The driver was engaged in a war of horns with the other vehicle.

Hudson and Luke raced into his road. The apartment building was in sight, still a distance away, and the men were gaining fast.

Of all the bad luck, there was no queue or security staff stationed outside of The Viaduct tonight. Their only option was to reach the front door of his building.

He glanced behind. The blond guy was fast on his feet. It was like being chased by a creature from one of his old horror films.

He couldn’t believe this was happening.

“I’m going to tear your head off your shoulders and shove it up your arse,” one of the men hollered.

Hudson was grateful for his own fitness. He wouldn’t be able to hold his own in a fight with these pricks, but he could run without too much effort. Adrenaline and stress kept him powering forward. Thankfully Luke was at his side.

Hudson pulled his wallet from his pocket and extracted his key card before they reached the door. He swiped the electronic pad. The light stayed red. Shit. He tapped the card again.

He could hear the heavy pounding of feet behind then.

At last, the light turned green, and the lock released. Hudson and Luke tumbled into the lobby, shoving the door shut behind them. Putting all their weight against it, they waited for the lock to catch.

The two men thudded against the other side, pounding on the glass.

It was a relief to hear the soft click of the lock.

The taller man pounded on the glass with his fists. His face, twisted with fury, was even uglier than Hudson had realised. Spit spattered the window as he swore at them.

“Now we know where you live, motherfuckers,” the smaller guy said, punching the door.

“And you’re on fucking camera, assholes.” Hudson pointed to the CCTV cameras that covered the lobby and the front door.

The small one was so stupid he gave a cartoon double take before tugging on his buddy’s arm and dragging him away. The blond spat a huge green glob of spit at the window before eventually backing down.

“Fuck.” Hudson leaned against the wall for support. His legs were suddenly weak. “What the hell was that?”

“That is the kind of behaviour that’s gotten out of hand in this city these last few years. Right-wing bastards who think they can take their hatred to the streets.”

“Are you okay?”

Luke’s face was ashen. Hudson hadn’t seen him look so drained.

He breathed deep and nodded. “Just…shocked. Fucking mad, too. How dare they? How fucking dare they behave like that?”

Hudson put his arm around him. Luke’s entire body trembled. “It’s okay,” he said softly. “They’re gone. It’s safe now.”

Upstairs, Hudson prepared them two stiff glasses of whisky, while Luke reported the incident to the police.

“For what good it will do,” Luke said when he got off the phone.

“They’ll get some clear shots of them from the cameras in the lobby. And there must be CCTV covering the main road. It’s got to have picked up the car and its registration.”

“That’s all true. But it’s also got to be worth someone’s time and effort in the police to investigate and track them down.”

“Surely things can’t be as bad all that. Those guys came for us in public. It has to count for something.”

Luke sighed, leaning into him. “I wish I shared your optimism. It’s been like this for years now. It’s getting worse, not better.”

“You can report it? Put it in your paper.”

“I will. I’m just not convinced it will lead to anything. And do you really want more of that kind of publicity?”

Hudson put a hand on his leg. “Well, straight answer—no. But that doesn’t matter. Quote me all you want. I’ll even give an interview. Maybe we can shame the cops into finding those pricks.”

“You know who’ll be all over it? Corman and Amber. They’ll love championing the cause.”

Hudson laughed and squeezed his thigh. “Maybe they’ll be useful after all then.” He sipped his drink. “Shit. When I signed on for this play, I had no idea that most of the drama would take place off stage.”

“Let’s hope that’s the last of it.”

“Now, that is optimistic.”